AZ liveable after the Climate-change? (Phoenix, Tucson: how much, tornadoes, living)

[JMX]

Originally Posted by chionactis

People who have lived here a long time will tell you that during monsoon season in the summer, it'd rain practically every day. I don't know as I've been here only 7 years, but it seems that the rains form and hit the outskirts but typically pass us by.

I agree with that. When I first moved here in the mid-80's, the monsoon rains seemed to roll through the valley every afternoon/evening, or a least 3-4 times a week. And there was a LOT of rain. Streets would flood because the storm drains couldn't handle it all. I haven't seen that type of monsoon storm in at least 10 years.

Some may argue that it's because we're in a drought, but I think it's more a function of the urban heat island. I still see the big huge clouds develop to the east in the afternoon like they used to, but the storms always seem to peter out before they hit the central part of the valley. It's just not the same.

[Magnum Mike]

Global warming is a natural cycle of the earth that occurs every a few thousand years, yes man has accelerated the warming cycle, but not as much as Al Gore and other environmentalists would like you to believe.

Evidence in Greenland revealed that at one time some 4000 years ago, the area was warm and the Vikings migrated over from Europe to settle in the land and the evidence that was found clearly suggests that they used the land to plant many crops, until an ice age that hit the earth about 1000 years ago and the Vikings disappeared. The so-called mini-ice age also brought many problems to Europe, including the plague in the middle ages.

Like others said here, it will be too hot here hundreds of years from now, but it'll cool down with the new ice age, after the warming cycle is finished, and a major part of the polar ice caps have melted, there will be another ice age, but that's definitely not going to happen anytime soon.

The earth is a living planet, and like all living things, it will die and there's nothing anybody can do to stop it. Man can kill itself and all other living things by a nuclear catastrophe, and if that doesn't happen, there are astroids that will penetrate earth's atmosphere and crash somewhere on earth, which will wipe out pretty much all living things.

[azloafer]

I read this article in the Green Valley newspaper and I am offering it as food for thought. I have ended it with the author's name to give proper credit:

GLOBAL WARMING---TRUTH OR SPIN
The Earth has cooled dramatically a number of times in the past. Best available evidence indicates the earth is about 4.6 billion years old. Ninety-nine percent of all species that have ever lived are now extinct. If you represent the age of the Earth as a 24-hour clock, mankind has been here only the last three minutes. The Earth as we now know it will not stay this way, the second law of thermodynamics assures that a broken cup will always stay broken, a rock that disintegrates will not again form as a rock; the universe has been in a constant state of atrophy since the instant of the big bang. The sun has about five billion years of fuel remaining, we are now half way through its life cycle, past that point no life remains on Earth, we become a burned out cinder. The amount of sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface has major cycles, minor cycles, and cycles within cycles but no one has yet correlated these cycles with earths past climate variations. Carbon dioxide levels are increasing in the upper atmosphere but no one has proven any equivalency with temperature change, i.e., ten million tons of carbon dioxide equals one-degree temperature increase. Some would argue this but it’s like the story of the man who developed a craving for sweet potatoes and ate them five times a week. Shortly after, he developed three warts on his left hand. Some conclude sweet potatoes cause warts; many conclude no such relationship can be shown. The last glacial period peaked about 12-15 thousand years ago. We are still in a glacial period since glaciers exist. There have been periods in the past with no glaciers anywhere on Earth. There have been times in the past when earth was nearly a complete ice ball. Most concede the earth’s ocean temperature and movement affects climate. The Earth’s magnetic poles periodically swap places. This might affect climate. The moon’s position relative to earth is a factor and the moon is moving farther from Earth each year. Weather and climate is not the same thing. Wind patterns on earth affect weather and possibly climate. Mighty forces are at work in the universe and on earth that man cannot begin to control. Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, most floras would not exist without it and man would die off without some level in our bodies. If oxygen somehow rose to a level of 50% of the atmosphere instead of 2 percent, would we consider it a pollutant? Despite what we do, the Earth will either get warmer or cool down. This list doesn’t provide an answer, but it does raise a number of relevant questions. If we institute a massive program against global warming, is the goal to slow it, halt it or reverse it? What’s the next step if we stop the greenhouse effect and the earth continues to warm? Are humans better off with increasing warming, or increasing cooling (a new ice age)? Might we best use our wealth and technology to mitigate as much as possible the effects of global warming rather than trying to stop a force that began 15,000 years ago and continues today? If we were to reverse into a cooling period would we consider adding carbon dioxide to enhance the greenhouse effect? Given our short time in planetary history and given the extinction of 99 percent of all life forms, is it at all realistic to believe we can mitigate a major planetary force like global warming? Is it at all reasonable to assume that anything less than total participation by all nations of the world has any chance to succeed? Tectonic plate movements suggest in a few hundred million years, the Atlantic Ocean will be gone and there will be a new world, with all creatures living on one land mass. Will we have cold on Earth again or will it be too hot for any creatures? Each of us can make various assertions about global warming, based on how we view the data, but none of us are entitled to our own facts.
By Norman Gonder

