Global Warming

[Ujitsuna]

Since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has stated that international warming is "very likely" to stem from human activity, will the world finally realise taht Global Warming may be the biggest threat to humanity that there is right now?

What do people here think? Do you believe it exists? Do you think it's just another crisis to scare people? Or do you think it's just hype.

Personally, I like a lot of Europeans think that technology and businesses in general should start adapting to this new "Green" culture that is developing. It's becoming a trend to buy products and use services that are more friendly to the environment than the alternatives. Besides, it's predicted that global warming can harm profits for businesses by substantial amounts, especially if we all die in some fiery inferno, how will people make money then?

Link to news reports on panel's decision: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6321351.stm.

[nocturne1337]

Well, i cant say i see the imediacy(think i butchered the spelling), I know it is real and will affect the world SOMEDAY but i doubt its going to affect me in such a huge way during this lifetime.

If you noticed all the N9H1(is that it) virius scares and reports have so much as went away due to the fact of the scientists proving it cant really spread to humans as easily as once thought. Like this the global warming is kind of a scare.

A volcano going off puts more pollution in the air than like 50 years worth of car pollution, so we might be affecting global warming but naturally this whole thing is being worsened with or without humanity.. :no:
_________________
' and then it was like knocking 4 times on the door of unhapieness' excerpt from albert camus's The Stranger

[Ujitsuna]

[Masa]

Well a volcano is natural and otherwise rare. We're putting 'volcano' pollution up there on top of what's natural, so consequences are to be expected.

I think as long as people remain aware of the problem and do stuff to help eliminate pollution, we'll be okay. Then once we have energy-efficient technologies in place, the accumulated pollution of the past will in time become less of a problem.

But the idea now is to continue using fuel-efficient vehicles and lower the reliance on power plants... I often read about under construction buildings that are cutting power by using novel ideas with solar power and underground water reservoirs to cut power usage. That's the kind of thing we need to keep seeing.
_________________

[Yvl]

[Milan Fiori]

Yvl is quite right. Weather is probably the largest change we'll see in our lifetimes. Basically with the tempeture raising, the ice caps are melting, puting more fresh water into the ocean, causing currents to shift, which causes weather to shift.

However, as much as we're affecting it, the world affects itself and heck of alot more. Currently the world is in the 'warming' part of it's phase, so the tempeture will naturally rise. Technically the world is just coming out of it's "little ice age" which is theorized to be caused by the sun. The sun has phases in which it has lots of sun spots, and other time almost no sun spots. This causes a fluctuation in the amount of UV rays the earth is bombarded with, which of course affects the amount of warmth the world has.

The thing about Volcanos are kinda true. But if I remember right it's the opposite. I believe it's speculated that interconnected volcanos like the pacific ring of fire were to have a large enough eruption it would cause a chain reaction, that would put enough ash, and smoke and stuff into the air, that would put the world into a nuclear-like winter.

There's so many factors besides just humans, that it's hard to tell. From eruptions, to new species of ocean plankton and algae, to celestial phenomenons, there's just so much 'other' stuff. But that won't stop me from doing my share. My family installed solar panels a few years ago, so the house is pretty self sufficiant. Except in winter when the electric heating saps the batteries.
_________________
Be awed by our prowess!

[Ninjar]

Global warming is very real. To say otherwise is a joke.

[Calvin]

Another thing to consider is water. If a global rise in temperature caused deserts to increase in size and/or frequency, than major wars could be fought over the availability of fresh water in regions that might become arid because of "desertification" due to natural causes and global warming caused by humans. Of course, according to this article, it is uncertain whether or not global warming plays a role in the desertification process. However, there is enough evidence to warrant further studies into the matter.

[AA]

I just saw a show that had an interesting take on Global Warming, mainly, what will happen to the UK if the Polar Icecaps melt, the conclusion, Britain will freeze.

Let me explain the theory behind it, you see there is a stream of warm water that come and warms this fair island, it is called the Gulf stream and is powered by salty water rising to the top and then falling back down.

However the water in the icecaps is fresh water and when they melt that water will mix with the waters of the Gulf stream, as it does this it will dilute the amount of salt and eventually if it dilutes too much there will be no more Gulf stream, meaning the waters around Britain will freeze.

Of course whilst this goes on most of the Southern Hemisphere will become desert. even places in the north like the Mediterranean will be far too hot. Though i hear Siberia will be lovely this time of year.

