Foo - Global Warming in Perspective

A few Facts:
Observations of the Arctic by satellite show that the polar ice cap has shrunk by one million square kilometers (386,000 square miles) over the last 20 years and is only six million square kilometers in the summer. The Arctic ice cap will melt completely within the next century if carbon dioxide emissions continue to heat the Earth's atmosphere at current rates.
Earth's surface temperature is ~15.3 degrees C; up ~ 0.6 degree C (~1.2 degree F) since 1975.
Polar temperatures are up a few degrees, and polar ice is melting at ~1%/y.
Pacific Ocean has warmed by ~1 degree C over the last 50 years.
Sea level is up ~6 inches since 1900; now increasing 1 inch/decade.
Atm. CO2 rose from ~290 ppm in 1880 AD to ~370 ppm. May double in 50
CO2: Emission rate * 11-fold since 1900 (or 2.5%/y).
USA contributes ~30%; \ ~ 35 lb C/pop/day or 128 lb CO2/pop/day.
Energy yield/C burned is rising at ~0.3%/y due to efficiency and change from coal to natural gas.
CO2 emissions plateaued in USA in 1990s (efficiency, new fuels).
Econ. slump in East Europe has lowered their emissions, but LDC emissions are growing.


Unknowns:
The precise effect of these facts on local climates throughout the world.
The earth's oceans are believed to act as a homeostatic control mechanism by absorbing co2. It is not known how much co2 can be absorbed, nor how quickly.

These are publicly available measurements. You are free to reject them, but I urge you to do independent checks of the available scientific literature. You may be surprised.

Fact: the sun is more active and burning hotter than it has in the past. Conclusion: There must be SUVs on the sun.

Back in the 70s we were worried about the planet turning into one big ice cube.

There have been temperature variations in the past within the 0.6 degree centigrade range.

The Arctic ice cap will melt completely within the next century if carbon dioxide emissions continue to heat the Earth's atmosphere at current rates.

I don't think anyone can say with even a modest amount of certainty that human induced changes are causing this.
During the last Ice Age approximatly 1/3 of earth's land mass was covered by ice. Today it is 10%. For the past 20,000 years glacier coverage has been declining.

The salinity difference in the Atlantic is what keeps the warm currents flowing to europe, if distilled (from melting ice at the poles) the currents will stop, Europe will freeze, reflecting sunlight back into space, lowering the global temperature, causing the earth to slowley freeze over, that's theory I heard on Nova!

We do not have enough recorded history to even scratch the surface of this topic as compared to millions of years of earths existence. Tem[perature fluctuations are going to happen and it is normal. Global warming due to emissions is BS. A huge crock of BS.

As Bobatin said, the sun is currently and has been burning more strongly for years. But the political repercussions to the greenies who lobby washington will be devastating if they admit this.

On the contrary, Sam, indirect measurements of climate indicators are available for past eons. As an example, polar ice core measurements of trapped co2. You are quite correct that our present knowledge od climate is minuscule at best. Since present knowledge is insufficient, that means global warming is BS, right? However, knowlege of climate will always be inexact: there are millions of variables interacting in unpredicatable ways. This is a perfect Catch-22, the ultimate excuse to do nothing. I won't live to know if you're right, but your grandchildren will. Let's hope they don't have cause to curse our names.

A few Facts:
Observations of the Arctic by satellite show that the polar ice cap has shrunk by one million square kilometers (386,000 square miles) over the last 20 years...
My wife's aunt quit smoking about a month ago. Since then, she's learned she has inoperable lung cancer. Very sad...

I don't know what's causing the melting, but even if it is a natural cause, I can't understand anyone's complacency about it.

Fact: the sun is more active and burning hotter than it has in the past. Conclusion: There must be SUVs on the sun.