[Najt]

I'm so sorry but whats new is all CO2 we pump out, as also will release amounts of methanegases, that has never happened before.

If a deadly chainreaction doesnt start, at least northern US and EUrope etc. will be liveable.

[Hawkeye48]

Yes global warming is occuring. It's supposed to be occuring and nothing we are doing is really going to stop it, or reverse it. It's a naturally occuring process.

[FunkyPioneer]

The big problem in AZ is not the HEAT, its the WATER. Many people who live there have no idea that there are MAJOR problems getting water right now. There is a severe shortage and its getting to the point where you may not even have enough water to drink there if it keeps up the way its going.

[silvermountain]

I went to a lecture by Dr. Alan Holyoak; on climate change. In general terms, wet areas will get wetter, and dry areas dryer. In the US in the past 30 years, only the Southeast has gotten wetter, everywhere else dryer, Arizona included. There will be pockets of variation, but that is the general trend. Likely higher temperatures, too. The melting of ice caps will not necessarily cool things off; but rather stifle current patterns because the freshwater melting from ice will not be as dense as the salt water; so ocean currents will slow or stall nearer the surface; keeping moderating currents from nearing the coasts. Also, likely continued increase in severe weather (higher temps equal warmer air equals more energy). Hope this helps; again it is just a summary of what I can remember. Long story short, Arizona won't be the place to be, except in case of a climatic anomaly.

[azloafer]

Originally Posted by FunkyPioneer

The big problem in AZ is not the HEAT, its the WATER. Many people who live there have no idea that there are MAJOR problems getting water right now. There is a severe shortage and its getting to the point where you may not even have enough water to drink there if it keeps up the way its going.

According to a release by the Tucson Water Department we will be totally dependant on CAP water within 10 years because of population growth in Pima County. The picture doesn't look good.

[country pride]

Im guessing that people who are natives out here or who grew up out here might be used to it. Then, there are those who move out here for that reason.
Up until a couple of years ago I thought it was great, the heat didnt bother me too much (and I work out in it) but have been noticing with time, its not that easy anymore to be out in it as long. Half the crew I work with, along with myself, have discovered problems with air quality (or maybe its just getting over heated?), breathing by early afternoon, and I feel useless after around noon, but keep going anyway. Despite trying to stay hydrated, we dont know if its our ages all catching up to us, or if its weather related, but nonetheless, gotta do what we gotta do. I have noticed, in other threads, people complaining of asthma, air quality and allergy problems though, after moving here from an area where they thought was the cause of their health issues, turns out its either gotten worse here or just hasnt gotten better.

[vaughnb33]

BEST OPTION
1. Be mobile and rich, have alot of gold or things to trade.
2. Wealthy will survive.
3. Humans survived the mini-ice age, and the ice age before that because they adapted and moved.
ECONOMIES
Growing instability especially in third world, food, water, disease will promote fear, unrest and chaos in country against country and even neighbor against neighbor.
SOLUTION
Become a survivalist in Alasaka and remote regions with lots of inventory including weapons. timetable 30-50yrs.
PROSPECTS
When ice over land such as Greenland and Antartica melt the albeido rate [amount of sunlight reflected on earths surface] will cause more heating of planet including permafrost areas releases trillions of tons of CO2 and speeding up the warming process. Even if Europe and US curtail emissions in the next decade; China and the balance of the world will continue to increase CO2 levels globally to the inevitable.
If you're over 50 don't sweat it, you'll be dead by then if you're lucky but your children will inherit living hell. Send them to survivalist school or at least a ROPES course.