Global Warming

[sdw]

I've been following the Inconvenient Truth thread and have learned a great deal despite not having changed my basic viewpoint.

I believe that we still have not identified all of the factors that are resulting in our Earth warming up.

I believe that Carbon Credits are a scam and not a solution.

I believe that modifications of our lifestyle are possible without harming our quality of life and that it's rational to mitigate the problem even if we don't know all of the causes. Some of those possible modifications are:

Encouragement to use public transportation for our daily commute on the model current in most European countries.

The extensive use of Nuclear Power to replace Coal and Gas to produce electricity.

The development of Wind Power and Micro Hydro Power.

The use of Evacuated Tubes to use Solar power to heat water. This has a very quick payback on investment and doesn't radically change how we build homes.

The use of Super Insulation to prevent heat loss during the winter and heat gain during the summer. This, again, doesn't require radical changes in the way we build homes.

Road Taxes and Purchase Taxes based on vehicle weight and engine displacement to push people into the use of smaller, fuel efficient vehicles.

A removal of all subsidies that encourage Air Cargo Transportation and the introduction of subsidies to encourage water borne and rail Cargo Transportation.

All of these things reduce our reliance on Oil and therefore benefit us even if CO2 is not the major cause of Global Warming.

 

[Tatortot]

Polluting

I totally agree that we need to reduce polluting our planets air and water but when it comes to global warming my belief is and will remain that the earths temperatures have changed in the past and will change in the future just as they always have throughout the history of time and we have zero control of it.

 

[Thais]

I don't know how much human efforts can stop global warming.
Yes, I believe we are contributing to it - but contributing does not equal causing. I don't know whether our contribution is or isn't the most crucial elements.

But nonetheless, what we have been doing leads to degradation of all Earth ecosystems. That has to be stopped and remedied.
And there are many measures that address both goals. So why not implement those?

Read the UN Millenium Ecsystem Assessment - the summary is only 15 pages.
http://www.maweb.org/en/index.aspx

 

[sdw]

I totally agree that we need to reduce polluting our planets air and water but when it comes to global warming my belief is and will remain that the earths temperatures have changed in the past and will change in the future just as they always have throughout the history of time and we have zero control of it.

To an extent, I agree with you. That's why I don't think that CO2 is the whole answer.

The problem is that during the Medieval Warm Period there were far fewer people on this planet and the vast majority of them were farmers or hunter gatherers.

That's not the case now. Therefore the ease that the planet had dealing with a warm period is not going to be the case now.

 

[kafka555]

It certainly doesn't hurt to try and reduce our emissions and get more efficient.

Carbon credits are certainly a scam, as they are the brainchild of Maurice Strong and the other UN types that invented the Iraq Oil-For-Food scam. The whole point is to line the pockets of Robert Mugabe and his type.

 

[MissingOne]

I'm half expecting the present warming, with the melting of the ice caps, to bring a cooling of the oceans, possibly a cessation of the Gulf Stream, and ultimately a plunge into rapid cooling of the earth. I'm in my fifties. It won't surprise me if I live to see the beginning of the next ice age.

 

[TylerDurden]

I've looked at the threads. Only a complete masochist would have read'em all.

It's clear that some of the doofuses on this site will be denying global warming & our involvement in it while they're sunning themselves on the beaches of Alberta.

In January.

I especially like the Gore-haters who think he's running for prez. But then, whadya expect of complete idiots?

 

[john23]

The problem is that global warming and to a smaller extent the ozone hole are problems now esp in Africa where people have little ability to mitigate the changes.

The ozone hole is so big that its starting to cover the southern tip of South America. I read about a fairly recent expedition to Antarctica where their explorers faces basically burned off (at least what little was exposed to the sun) despite the fact they were using sunscreen.

The only advantage of finding out that this is our fault is that we can then do something about it. Unfortunately this is the better alternative. If its not largely being driven by human activity we're basically f*cked.

 

[rollerboy]

The problem is that global warming and to a smaller extent the ozone hole are problems now esp in Africa where people have little ability to mitigate the changes.

The problems in Africa occurred even while the Earth was cooling.

The 0.6C rise in temperature over the 20th Century is not the root cause of disease, malnutrition, and suffering in Africa. Even if the temperature had dropped 0.6C, the problems would be identical. Africa needs much better health care and education, widespread access to contraception, infrastructure, cessation of civil war, control over malaria and AIDS, clean drinking water, improved land management...

The trillions of dollars we propose to waste on a futile quest to control the climate, would be better spent directly combating desertification, and the poor land management practices in the Third World which worsen their problems. Canada could shatter its economy on the rocks trying to lower it's CO2 emissions by 36%, and not make a dent either in Global Warming, or the problems of Africa. A more sensible approach would be to harness its prosperity to help Africa and other parts of the world develop. A developed Africa in a hotter world would be infinitely better off than today.

The ozone hole is so big that its starting to cover the southern tip of South America. I read about a fairly recent expedition to Antarctica where their explorers faces basically burned off (at least what little was exposed to the sun) despite the fact they were using sunscreen.

The growth in the Ozone Hole has basically levelled off, due to the massive curtailing of CFC aerosols. It'll remain for several decades, because CFC's in the upper atmosphere take a long time to break down.