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I've often thought about this because I'm 52 and I remember the documentaries about the "coming Ice Age" that were showing in the 1970s.
If we're warming the planet, could that be a good thing?
But forget about all that controversy for a moment and consider the possibilities --- climate change happens all the time, and the past 150 years have been abnormally stable. Now we have nearly 7 billion people on the planet and ANY type of dramatic change, whether it's caused by solar changes, the angle and orbit of the earth, humans, volcanoes, fires or whatever, will result in harm to millions of people. Maybe billions.
If we can figure out how to alter the atmosphere to help stabilize temperatures and rainfall patterns (which we can't, yet), SHOULD we? Or would we be foolish to try? And if we don't try, then what should we do to prepare for the inevitable disasters that we will face as a species in the coming centuries? Should we just look out for ourselves and tell the rest of the world to buzz off, or should we have some kind of international Red Cross type of deal that helps people when disaster strikes?
Speaking of which, I wish the people of Myanmar would rise up and take back their country, but I guess it's hard to "rise up" when you're dying and stranded in a delta... What a mess... Thoughts and prayers to those who are suffering in Myanmar and in China and wherever nature is playing havoc with everyday life.
GEO~IMHO we should not try to alter the weather. Google 1972 Rapid City flood. I've recently read about it and very little is even being mentioned now about the cloud seeding that had been done there. Guess it was kind of shocking the way things have been rewritten about the event.
I'm a spiritual person so I just personally don't like humans messing with things that never were intended to be under our control. Just my opinion though.
As far as an International Red Cross~we already seem to help out anyone in need and that's a good thing. The bad thing is that with all the efforts of our country, people in some countries are still starving because their OWN governments are withholding supplies we send over for them.
Oh, and we happen to be the same age. I believe I read something saying that you love dogs? So do I. I love cats, too.
No, we shouldn't mess with climate. There is no way that we could ever really no what we are doing. There are too many variables. I do see a difference, however, between climate and weather. So I don't necessarily have the same opinion on altering weather with something like cloud seeding. The effects of that are much more regional and short-lived.
If the planet is warming that would be better than another ice age. Cold kills more people than heat.
I do believe we have a moral obligation to help people afflicted by natural disasters.
I agree with Jammie that God created the earth for us to live on and we have a responsibility to take care of it. But to think we can alter something like climate (intentionally or unintentionally) is WAY overestimating our abilities.
No, we shouldn't mess with climate. There is no way that we could ever really no what we are doing. There are too many variables. I do see a difference, however, between climate and weather. So I don't necessarily have the same opinion on altering weather with something like cloud seeding. The effects of that are much more regional and short-lived.
If the planet is warming that would be better than another ice age. Cold kills more people than heat.
I do believe we have a moral obligation to help people afflicted by natural disasters.
I agree with Jammie that God created the earth for us to live on and we have a responsibility to take care of it. But to think we can alter something like climate (intentionally or unintentionally) is WAY overestimating our abilities.
actually, more people die from heat than from cold
i don't know why people keep saying that "cold kills more than heat" when it's definitely not true, according to this Heat Waves are the most "lethal type of weather phenomenon", yet people still insist that cold kills more than heat.
i don't know why people keep saying that "cold kills more than heat" when it's definitely not true, according to this Heat Waves are the most "lethal type of weather phenomenon", yet people still insist that cold kills more than heat.
Probably because a single heat wave is different than a slight increase in the average.
It still makes more sense to me that more people would die in another mini ice age than in the worse case predictions of global warming. Many of those deaths would be from less farmable land and shorter growing seasons.
EDIT:
Here is one source, Climate Cooling, the Other Side of Climate Change Science: Global Cooling. The quote below is from the second to last heading, "Is Global Cooling Bad?" The link is to a pdf file of testimony before Congress. The heat vs. cold deaths testimony starts on page 3. I don't know if this is accurate because while Professor Lomborg is refuting Al Gore he also claims the global warming is real and man-made (shouldn't that be human-made??), both points which I disagree with him on. However, he is citing specific facts when claiming that cold kills more people each year. (Drawing conclusions about global warming requires interpretation not just recitation.) Wikipedia may or may not be right. But remember that a heat wave is a weather phenomenon. A mini ice age is a climate phenomenon.
"More people die from the cold than from heat and no place on Earth is too hot for humans. In Europe, more than 200,000 people die from excess heat while 1.5 million people die from excess cold (Source: Lomborg 2007 ), a point left out of most assessments. For the US, the net lower death count from global warming in 2050 is estimated at 174,000 per year (Citation in Lomborg 2007)."
Last edited by Niners fan; 05-18-2008 at 06:45 PM..
I agree with Jammie that God created the earth for us to live on and we have a responsibility to take care of it. But to think we can alter something like climate (intentionally or unintentionally) is WAY overestimating our abilities.
I so agree, with both points, and espacially with the second sentence. I totally believe that God is in control of the climate, regardless of what we humans do.
I think there may be some bias based on what the climate is like where you live. I live in Seattle, so I say go for it. Would be nice if we could just make it rain 20-30 minutes all at once when it does, instead of the clouds just having overhead drizzling 0.0001" an hour.
I think there may be some bias based on what the climate is like where you live. I live in Seattle, so I say go for it. Would be nice if we could just make it rain 20-30 minutes all at once when it does, instead of the clouds just having overhead drizzling 0.0001" an hour.
Well, I live where it can get very cold so if that could be changed, it'd be ideal. BUT I don't think it's possible or that it should be tampered with. We humans mess up enough things.
Tada, how would you adjust your weather other then having one solid rain? Would you tamper with your temps?
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I believe I read something saying that you love dogs? So do I. I love cats, too.
Yes!!!...
