Global Warming

[Neosutra]

So after a few discussions with some colleagues, I wanted to get an idea of what people's opinions on the subject of global warming are.

Climate and meteorological science isnt my specialty, so I have to rely on reports on the matter for my information and due to this being a heavily politicized subject, there is alot of bias on both sides.

As a physicist, I can see that it would be pretty obvious that any closed system would have its thermal equilibrium altered via the emission rates of any subset within it, and thus it would be silly to assume we have little to no impact on our planet. However I am unaware of the exact amount of emissions required to make these changes.

Things I hear from the Global Warming front:

1. We must alter our current polution/energy consumption methods or the ice caps will melt within the next 100 years and we will run out of resources.

2. Massive thermal shifts will cause horrible climate changes devasting areas of our planet.

3. Our resources will be running out within the next 50 years.

Things I hear from the conservative front:

1. The scientists on the Global Warming front are misrepresenting the data and it is all just hype.

2. Clean energy alternatives cause more pollution to make than they prevent.

3. We have very little effect on our planet.


I for one think we do have an solid effect on our planet, but am not sure how to quantify that effect and what the best ways to improve our emissions are.

Thoughts?

[Correction]

I'm pretty sure almost every political thread has the same discussion over global warming in it.

[Mizango]

Fear not, for our savior will repair it in due time my friend. Man has no say in the matter, it was written.

[Woozie]

I'm pretty sure almost every political thread has the same discussion over global warming in it.

Well at least we can get it condensed into one thread now. This subject interests me too, so I'll be watching this thread (especially if Nystul posts. He probably knows a lot about this kind of stuff).

[Souj]

God is causing global warming cause he hates the commercialization of christmas.

you know what this forum needs? a section dedicated to just these kind of threads.

[oldoldman]

Global Warming is a business. The earth goes through cycles of Hot and Cold, people are just capitalizing on this hot cycle.

[nicholai]

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...e-for-Prez.jpg

[Dimmauk]

Russia and China are causing Global warming cause they wanna unfreeze the North Pole so they can get more Oil.

[tyven]

oh snaps i had a global warming paper due last week that i still have not written. this must be a sign

[Hyan]

I can clearly see the effects of global warming already; In my country last winter was the warmest in the history. Usually there are around 120 days in a year when there is snow, but last year there were only around 30 such days. The difference is huge and it's not anything special either: Since 1990's the winters have been warmer and warmer, with the expection of 2002-2003 which was one of the coldest.

From what I remember the last winter was very cold one globally? That was very odd since you really couldn't see it here.. Iirc the global warming will affect the countries near the poles most, so the fact that the winters are so mild here probably has something to do with it and it's not just some random occurence.

If it's caused by human or nature, that I do not know. I do know, though, that it's not just hype.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

Well at least we can get it condensed into one thread now. This subject interests me too, so I'll be watching this thread (especially if Nystul posts. He probably knows a lot about this kind of stuff).

Roy W. Spencer: Global Warming and Nature's Thermostat There's a good site if you want to read about it.

[The Stig]

Who the fuck cares, we'd be dead anyway.

either by that

or by idiots QQing over silly shit and deciding to take slapstick actions.


otherwise, to stay on discussion:

In the UK it snowed here for the first time (only for a day though) in 60 years apparently, last week. So... it is somewhat worrying, overtime.

[Meph]

1. We must alter our current polution/energy consumption methods or the ice caps will melt within the next 100 years and we will run out of resources.

I see this argument close to every time the discussion arises, the ice on the northpole melting. Whats never mentioned is that it seems the total amount of ice on the southpole have expanded with the same amount thats vanished from the north, thus still retaining the same total amount.

3. We have very little effect on our planet.

^ this

we did a project a few years ago when I studied biology and the conclusion we made was that, yes it is getting warmer, but due to natural planetary cycles. The total contribution of manmade CO2 to the ozonlayers was about 0.03%

I usually let things like these slide cause it would be stupid to appose reduced toxic emission from factories and the likes.

[Not Kuno]

I'm more worried about the next ice age D:

[zoobernut]

The Earth goes through global warming and cooling trends thats why we have Ice Ages. Humans will either find a way to survive or die off.

We are pretty much screwed when the magnetic poles of the Earth switch anyway. We should be more worried about that.

[Defconnexion]

I think we should continue to do our part to melt the polar ice caps, that we may harvest the advanced technologies of the alien civilizations buried and frozen there so many milleniae ago.

[Skjie]

Russia and China are causing Global warming cause they wanna unfreeze the North Pole so they can get more Oil.

This. They keep showing up in Canada trying to plant flags for when the ice melts enough.

[Dimmauk]

This. They keep showing up in Canada trying to plant flags for when the ice melts enough.

That reminds me of that Eddie Izzard joke.

"We stole countries with the cunning use of flags. Just sail around the world and stick a flag in. "I claim India for Britain!" And they're going, "You can't claim us, we live here! There's five hundred million of us!" - "Do you have a flag?" - "We don't need a bloody flag, this is our country, you bastard!" - "No flag, no country! You can't have one! That's the rules, that... I've just made up."

[TacoTaru]

We are pretty much screwed when the magnetic poles of the Earth switch anyway. We should be more worried about that.

I know they switch every so often (few hundred thousand years?) but what's the significance of switch effecting us?

[Kuya]

This thread seems more like spam material if it doesn't get some serious discussion.