Global Warming Math: The Hard Numbers

[one...two...tree 2,762]

A clear-eyed look at the magnitude of global warming problem—and the cost in getting rid of it.

by Jeremy Jacquot

The projected cost of climate change worldwide by 2100, if we take a “business as usual” approach, according to a report published by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Hurricane damage, real estate losses due to sea level rise, and expenses associated with drought all contribute.

The amount of solar heat, in Btu, that hits Earth’s surface every second. One plan for deflecting some of the heat: launching stacks of 800,000 reflective disks into orbit every 5 minutes for 10 years.

Cost: $5 trillion

The quantity of human-generated carbon dioxide, in billions of tons, that the oceans have absorbed. Studies show the oceans are reaching their sequestering limits, so climate researcher Wallace Broecker advocates building 60 million 50-foot-high towers to capture all of the world’s carbon emissions, then pumping that carbon into saline aquifers.

Cost: a rise in energy prices of about 15-20 percent

The average drop in global temperatures after Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines blew its top in 1991, spewing 20 million tons of sun-blocking sulfur dioxide. Atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen, a 1995 Nobel laureate, believes shooting 5.3 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere annually could offset a doubling of carbon emission levels.

Cost: $130 billion

The amount that worldwide rainfall would be reduced by using space mirrors or sulfur particles to mitigate global warming, according to a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This could cause droughts around the world. Past studies have found that CO2 pumped underground makes aquifers more acidic, potentially creating leaks. Clearly, big solutions can come with big consequences.

http://discovermagazine.com/2008/nov/18-global-warming-math

[mawilson 2,133]

The projected cost of climate change worldwide by 2100, if we take a “business as usual” approach, according to a report published by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Hurricane damage, real estate losses due to sea level rise, and expenses associated with drought all contribute.

So, let me get this straight.

If we do nothing, the cost over the next 100 years will be ONLY $1.8 trillion?

That's it? Damn, even the financial crisis of 2008 cost us more than that.

I suggest we do nothing!

[dalegg 143]

A clear-eyed look at the magnitude of global warming problem—and the cost in getting rid of it.

by Jeremy Jacquot

Am I having problems with my zeros or is that just 2 trillion dollars?

$1,000,000= million

$1,000,000,000=billion

$1,000,000,000,000=trillion

$1,873,000,000,000=1.8 trillion. In 90 years? Heck we ran up a deficit of half that in 1 week this month. Seems cheaper than fixing it to me.

The projected cost of climate change worldwide by 2100, if we take a “business as usual” approach, according to a report published by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Hurricane damage, real estate losses due to sea level rise, and expenses associated with drought all contribute.

So, let me get this straight.

If we do nothing, the cost over the next 100 years will be ONLY $1.8 trillion?

That's it? Damn, even the financial crisis of 2008 cost us more than that.

I suggest we do nothing!

You beat me to it!!

[Amby 490]

I have my own island in Canada. You guys can visit if you pay me enough money.

[Jasman0717 9]

Maybe we can do a tempature redistribution....it is supposed to be 96 here today so we can just send a few degrees to New York

[HAL 9000 96]

Thanks for the thread Steven. Perhaps after we're done doing arithmetic we can look at the issue itself.

[mawilson 2,133]

Thanks for the thread Steven. Perhaps after we're done doing arithmetic we can look at the issue itself.

The issue is... global warming is unstoppable. Some people will get fukced. Others will get comfortably warmer.

You can either accept it or keep whining about it for the next 100 years.

[Amby 490]

Thanks for the thread Steven. Perhaps after we're done doing arithmetic we can look at the issue itself.

The issue is... global warming is unstoppable. Some people will get fukced. Others will get comfortably warmer.

You can either accept it or keep whining about it for the next 100 years.

or you can come live on my island

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Thanks for the thread Steven. Perhaps after we're done doing arithmetic we can look at the issue itself.

The issue is... global warming is unstoppable. Some people will get fukced. Others will get comfortably warmer.

You can either accept it or keep whining about it for the next 100 years.

People? Try whole ecosystems....and it's not about stopping global warming literally, but greatly reducing the human factors that are greatly increasing global warming.

[Amby 490]

Thanks for the thread Steven. Perhaps after we're done doing arithmetic we can look at the issue itself.