Hey hey hey! As a resident of Detroit and being employed in the automotive industry as I am, I feel I must remind you that the transportation sector is responsible for only 27% of energy consumption, and therefore is only a small contributor to the sun's warming problem... the construction industry must really be booming along up there.

http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_1003/glo/index.html

I would like to point out that 89.6% of all statistics are made up on the spot :D

On a more serious note, it really seems like 95% + of global warming statistics and research are spun to support the biased views of whoever is talking. I'm not terribly worried about it personally, but it wouldn't surprise me if it turns out the effects an industrialized world has had on the climate are fairly significant. What really turns me off is that really small group of people who run around claiming the sky is falling and the only way to save ourselves is to beat our cars into plowshares using solar powered forges or some such nonsense like that.

That aside, why not recycle, walk or ride short distances, turn off the lights/TV/computer when you're not using them, etc. Goodness, most people could save a ton of time, gas money, and pollution just by taking the first decent parking spot instead of always driving circles until someone pulls out of the spot right next to the door. Even without any environmental concerns, it makes economic sense.

I read that the same computer models that predict global warming predict that warming will result in a thickening and expanding ice cap. The warmer it gets, the more precipitation occurs, which, in northern latitudes, will come down as snow, covering the ice cap. This supposedly protects it from melting, so, if the models are right about warming, and since they can't even accurately "predict" weather that has already occured, using the same thinking, the melting of the ice cap indicates cooler temps. :D

Even without any environmental concerns, it makes economic sense.

Yup, it seems to me that it does make good sense to err on the side of safety. Well, I guess it makes good sense for all with the obvious exception of those who profit from selling these resources. So, the real question is, whom do you put your faith in? Who do you trust to protect your (and your fellow man’s) best interest?

It would seem to me that the answer lies somewhere in the middle – but where? I certainly don’t trust those who have a gigantic vested interest (really, almost unlimited amounts of cash) in the consumer not changing its habits. However, I don’t fully trust some of the extreme environmentalists. They also have an interest, albeit more of an egocentric interest than purely for cash, in their views being followed by the masses.

So, do you trust the safety nazis, or the cash-wh@res? I’m leaning toward the side of the environmentalists, and have changed my habits as they relate to our environment. If I’m wrong, there isn’t much of a price to pay. In fact, fiscally speaking, I end up the winner. However, if I’m right, and nobody else follows this lead, the price will be measured in the flesh of our descendants. It doesn’t seem that it makes much sense for us to take that sort of risk – especially since we won’t be the ones who ultimately pay.

I’m leaning toward the side of the environmentalists, and have changed my habits as they relate to our environment.

If anyone deserves distrust, it is those "scientists" and "environmentalists" that constantly beat the global warming drum.

“The threat of a new ice age must now stand alongside nuclear war as a likely source of wholesale death and misery for mankind.” Environmental activist Nigel Calder in the July 1975 issue of National Wildlife.

“The cooling since 1940 has been large enough and consistent enough that it will not soon be reversed.” CC. Wallen, World Meterological Organization, in the July 1975 issue of National Wildlife.

“..the Earth will run out of food by 1977 and the Earth’s 5 billion population will starve back to 2 billion by 2025.” Paul Ehrlich in “The Population Time Bomb.

“If I were a gambler, I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000.” Ibid

“We have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we may have. Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest.” Stephen Schneider, Environmental Activist in the 1989 issue of Discover.

“We’ve got to ride the global warming issue. Even if the theory of global warming is wrong, we’ll be doing the right thing, in terms of economic policy and environmental policy.” Former Democrat Senator from Colorado, Tim Wirth in “Science Under Siege.”

That group would be The Chicken Little Group INC. Seriously folks, people are too lazy about walking . Like the man said take the first spot available in 99.99% of the cases it wont Kill you( Ok I made that one up on the spot) Just be careful they drive crazy at the malls!I also see it at work people will drive around and around to get closer to the garage exits and take wrong way shortcuts to get a space. :(

Does global warming mean there will be more and more HOT CHICKS in our future?

If so, I can't wait.