Question about desertification, please answer (snow, warming, USA, predict)

[Cleveland_Collector]

There's nothing to "believe" in. It's a scientific fact. You can either choose to accept fact or remain willfully ignorant. That's the part which is up to you. The climate will continue to change. Besides, you would have to be downright idiotic to think that mankind could pull billions of tons of fossil fuels out of the ground and burn it with its by-products having no net effect.

[alex985]

We're talking about the maps being BS, not climate change itself. Read before you make a stupid post.

[Cleveland_Collector]

The stupid posts are the ones attempting to equate scientific fact with a belief and then the disbelief that burning billions of tons of hydrocarbon based fuels will have no effect on the climate. The maps are based on theoretical, mathematical models. What kind of models are your "beliefs" based on?

[J Baustian]

Originally Posted by Cleveland_Collector

The stupid posts are the ones attempting to equate scientific fact with a belief and then the disbelief that burning billions of tons of hydrocarbon based fuels will have no effect on the climate. The maps are based on theoretical, mathematical models. What kind of models are your "beliefs" based on?

The models fail to account for all the variables. I'm sorry, but none of them do. There are at least four or five other atmospheric chemicals besides carbon dioxide. There are solar variations, orbital variations, magnetic field variations, cloud albedo -- I'm sure that I'm missing a few, but this should give you at least some idea of what is missing from the models.

[jamies]

And Seattle is out - too many liberals. I'd rather die of thirst.

[nei]

Originally Posted by alex985

I believe in climate change, I just also believe a lot of these maps are overdramatic BS.

Even if it's exaggerated, shouldn't it be in the right order? Like, the driest regions in the map would always be at the highest risk of becoming dry.

[nei]

Judging from the maps, hotter semi-arid regions are most at risk. But that's not surprising.

[Nn2036]

If I read the map right, most of the US (besides Texas) will have more precipitation in 2050? What is PET short for?

[BMI]

West Texas and eastern New Mexico are at risk,
But they're almost desert anyway

[nei]

Originally Posted by Nn2036

If I read the map right, most of the US (besides Texas) will have more precipitation in 2050? What is PET short for?

Potential Evotranspiration

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_evaporation

amount of evaporation that would occur given enough water. PET compared to precipitation indicates how dry the climate is.