[nocturne1337]

Yvl no need to act like an elitist, if you carefully reread what i read i in no way implied weather can be passed like a virius only that this is a scare just like the H9N1 virius was until they found the preceding facts out.

And although i have no source on the volcano fact, i can say that i believe it to be true as i have read it somewhere of valid information. The type of car does not matter i guess i should have said ALL automobile pollution.

I have a philosophy on many things that may be different than you but theres no need to insult me about it, i know that saying if it dosent affect me now why stop it is naive but i tried to show in my points that whether or not we play a part in this problem it will occur with or without human influenced pollution.
_________________
' and then it was like knocking 4 times on the door of unhapieness' excerpt from albert camus's The Stranger

[Fu Su Lu]

About the volcano please consider Volcanos are probably erupting since the Earth is Earth, and even what if you say is right, it is not in our hand stop them, but it is our hand stop being so damn 'pollutionary'.
I live in the Mediterranean Sea. From 20 years to now, the temperatures have changed a lot, they have become more extreme, more hot in Summer, more cold in winter. There is a change, and its being inducted by us, human beings.

Well, the root of the problem is not that we are used to some kind of energy. NO! Wake up! We change the console because companies say they are outdated, we change the video format to DVD because companies want, if companies wanted, we would use another fuels. But there is too much money in oil, isnt there?
Ok, just consider this. I dont say the global warm is USA responsability, but you know about Kyoto´s arrangement and USA reject to it, dont you? And you know that USA has bought to undeveloped countries their pollution-tax just because USa industry/pollution is sooo huge? Furthermore, USA president candidates campaign are paid for... Bingo! Wood Companies -adios Amazonas-, Oil Companies, Pharmacy companies, etc... If you are chosed, you gotta be grateful, right Georgie?

Anyway, I dont blame USA for the pollution in the world, but my point is that being the first power in the world means you gotta be an example for the other nations. Not only in force, but in attitude.
_________________
The drunkest cavalry unit in the world.
Who lights a candle casts a shadow.
Uncle Weirdo is on hoilidays... by now

[Ujitsuna]

It is true, in my view that we should not only be thinking of ourselves, but of humanity as a whole and for future generations to know what a panda is. The thought of some kid in the future asking his father what a panda looks like is a bit depressing.

[Oppenheimer]

For a real view of Global Warming watch "An Inconvenient Truth" it's a very good movie that will make a believer out of anyone but the most staunch lover of pollution.
_________________

[Vextor]

The threat of global warming is that the trend has been going up consistently for a couple of decades without it going down. If occurances were natural (such as a volcano), then greenhouse levels would go down, and things will balance out in the end. Catastrophic volcanic eruptions that are large enough for soot to cover the entire earth happen very rarely, and output happens in a short amount of time-- not over the span of... well, decades.

The earth does go through it's warn and cold cycle naturally, and these have caused a lot of changes in human history. For example, about 9000 years ago North America was covered with a huge glacier. As the mini ice-age back then ended, these huge glaciers started to melt, creating a huge fresh-water lake in North America.
One day, the glaciers gave, and tonnes upon tonnes of freshwater gushed out of the vincity of St. Lawrence river today until so much cold freshwater was released, the sea level rose, and the temperature change cuased wide fluxuations in the weather in the world. This resulted in the Black Sea turning into an actual sea when the mediterranean flowed into the Black Sea (carving the Strait of Marmala in the process). Before that it was a lake, and many settlements and civilizations that apparnetly flourished through farming (with freshwater) simply died out or had to move (also because of flooding). Some scholars say that this event is the source of a lot of the "flood myths" popular in that part of the world.

The same thing can happen with Greenland, and island covered with miles of ice. As we speak, a lot of freshwater lakes are popping up in Greenland, and we can at any time expect a huge chunk of all this to come slide off of Greenland, affecting the global climate real fast. If a huge chunk of ice on Greenland is thrown into the sea, then sea levels will immediately rise enough to put a lot of coastal cities and towns under a few feet of water.

[AA]

If your concerned about global warming there are steps that the average person can take, these can be as simple as turning your electronics off at the socket once your done with them, recycling more, using energy efficient light bulbs and having thicker windows installed and insulation put into your house so that your heating doesn't have to be up so high in the winter.

Not really big things, but if lots of people do it, they can save quite a lot of energy, less energy used the less oil has to be burnt which means less pollution coming from power stations.