An Inconvenient Truth, A movie on the topic of Global warming. Options

[UNDEAD 1]

or maybe 20 .

[Bargod]

I find it strange that some people in this forum don't believe that global warming is actual happening, despite of what so many experts and scientists claim. I wonder why. Try "global warming" at google.

In Europe there is a big concern about the melting of ice in the North Pole. The gulf stream passes through our coasts and keep our climate warm (in relative matters). If (or when) the Ice at Greenland and the north pole melts we will have a destruction/another path of this stream. Norway is roughly in the same latitude as Baffin Island/Bay in Canada. There is no warm gulf stream there - and that's the climate we will have in Europe. Gives me the creeps - anyone seen "The day after tomorrow"? (No comparasiation btw)

Like I said, it's not that I don't believe global warming is occurring, I'm just not sure that I believe all the nightmare scenarios. As you pointed out (and I did in my last post) the influx of fresh water from melting ice would make the water less saline and stop the Gulf Stream (and the other water convection cells of the oceans). This would bring about a great cooling effect and could actually cause the Earth to be thrown into Global Cooling. The oceans distribute heat along the planet. If you take that heat away Northern Europe will become much colder.

[HammaTime]

I've really enjoyed this discussion and have found it enlightening to see the various opinions voiced here. No matter the ultimate answer to the problems facing the world, it is nice to see so much interest here in this lowly forum.

As Kleerance stated, the potential for disruption of the Gulf Stream is something that is obviously foremost on European's minds. Not only will they have to deal with rising sea levels, they risk seeing their climate change dramatically. That flow of nutrient rich water is a massive engine that not only provides Europe with warm, moist air, but it also helps pump nutrients for all the creatures of the sea. An infusion of fresh water is all it will take to turn off the pump. This would be a devastating event for the fishing industry here in Maine, to say nothing of what it will do to our climate and the fishing industries spread throughout the North Atlantic.

It may be too late to avoid that cataclysmic event, but there are many things we can all do to help battle climate change ... and none of them involve tax hikes! Simply turn off the electric appliances and lights you aren't using, replace your incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient fluorescents, tune up your car, make sure your tires are inflated properly. It really doesn't take much to make an impact.

[TheGrim]

Hi all, Im 38.76 years old now. When I was a child, like 30+ years ago, I could look up into the sky and see a nice yellow sun...



Now, 30 years later, you cannot look at the sun at all, for its now blazing white. Global Warming is not just happening on this planet, but all the planets are heating up. My point being is that the Sun is putting out more energy than it did 30 years ago. Im sure the other "old timers" can verify what I said.

[M@ster of Dis@ster]

I find it strange that some people in this forum don't believe that global warming is actual happening, despite of what so many experts and scientists claim. I wonder why. Try "global warming" at google.

In Europe there is a big concern about the melting of ice in the North Pole. The gulf stream passes through our coasts and keep our climate warm (in relative matters). If (or when) the Ice at Greenland and the north pole melts we will have a destruction/another path of this stream. Norway is roughly in the same latitude as Baffin Island/Bay in Canada. There is no warm gulf stream there - and that's the climate we will have in Europe. Gives me the creeps - anyone seen "The day after tomorrow"? (No comparasiation btw)

Like I said, it's not that I don't believe global warming is occurring, I'm just not sure that I believe all the nightmare scenarios. As you pointed out (and I did in my last post) the influx of fresh water from melting ice would make the water less saline and stop the Gulf Stream (and the other water convection cells of the oceans). This would bring about a great cooling effect and could actually cause the Earth to be thrown into Global Cooling. The oceans distribute heat along the planet. If you take that heat away Northern Europe will become much colder.

Global warming, global cooling (though more likely it would be cooling in some areas, not overall global cooling), it doesn't matter. If there is a significant climate shift, even if it cooling in one area and heating in another, that can be devastating. The population of the world has settled where it is generally because it is livable. A sudden, relatively permanent global shift in climates will devastate agriculture and fisheries where it currently exist. It will cause droughts in areas that had plenty of water, flooding in areas that aren't prepared for it, but overal the globe will be hotter, meaning for most, it will mean more droughts inland, and flooding in coastal areas.

