Global Warming

[bob135]

What do you think?
1) Is the earth heating up?
2) If so, is this warming due to human activity?
3) If so, what can/should we do about it?

 

[KenH]

1. Yes.

2. I don't think so. Thirty years ago the cries of alarm from the "experts" were about global cooling. Why should we believe the "experts" this time?

3. I would like to see us use less oil from a national security perspective - www.setamericafree.org/blueprint.pdf.

 

[MichaelFJF]

What do you think?
1) Is the earth heating up?
2) If so, is this warming due to human activity?
3) If so, what can/should we do about it?

Think? I think is the flavor of the month for professional activists.
1) Maybe - the earth has been going through cycles for a long time.
2) Highly doubtful. To think that we can affect the planet is arrogant.
3) Adapt or die out.

 

[chaim]

What do you think?
1) Is the earth heating up?
2) If so, is this warming due to human activity?
3) If so, what can/should we do about it?

1) Yes. This one is pretty easy and undeniable, land surface and sea surface temperatures are increasing. This is an easy measurement.
2) At least partly. The earth has never seen a warming as rapid as the one we are in at the moment. Secondly the mechanism for this warming is clear and well understood - the warming witnessed so far is in good agreement with the models. There may be a natural cycle occouring as well but anthropogenic warming is super-imposed ontop of this. Contrary to what some politicians would like you to think there is no debate in atmospheric and climate science about this issue - it is settled.
3) Reduce CO2 emsissions. We can't stop emitting CO2 and neither can we reverse the greenhouse effect, however we can try to slow it. Secondly reducing emissions is a wise thing to do on many uncontroversial levels, we can reduce dependence on finite fossil fuels, reduce urban air pollution and improve public health. Who would argue against these goals?

 

[chaim]

Think? I think is the flavor of the month for professional activists.
1) Maybe - the earth has been going through cycles for a long time.
2) Highly doubtful. To think that we can affect the planet is arrogant.

Why is that? We have done it in the past (the ozone hole) and we could do it again with a lot less effort than dumping trillions of tons of CO2 in the atmosphere (a few nukes).

 

[Voegelin]

Primitive cultures tossed virgins into sink holes to appease the weather gods. Primitives today also blame man and are looking around for sacrifical vicitms. This time it is SUVs and our standard of living.

Ah...progress....

 

[Grey Eminence]

What do you think?
1) Is the earth heating up?
2) If so, is this warming due to human activity?
3) If so, what can/should we do about it?

1) Yes.

At this time the earth is nearing the autocatalytic stage of warming. For the first time in millions of years Siberia's permafrost is showing signs of melting. A region of the world that contains huge volumes of shallow methane deposits within the permafrost. In addition to huge quantities of undecomposed organics which represent a huge potential carbon source.

Secondly the arctic ice sheet is decaying far more rapidly than anticipated. As more sea water is exposed the water warms during the summer further reducing the amount of ice and increasing the area of ocean to be warmed. This could possibly disrupt the thermo-haline circulation which moves water from the North Atlantic to Indonesia. The consequence is the Gulf Stream is weakened or shuts down. Europe reverts to a Newfoundland like climate and the eastern seaboard of the US loses the heat buffer the Gulf Stream Provides.

2) I do not think it would be unreasonable to say that humanity has played a significant role in the recent warming.

3) As much as possible to reduce the ecological footprint of humanity. Earth's climate is only meta-stable. If it is pushed too far no human effort will be able to restore it to what we previously considered normal. Human efforts could only attempt to prolong the changes in order to give us more time to adapt.

 

[Voegelin]

I do not think it would be unreasonable to say that humanity has played a significant role in the recent warming.

But you can't prove it or quantify it, can you? Nor are you able to prove what changes in human activity would have on global waming.

So we have Kyoto types saying...we think humans are to blame, we think we should reduce emssions (or whatever) but we have no idea if it will do anything to reduce recent rises in global temperatures.

 

[revrobor]

Think? I think is the flavor of the month for professional activists.
1) Maybe - the earth has been going through cycles for a long time.
2) Highly doubtful. To think that we can affect the planet is arrogant.
3) Adapt or die out.

What he said. It's all just environmental terrorists hype.

 

[guitargatler]

well I think the earth is heating up....why? well I dunno just thought it was pretty dang hot this summer

I think we as humans are definitely responsible

And I dont think theres anything we could do to help it now.

Can I prove anything I just said?....absolutely not..but thats what makes it so fun.

 

[Moros]

What do you think?
1) Is the earth heating up?
2) If so, is this warming due to human activity?
3) If so, what can/should we do about it?

Yes
Partially
Probably nothing.

 

[PorcelainHeart]

I feel humans are to blame, we are destorying GOD's earth by cutting down the rainforest.

 

[MethodMan]

I feel humans are to blame, we are destorying GOD's earth by cutting down the rainforest.

Another Fern Gully casualty.

 

[xXLurkerXx]

1)Yes, I think this is an indisputed fact now. The earth is heating up.

2)Probably the earth would even be heating up without human influence. There are factors humans cannot influence.
But I believe (I cannot prove it) a big part of the warming is due to human activity, therefore man made.
And my impression is that most scientists now believe this too.

3)Privilege cooperation over profit and competition, all nations must work together. We need global enviromental standards, because we live in a global economy with global competition.
We have to change our lifestyle. I believe, if the indians and chinese live the way we westeners do, the planet will imho face a grim future.

2) Highly doubtful. To think that we can affect the planet is arrogant.

I cannot proof that humans are affecting the climate at the moment.

But to generally think that humans impossibly can affect the climate of the planet is really an enviable lack of fantasy imho.
Humans with axes have turned forests into grasslands or deserts.

With our technology and population numbers we could for example chop down every tree on the planet. That is something we could easily do.
We could detonate every nuke we possess, or 100000 nukes.
Both things would change the climate and the planet.

Why do you think our polution is the only thing we produce/do that cannot change the planet´s climate? I think you lack fantasy...
Could you imagine it with 50 billion or 100 billion people living on our planet? Do you believe the planet has a limit?

Sorry to waffle again . But this is such an important topic to me.

 

[simplicity]

We've only been around a brief period of time, but I think we are prime candidates for extinction. It is probably too late to do anything.

 

[the Colonel]

Moved from News and Current Events.

 

[billwald]

Solar output is increasing. Complain to God?