The issue is... global warming is unstoppable. Some people will get fukced. Others will get comfortably warmer.

You can either accept it or keep whining about it for the next 100 years.

People? Try whole ecosystems....and it's not about stopping global warming literally, but greatly reducing the human factors that are greatly increasing global warming.

if there's less people and there is also less places to live then we'll be ok. i'm serious about purchasing islands in canada. you all think i'm crazy but you'll see. they start at about $20K

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Thanks for the thread Steven. Perhaps after we're done doing arithmetic we can look at the issue itself.

The issue is... global warming is unstoppable. Some people will get fukced. Others will get comfortably warmer.

You can either accept it or keep whining about it for the next 100 years.

People? Try whole ecosystems....and it's not about stopping global warming literally, but greatly reducing the human factors that are greatly increasing global warming.

if there's less people and there is also less places to live then we'll be ok. i'm serious about purchasing islands in canada. you all think i'm crazy but you'll see. they start at about $20K

Think bigger. Plants and wildlife going into mass extinction. Worldwide disease, natural catastrophes. We're already seeing the beginning of what is to come, however, we can dramatically slow down and perhaps reverse some of the human damage we've done to accelerate global warming.

[Amby 490]

I'm thinking bigger. The island is just the beginning of my plan.

[NickD 203]

Thanks for the thread Steven. Perhaps after we're done doing arithmetic we can look at the issue itself.

The issue is... global warming is unstoppable. Some people will get fukced. Others will get comfortably warmer.

You can either accept it or keep whining about it for the next 100 years.

More concerned about global cooling than warming as are many other scientists, this leaves out politicians trying to sell hybrid cars and movie stars. A monster volcano exists in Yellowstone National Park, so large, can only be seen by satellite, it's due to blow it's cork anytime now. When Mount St. Helen blew her cork, we had the coldest winter imaginable, -48*F. This one could trigger off another ice age with a huge mile high glacier coming down.

This CO2 stuff by Gore is pure unadulterated BS. CO2 does not cause global warming, the measured CO2 in the atmosphere follows climate temperature changes, but does not cause it. A ppm molecule only resonate to an extremely narrow band of UV radiation from the sun. Learn your facts before posting, and post from scientist that know their facts. Matter of fact, the leading cause of any global warming is methane in the atmosphere, most of it is natural, but augmented by beef production. If you think you want to help, quit eating meat.

[HAL 9000 96]

Thanks for the thread Steven. Perhaps after we're done doing arithmetic we can look at the issue itself.

The issue is... global warming is unstoppable. Some people will get fukced. Others will get comfortably warmer.

You can either accept it or keep whining about it for the next 100 years.

Or do something about it instead of whining that its unstoppable. At least the man-made part of it.

Thanks for the thread Steven. Perhaps after we're done doing arithmetic we can look at the issue itself.

The issue is... global warming is unstoppable. Some people will get fukced. Others will get comfortably warmer.

You can either accept it or keep whining about it for the next 100 years.

People? Try whole ecosystems....and it's not about stopping global warming literally, but greatly reducing the human factors that are greatly increasing global warming.

if there's less people and there is also less places to live then we'll be ok. i'm serious about purchasing islands in canada. you all think i'm crazy but you'll see. they start at about $20K

Make sure it goes high enough.

[dalegg 143]

Thanks for the thread Steven. Perhaps after we're done doing arithmetic we can look at the issue itself.

The issue is... global warming is unstoppable. Some people will get fukced. Others will get comfortably warmer.

You can either accept it or keep whining about it for the next 100 years.

People? Try whole ecosystems....and it's not about stopping global warming literally, but greatly reducing the human factors that are greatly increasing global warming.

if there's less people and there is also less places to live then we'll be ok. i'm serious about purchasing islands in canada. you all think i'm crazy but you'll see. they start at about $20K

Think bigger. Plants and wildlife going into mass extinction. Worldwide disease, natural catastrophes. We're already seeing the beginning of what is to come, however, we can dramatically slow down and perhaps reverse some of the human damage we've done to accelerate global warming.

I am a nay sayer. NAY!! I buy into GW, but there is no part of me that believes we are going to be able to do anything about it regardless of whether or not we caused it.