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Global warming: What if we do nothing?

18 Comments

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The articly also forgot to mention Ocean Acidification, caused by the extra CO2 dissolved in the oceans.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

We ARE doomed I do believe but not for another 30 generations. 500 years. This will all play out slowly, glacially. But we can start planning now. I am not optimistic for the long run. But hopeful for current days and next 28 generations.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Sangetsu Thank you! Let's party!!! We can have our party culture with a clear conscience! Well, we may use up all the energy etc, but what the heck. Let's party!!!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Global warming is a myth. The Pyramids were granaries. Jesus rode dinosaurs.

Vote Republican!!

1 ( +3 / -2 )

As a would be psychologist I feel I know that there is one thing that humans always do -- overestimate themselves, and their importance.

As Sangetsu writes

According to the Hadley Climate Research Unit, the main repository of climate records used by the IPPC, there has been no statistical increase in temperature since 1998, as of now we are at 18 years, 9 months without any global warming.

There has been a "hiatus" for a while despite massive economic growth in places like China.

While I certainly do not rule out the possibility the jury seems to be out on anthropogenic (human caused) global warming, at least until the hiatus ends and we see global warming again.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Forests in Indonesia and North and South America are being cut down and shipped mainly to Europe for fuel in power plants, because a loop hole in global warming rules says that cutting down forests is not a contributor to global warming, because the forests might eventually grow back. I'm not making this up.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/1/16/green-energy-demandineuropemaybethreateningamericanforests.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-22630815

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Since Hurricane Katrina about ten years ago, the Atlantic hurricane seasons have yielded fewer storms and less than one landfall on average. Hurricane Sandy had become extra-tropical and then linked up with a Noreaster (cold weather storm) to create a monster that savaged the Jersey shore. But, it was not due to "global warming". Meanwhile, down in Antarctica, the ice cap has grown by billions of pounds.

Rush Limbaugh started an Armageddon countdown clock almost ten years ago when Al Gore claimed that the world would suffer coastal calamities if the carbon fuel consumption was not cut. That clock is within 70 days of completion, but the Florida coast is still intact, the NW Passage is still closed, and the NYC subways haven't filled with seawater.

This clock runs out about a week before the Iowa Caucus and the NH Presidential Primary a week after that and it will be interesting to see how those elections are effected.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I agree with Sangetsu

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

There are now so many human beings on this planet now they certainly can influence the weather, there is no longer any doubt about that. The only question is how much and in which direction the natural climate cycles are headed, as to how much influence human activity will have on the climate in the future.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

the real effects are already happening. 1000 year storms have increased in frequency.

Storms have not increased in frequency, nor are they expected to. The most current IPCC (2015 AR5) report on climate change specifically states that no increase in severe weather event is predicted.

High tides are now flooding some major cities.

Pray tell, which cities are being flooded? My Florida home sits on the beach on the Gulf of Mexico, my family has owned this home for nearly 50 years, the tide gauge today shows no change since 1964, none at all.

Regional decades long droughts have been ongoing since the 1990s.

According to the Hadley Climate Research Unit, the main repository of climate records used by the IPPC, there has been no statistical increase in temperature since 1998, as of now we are at 18 years, 9 months without any global warming.

Droughts had occurred throughout history, and droughts are occurring no more quickly than they ever have.

The hottest day ever recorded on earth was in 1913, and no day from the 90's until now comes close. However, we have seen many cold weather records being broken. The British Antarctic Survey last year recorded the coldest temperature ever measured on earth.

We were supposed to see all arctic ice disappear by 2013, but instead arctic ice is recovering, and while lower than average, ice is still increasing. In the antarctic, ice is now at all time records for volume and extent, that means that there is more ice in antarctica that has ever been measured in human history. How is this possible when the world is supposed to be getting warmer?

Nasa's summary of antarctic ice increase is as follows*

Mass changes of the Antarctic ice sheet impact sea-level rise as climate changes, but recent rates have been uncertain. Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) data (2003–08) show mass gains from snow accumulation exceeded discharge losses by 82 ± 25 Gt a–1, reducing global sea-level rise by 0.23 mm a–1. European Remote-sensing Satellite (ERS) data (1992–2001) give a similar gain of 112 ± 61 Gt a–1. Gains of 136 Gt a–1 in East Antarctica (EA) and 72 Gt a–1 in four drainage systems (WA2) in West Antarctic (WA) exceed losses of 97 Gt a–1 from three coastal drainage systems (WA1) and 29 Gt a–1 from the Antarctic Peninsula (AP). EA dynamic thickening of 147 Gt a–1 is a continuing response to increased accumulation (>50%) since the early Holocene. Recent accumulation loss of 11 Gt a–1 in EA indicates thickening is not from contemporaneous snowfall increases. Similarly, the WA2 gain is mainly (60 Gt a–1) dynamic thickening. In WA1 and the AP, increased losses of 66 ± 16 Gt a–1 from increased dynamic thinning from accelerating glaciers are 50% offset by greater WA snowfall. The decadal increase in dynamic thinning in WA1 and the AP is approximately one-third of the long-term dynamic thickening in EA and WA2, which should buffer additional dynamic thinning for decades.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

America and Japan will survive, but many other countries will not. Lots of economic activity and growth will come from moving huge cities inland. Great for economies.

Personally, I love toasty warm weather as I am an ocean lover and beach bum some say.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Hey guys, it's been warm recently on the Kanto Plain. Are we in a for not too cold coming winter? & does this have anything to do with El Nino?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Natural cycles of global cooling and warming far outweigh our pitiful attempts to "control our emissions"....... We will never manage to do so which makes this whole debate futile.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

If we do nothing, there is a very slight chance that we may delay the coming ice age, but that's about it.

I am all for decreasing pollution, but CO2 is not pollution.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

The damaging effects from an impending economic collapse are more real and present and potentially devastating (when you consider the massive wars they'll spur) than any storms or slowly rising seas.

In Economics, you MUST ask the question: "At What Cost?" Unfortunately, politicians have convinced themselves they have an endless supply of funds to pay for whatever pet projects they want.

Everybody that claims "something must be done" about global warming are always expecting OTHER PEOPLE to pay for it.

I say let the Earth win. If it wants to wipe us out, let it wipe us out. Why are we humans so special we think we can control the weather because it suits our political aims?

3 ( +5 / -2 )

gokai_wo_maneku, the real effects are already happening. 1000 year storms have increased in frequency. Regional decades long droughts have been ongoing since the 1990s. High tides are now flooding some major cities. Animal species die off haven't been this high in literally a million years.

It's only going to get worse and yes, move north while you can. It won't protect you from the storms, but it will mitigate the effects of the heat.

If we do nothing, we are most certainly doomed and the map of civilization will look nothing like it does now.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Buy property in Siberia. Anyway, global culture is a "party now!" culture. We'll all be long dead when the real effects take hold. Your great grandchildren will have to deal with the mess. But nobody cares about them.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

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