The problem with global warming is the thinking it is is that it is accelerating, gaining momentum, like an old steam engine train that's been feed far too much fuel, and the problem is that not only have we not even leveled out the pace we scoop on the coal, we keep shoving faster and faster! The results will be unpredictable for any given area of the globe, but there will be consequences, and except for maybe a smattering of landlocked northern hemisphere countries, the impact is not likely to be nice, and in some cases may be devastating.

This post has been edited by M@ster of Dis@ster: 02/27/07 3:45pm

[HammaTime]

Hi all, Im 38.76 years old now. When I was a child, like 30+ years ago, I could look up into the sky and see a nice yellow sun...



Now, 30 years later, you cannot look at the sun at all, for its now blazing white. Global Warming is not just happening on this planet, but all the planets are heating up. My point being is that the Sun is putting out more energy than it did 30 years ago. Im sure the other "old timers" can verify what I said.

Hey Grim, NASA's satellite's show that your years of observation unfortunately don't match the recorded data. NASA has sent up a fleet of satellites to study the sun's activity. Solar activity varies in 11-year cycles, but the actual visual light remains startingly constant. The variability of the solar irradiance (total solar energy output) peaked in 1979, declined until 1986, increased through 1991 and has since been falling.

Check out this chart:

Maybe your observations of a difference in light intensity might be because you've grown a lot taller in the past 30 years and now you are closer to the sun!

This post has been edited by HammaTime: 02/27/07 4:07pm

[-priority(+)target-]

The sun feels hotter. Why we burn in 5 minutes now, and used to play outside for hours and not even worry about it? Somethin is different.

[Leadmagnet]

The sun feels hotter. Why we burn in 5 minutes now, and used to play outside for hours and not even worry about it? Somethin is different.

depends; the Northern Hemisphere is closer to the sun in the winter, and the angle of the hemisphere facing the sun is different as well, so the sun has less of the atmosphere to diffuse through to get to the earth, hence why the sunshine "feels" warmer in the winter time (solar radiation). Also, the decline of the ozone layer has a itty bitty part in that equation too....

Lead

[Genocide Junkie]

Instead of complaining we are heating the Earth up you might want to consider that every 100,000 years or so the Earth WARMS up enough that we arent one big ice ball. This period generally last about 20,000 years. Guess what??? Yep you win the prize we are about 20,000 yrs into the current period of warm climate. I guess green house gases from the combustion engine were to blame at the begining of this current 20,000 year warm up.....

Junkie

[Shred and Burn]

Its really hard to tell if the aliens who designed us were using combustion engines, or their damn laser beams.

This post has been edited by Shred and Burn: 02/27/07 7:00pm

[HammaTime]

Instead of complaining we are heating the Earth up you might want to consider that every 100,000 years or so the Earth WARMS up enough that we arent one big ice ball. This period generally last about 20,000 years. Guess what??? Yep you win the prize we are about 20,000 yrs into the current period of warm climate. I guess green house gases from the combustion engine were to blame at the begining of this current 20,000 year warm up.....

Junkie

You obviously are referring to information that was circulating in 2005. These past two years have seen a dramatic increase in both CO2 and global temperature which have pushed way beyond any past historical highs. The British Antartic Survey released data in September from ice cores that dated back 800,000 years. At that time, the BBC quoted Glacial Chemist, Eric Wolff, one of the principal investigators as he reported the results, "My point would be that there's nothing in the ice core that gives us any cause for comfort. There's nothing that suggests that the Earth will take care of the increase in carbon dioxide. The ice core suggests that the increase in carbon dioxide will definitely give us a climate change that will be dangerous."

The previous data showed that CO2 and temperature fluctuated in consort. This is no longer the case. Since the 1970's atmospheric CO2 rose at an average rate of 1.5 ppm per year. Last year that spiked to 2.05 ppm and a series of similar jumps since 2001 has altered that steady growth to 2.1 ppm since 2001. These rates have raised CO2 levels 35% above pre-industrial levels.

