the Global Warming debate

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

The natural greenhouse effect, discovered two centuries ago, is basically a good thing, as it originally warmed Earth enough to develop and sustain life.

But about 150 years ago, when the industrial age began, all the new engines that drove the new machinery started to burn fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas — in enormous quantities that far surpassed the wood fires that civilizations had previously used for warmth.

And all this new burning poured — and still pours — greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Chief among these is carbon dioxide (CO2), which spews forth from chimneys and exhaust pipes.

This extra injection from industry thickens the blanket of the atmosphere, so to speak.

It means Earth now absorbs — and holds — more heat than it radiates back into space.

"The planet is now out of balance with space," as one climate scientist put it.

So the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere has crept up in tandem with the increased concentration of greenhouse gases that people put into the air.

One hundred and fifty years ago, our atmosphere had about 280 parts per million of carbon dioxide; now that figure has reached 381 parts per million, an increase of 35 percent.

When the concentration of greenhouse gases gets to roughly 400 parts per million, say many scientists, we'll probably be close to the threshold beyond which the impacts of climate change become extremely severe.

The threshold cannot be precisely predicted; it is a continuum, and scientists cannot know exactly where such dangerous limits of greenhouse gas concentrations lie, since modern science has never witnessed this process before.

But since climate directly affects agriculture, water supplies and human health, these changes could become highly disruptive to civilization and security.

But scientists work hard to improve their estimates, and to keep up with the many dramatic changes that global warming has already produced in all regions of the planet.

That's Global Warming in a nutshell...

Now, who here can find any scientific publication that disagrees with the above premise?

[dalegg 143]

This is really a hot topic with Steve.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The problem here is that Global warming has become so heavily politicised that it becomes difficult to separate the political arguments from the science itself.

[Ban Hammer 13,633]

This is really a hot topic with Steve.

pun intended?

[dalegg 143]

This is really a hot topic with Steve.

pun intended?

Actually, it wasn't originally. After I read it I was going to go in and try to highlight the word hot or something but then Fishy came in and posted over me.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

We've had many ice-ages and warming periods in the past and this trend will continue until the sun turns into a red giant and divours the earth. This will happen with or without human intervention.

[cmartyn 0]

What difference does it make.

People are stupid. Way too stupid to tackle issues like these. Heck, we cant even get medical insurance for everyone and you want them to somehow magically cool the planet?

All I know is that yesterday, a US warplane somewhere in the world, burnt more fuel than I will use in the next five perhaps ten years.

We, as individuals, can do little or nothing. People must do something.

As long as Madison Avenue makes people feel that they are more cool driving around in an SUV or Corvette than they are in a small sedan, everyone who can, will drive SUV's and Sports Cars. The rest of the population will aspire to drive SUV's and sports cars.

Lets say we swap out all of the SUV's in the US for something decent... say a Civic. Will that fix the problem? Nope. It wont even delay it by much.

You have to stop frigging flying, living in wooden shacks.. err I mean Homes built in the US prior to 1997. You have to stop driving, burning wood, eating meat. Using high efficiency light bulbs (yuck).

The best thing about Global warming is that one day, in the perhaps not so distant future, It will be about 140 degrees in Dallas. Then someone will jump up and down and say I told you so. I bet he or she will fly to a symposium on a Jet helicopter to do so as well.

[mawilson 2,133]

Oh man. Just as I was trying to decide whether to buy a new SUV or a sports car....

[Peter Miami 0]

We've had many ice-ages and warming periods in the past and this trend will continue until the sun turns into a red giant and divours the earth. This will happen with or without human intervention.

Exactly!

Peter Miami

[dalegg 143]

What difference does it make.

People are stupid. Way too stupid to tackle issues like these. Heck, we cant even get medical insurance for everyone and you want them to somehow magically cool the planet?

All I know is that yesterday, a US warplane somewhere in the world, burnt more fuel than I will use in the next five perhaps ten years.

We, as individuals, can do little or nothing. People must do something.

As long as Madison Avenue makes people feel that they are more cool driving around in an SUV or Corvette than they are in a small sedan, everyone who can, will drive SUV's and Sports Cars. The rest of the population will aspire to drive SUV's and sports cars.

Lets say we swap out all of the SUV's in the US for something decent... say a Civic. Will that fix the problem? Nope. It wont even delay it by much.

You have to stop frigging flying, living in wooden shacks.. err I mean Homes built in the US prior to 1997. You have to stop driving, burning wood, eating meat. Using high efficiency light bulbs (yuck).

The best thing about Global warming is that one day, in the perhaps not so distant future, It will be about 140 degrees in Dallas. Then someone will jump up and down and say I told you so. I bet he or she will fly to a symposium on a Jet helicopter to do so as well.

That about sums it up for me too.

[GaryC 7]

God I hope we have global warming, I hate Illinois winters!!

[mmmbop1976 1]

hey steve, its the tree's fault carbon dioxide is on the rise! it's their job to remove it from the atmosphere! damn trees are screwing off on the job! i say a war on trees! well, maybe it is because of fossil fuels. maybe you should lead by example on this....when your fiancee has her visa have her travel to the usa by sailboat!

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

So far, not one single post here can dispute the premise of global warming in the OP, yet oddly, people will continue to debate whether global warming is a real concern or not.

[Fuzzness 2]

As long as Bush says it's not true, then it ain't

[mawilson 2,133]

So far, not one single post here can dispute the premise of global warming in the OP, yet oddly, people will continue to debate whether global warming is a real concern or not.

It's true. We're screwed. Deal with it.