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Old 03-11-2011, 05:57 PM
 
Location: Beaverland, OR
588 posts, read 2,823,612 times
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So, global warming / climate change has been a big topic in political and science circles for at least 20 years now. Most people in the science community agree global warming is real and are making various predictions of what the future will be like if we don't fight it.

My questions: Are the tactics we are using to fight global warming working? If we don't know yet, how long before we DO know? How do we know if our efforts to combat it are having or will have any effect at all? Perhaps all of this human-based effort is akin to a mosquito fighting a hurricane.

Just looking for some factual insight here, not random speculations.
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Old 03-11-2011, 08:30 PM
 
Location: 3rd rock from the sun
3,857 posts, read 6,937,196 times
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I don't know if man significantly contributes to global warming or not - but either way it makes sense to stop pumping crud into the air.
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Old 03-11-2011, 08:34 PM
 
998 posts, read 1,211,819 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Siete View Post
I don't know if man significantly contributes to global warming or not - but either way it makes sense to stop pumping crud into the air.
Well, why don't you stop pumping crud into the air?
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Old 03-11-2011, 08:43 PM
 
132 posts, read 267,014 times
Reputation: 65
The warming of the last few centuries is actually quite insignificant and is attributed by many climatologists to be a result of a Millenial Oscillation which is a swift change in climate lasting less than 1000 years and ending sometimes in just decades. Carbon dioxide levels? Not that high at all. Sure, the last glacial maximum saw levels at 200 ppm, but that was just that, a glacial maximum. Values around 350 ppm are not excessive in the least for an interglacial period.
That being said, air pollution from human activity is having significant effect on our air quality and the urban heat island development! I think policies to reduce air pollution have definitely achieved a positive result with many U.S. cities reporting fewer dangerous smog days per year. Also the prospect of rapid "Global Warming" has actually been a driver of alternative energy production...a definite plus!
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Old 03-12-2011, 02:51 AM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,843,804 times
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The reduction of CO2 won't happen without China onboard and they are building new coal plants every few weeks. Increased energy costs here to meet any mandates in CO2 emissions will simply drive more manufacturing jobs to China and would actually increase CO2 because it's less efficient.




During the Copenhagen talks China and India were offering to reduce "carbon intensity". This is not a cap on total emissions but a cap on emissions per product. In other words they were offering to increase efficiency which is something they will be doing anyway. Total emissions would continue to grow.
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Old 03-12-2011, 02:53 AM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,843,804 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Siete View Post
but either way it makes sense to stop pumping crud into the air.
....ahh the old CO2 is crud argument....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2qVNK6zFgE
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Old 03-12-2011, 01:20 PM
 
Location: Victoria TX
42,579 posts, read 86,668,900 times
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It stretches my credulity, to ask me to believe that in the few short years of heavy fuel-burning industry, it is just a coincidence that the planet went through one of its own cycles of adjustment at the same time.
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Old 03-12-2011, 11:32 PM
 
23,549 posts, read 70,029,022 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88 View Post
It stretches my credulity, to ask me to believe that in the few short years of heavy fuel-burning industry, it is just a coincidence that the planet went through one of its own cycles of adjustment at the same time.
You might want to ask Eric the Red about that. His attempts to colonize in Canada occurred before this industrial era, and were only possible because of warming.

I agree with the China assessment. We contribute about 1/4th of the CO2 that China does. Isn't offshoring our jobs wonderful?

Global climate change is purely a political and financial ploy, one easily traced by following the money, grant money, and talking to those who have recently retired and no longer in fear of losing funding.

To answer the OP question - NO. Nothing effective is being done, nor will it be done. China power and industry alone MORE than makes up for all other efforts, and those "efforts" are only possible because of outsourcing the CO generating processes to China. GCC is a straw man. Sorry to burst your bubble.
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Old 03-13-2011, 10:08 AM
 
Location: Texas State Fair
8,560 posts, read 11,179,496 times
Reputation: 4257
Honest education regarding global warming might help...

Quote:
“Some islands affected by climate change have been hit,” said Nilsson. “Has not the time come to demonstrate on solidarity — not least solidarity in combating and adapting to climate change and global warming?”

“Mother Nature has again given us a sign that that is what we need to do,” he added.

Global warming enthusiasts have also taken to Twitter to raise awareness of the need to respond to the earthquake by finally acting on climate change. And the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Lee Doren compiled some of the best ones.
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Old 03-13-2011, 12:26 PM
 
28,803 posts, read 47,538,702 times
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Since the post above left out part of the article here it is:

"Hours after a massive earthquake rattled Japan, environmental advocates connected the natural disaster to global warming. The president of the European Economic and Social Committee, Staffan Nilsson, issued a statement calling for solidarity in tackling the global warming problem."

Someone needs to explain to me how in the hell global warming caused an earthquake. It would seem to me to be the other way around if anything.

Methinks there are some dumb damn people roaming around out there. If it's me, please educate me.
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