Gorebal Warming

[Lance]

That is an interesting opinion, Dragon Star.

[Dragon Star]

Glad your interested. But do you agree at all? I mean it's just such an overreaction...

[Lance]

I agree that there is such a phenominon as Global Warming that is currently taking place. I believe we do not know to what extent our influence has on the severity of the problem. I disagree entirely that it will be a very long time before we feel severe consequences.

There was some interesting research that came out of 9/11 that shows warming may be much worse right now than we knew and that part of it is being counteracted by excessive polution. (Seen on NOVA recently.)

[Halcyon Dayz, FCD]

I don't think a hundred years is a very long time.

Knowing people, they will wait till the very last moment to take action.
Which is often to late.

And the run-away global warming scenario is not completely out of the picture yet.
We wouldn't be able to handle that at all.
50% of the world's population lives in the coastal plains, and most of our arable land is there as well.

Saying it happened before in the history of the world is no good.
It didn't happen to us before. We are a sedentary civilisation.
We can't just pick up our infrastructure and move elsewhere.

[Dragon Star]

A hundred years? Until what exactly?

People do wait till the last minute, at that minute is when the government says get your ass out of there. And then they pack up and move. Whoopee do, what do you know, the world didn't end.

I am just watching it turn into something where it gets to the point where people are going to pressure the government into doing something about it when it is a mostly natural process, effectively waisting money just to keep everyone happy, and if you ask me thats a load of crap. Inducing panic is no way about going around something, making plans for it now is. The entire coastline is not going to have to move effective NOW or anything, it will happen in waves, probably a mile or two at a time, with fairly long periods between evacuations.

If it has anything to say about it, I am more worried for the effects on the ecosystem then us. THEY are the ones that have to pay up when it comes down to it.

[MM_Dandy]

Well, wouldn't you agree we should see if we can prevent having to relocate tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people at all? Or at least prolong the process as much as possible? The logistics of doing so is huge. As you say, DS, we'll have some time to get it done, but it will still be very costly.

I agree that it is likely that humans contribute significantly to excess global warming, and the more we can minimize our impact, the better. Sure, it might be costly as well, but I think the benefits will outweigh that.

[Dragon Star]

Yea, but ain't it a bitch when you pay billions to help prevent emissions to prevent something thats going to probably happen with or without us anyways? You have to remember that Irony always nips you in the ass when you least expect it would. But putting something like this off could be the worst in the long run.

[Doe, John]

The current trend is towards global warming true. Who knows how long this trend will last? Who knows what the cause of this trend is? Can we affect this trend? There is entirely too little information to take any action right now.

for example

I have heard speculation that the recent increases in solar activity (remember the sun is the root source of most of the energy in our ecosystem)is resulting in large amounts of free energy ie heat. How are we going to affect the sun?

[Мастер]

effectively waisting money just to keep everyone happy, and if you ask me thats a load of crap. Inducing panic is no way about going around something,

It seems to me I've had this conversation with you before, but you were on the other side then...

[Dragon Star]

effectively waisting money just to keep everyone happy, and if you ask me thats a load of crap. Inducing panic is no way about going around something,

It seems to me I've had this conversation with you before, but you were on the other side then...

Hmmm...I don't believe so, but if you could find where I would be happy to explain. :)

[Superluminal]

Jumping in here. Google the Maunder Minimum or the Little Ice age. It was a period of global cooling and reduced sunspot numbers that lasted from the 1600's to the early 1700's.

During that time Europe suffered unusually cold winters, mild summers and glaciers expanded. Since the end of the Maunder Minimum the world has been warming up. So its not surprising that glaciers are melting, particularly Mt. Kilamanjaro and other glaciers that are located close to the equator.

Solar activity forecasts for solar cycle 24, 2011-2012, predict the sun will be more active than in the last few cycles. But, cycle 25, around 2024, will be weaker than average. If, and of course this is a big if, the sun is about to enter another period of low sunspot numbers and weak activity, it could put a brake on global warming. We'll just have to wait and see.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006 ... list144237