From [1] The Left Coaster and thank you to Mary:
NOAA just released their 2006 weather summary for the United States and it is quite something to compare the average yearly temperature map to that from last year.

[2]	[3]
2005	2006
Courtesy of NOAA

I think there are a couple of things going on to produce that startling red graphic of the USA on the right. Apparently El Nino and the global warming trends are both contributing. But the graphic comparison of 2005 on the left, which was a warm year, looks chilly compared to 2006 on the right. Anybody else seeing a red flag with the weather in 2006?

I suggest that a move toward sustainable economies is an absolute imperative. Time to stop fighting over the oil in the Middle East. The environment is going to punish us if we insist on burning fossil fuels. Time for a change. You connect the dots, kemosabe.

What can you do? Switch your lightbulbs first to compact fluorescents. Park your car. If you are buying a car, buy a “green” car. A hybrid that gets great gas mileage also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Do the planet and your pocketbook a favor, park the Hummers, the Expeditions, the Durango’s, the Escalades. These vehicles and their ilk are symptomatic of the mindset that could destroy the inhability of this small blue planet.