Something fundamental is happening. This increase can't be blamed on pollution alone. It appears as if the earth's historical ability to absorb CO2 has been maxed out and now the earth can no longer cleanse the CO2 the way it once did. But, before we jump to conclusions, we'll have to await more data. We do know that melting permafrost has the potential to release HUGE amounts of trapped CO2 and this year's predicted El Nino could really help push CO2 levels to unheard of proportions. This is absolutely not a typical warming cycle.

These recent CO2 levels have jumped so dramatically, going well beyond any historical highs recorded in the past 800,000 years. The million dollar question is, how will this dramatic increase in CO2 affect the earth's temperature. One can only guess.

This post has been edited by HammaTime: 02/27/07 8:12pm

[Hellfighter]

Perhaps the real issue is how we're [modernised mankind] is accelerating global warming -whether it's a natural cycle or manmade. It is happening. Up here in Canada we see it full blast... up in Inuit territories is most striking. In Quebec and Ontarion we were used to seeing huge snowdrifts in the cities in January and now we see mostly bone dry pavements in the last 20 years - for the most part.

But we ain't seen nothing yet imo.... wait until the rest of the underprivileged majority of the world start living a normal life with them starting to get their rightful share of good jobs- higher incomes = more purchasing power- more expansive urbanization-more transport required. The hotline's going to get hotter it seems, in spite of our best efforts , or at least of those who making efforts. Seems as if technology will be our only saviour ironically.... or a bunch more trees.

Hi all, Im 38.76 years old now. When I was a child, like 30+ years ago, I could look up into the sky and see a nice yellow sun...



Now, 30 years later, you cannot look at the sun at all, for its now blazing white. Global Warming is not just happening on this planet, but all the planets are heating up. My point being is that the Sun is putting out more energy than it did 30 years ago. Im sure the other "old timers" can verify what I said.

Thats true... in the old masterpiece paintings blue skies were blue everywhere... nowadays except in very remote rural areas, a blue sky always has a pink tinge at the horizon.

Anyway... all this should convince us we better start figuring out how to get off Earth at some point. One day it will die.


This post has been edited by Hellfighter: 02/27/07 9:28pm

[Spartan]

Not only that but If this pattern continues we won't have an ozone Layer anymore and if that goes we will all be Burnt crispy critters. Has anyone watched the movie "The Core"?. Theres one scene in which they hover above the San Fransisco bridge ( Big Red Pretty one ) and The ozone collapsed and UV rays shun through and Toasted the bridge and the pedestrians and the people in the cars It was insane. I can Imagine it won't be like that, but still Its hard to predict what might happen if that atmosphere disappears.

In "An Inconvenient Truth" there was a scene where Al gore talks about Cars. He says that American Cars wouldn't sell In japan or China Because their Car Emissions prohibit ours. I mean If you look at these countries there are barely any cars anyway. Everyone Uses They're Bicycles and Mopeds. Not because they are underdeveloped because Japan Is the leader In technological advances, but because they pollute less and use up less fuel and oils. Its the same in China.

There are so many things we could do to reduce pollution, America Still Uses Coal Power plants to provide at least 40-50% of our energy. While We could replace them with Geothermal energies like Dams. which pour water that turn Turbines and generate electricity Ex: Houver Dam. Or we can Try with Wind Power Ex: Pinwheel turbines.

If this Continues I truly feel that the future will not be this Beautiful thing we Imagine.

[-priority(+)target-]

These recent CO2 levels have jumped so dramatically, going well beyond any historical highs recorded in the past 800,000 years. The million dollar question is, how will this dramatic increase in CO2 affect the earth's temperature. One can only guess.

Scary question that many look to other planets such as Venus for answers. Millions of year ago, Venus had a very similar atmosphere to Earth similar in size, shape and distance to the sun, including running water.

Due to what scientists suspect was a "runaway greenhouse effect", the surface of Venus has become one of the least hospitable places in the solar system. Surface temperatures in excess of 400C hot enough to melt lead, pressure in excess of 90 earth atmospheres, made up almost completely of CO2. Not allot of sitting out on the porch having a beer! Of course this took a long time... and is far more complex than I describe, but same general process is implicated.

Bottom line, we have to figure it out, because the moon just sucks and Mars, Mars sucks as much as the Moon only it is red aswell.

[-priority(+)target-]

This is slightly uncomfortable....

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/02/28/g...ty.html?ref=rss