Climate Change Discussion

[N80]

That said, you may well be turning into a “nutcase” if you think that an application of logic and enlightenment will stick to the Teflon surfaces of those with a closed mind. Ken

I'm genuinely curious about that statement. The epithet 'closed mind' seems like the most hypocritical slur that can be thrown. Two people think they are right and both think the other is wrong. Which one of them is closed minded? See? So what does it mean? And why does the term always come from the left, aimed at the right? You rarely hear the converse but it is clearly equally as true.

But let's be more specific. Two people have an opinion on global warming. The first thinks it is a proven phenomenon and that it is beyond any reasonable doubt that man is the cause. Given that conviction he decides to take action himself and demand it of others. The second guy thinks there may be some warming but isn't convinced it is a trend. He's looked at the available info and feels that there is insufficient data to prove its a trend, much less manmade. He thinks there might be multiple factors and will not take life altering action nor demand it of others.

Is one of them closed minded?

The charge of 'closed mindedness' is always a cheap shot. It rarely has merit and is no more effective at bringing understanding than actually being closed minded. It suggests that the one making the charge is morally or intellectually superior and likewise the one being charged as thoughtless.

And if something is immutably true and right, then one must be closed minded about it, by definition. It would be illogical to assume otherwise. And if one counters that there are no absolute truths, well, how closed minded is that?

So as you can see, the charge of closed mindedness is pretty useless as anything but an insult.

 

[EddieWalker]

Nicely said.

I've always wondered why those who feel global warming is caused by man refuse to explaing the temperature changes on the planet over the last million years.

Why is it that just this warming period is man made, but the previous ones are ignored? What caused the previous periods of global warming? and why isn't it the same thing now?

Eddie

 

[thingy]

Well,like I already said,the vikings settled greenland 700 or so years ago and called it green,,,they lived there 2 three hundred years and got froze out,,,,,point being,,ain't one of the biggest things these people preaching global warming is ice glazers melting in greenland,,**** they wasn't even there 700 years ago to melt to begin with.You got this wobbly earth,,,being pulled on by a wobbly moon,all going around this great exploding heat source,[the sun],,out there doing its thing,,,man,,,we are just plain lucky to be here,,let alone a 5 degree change in earths overall temp....!!! This ain't mathmatics here,,nothing exact,,this is nature,,,nature moves to its own beat and we are just piss ants on its surface,,along for the great ride,,,we don't have a clue,,thingy

 

[Tig]

and why isn't it the same thing now?
Eddie

because we have primed the natural cycle with unprecedented amounts of CO2.
As for "global warming" being caused by man. It would be more accurate to say that some feel that climate change is being accelerated by man. Some feel that we will push it to unprecedented temperatures.
Another link to a NASA scientist's views on the subject and how it has been treated by the politicians and special interest groups. Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him - New York Times
Page 11 of this next presentation is the chart you want to see. It shows todays green house gases compared to the natural cycle as evidenced by gases found in glacial ice cores. http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/SierraStorm.09Jan2007.pdf
Dr. James E. Hansen's website has lots of data. Dr. James E. Hansen Makes interesting reading.

 

[Alan L.]

I've not seen any evidence to prove that anything man has done is causing temperatures to increase. I believe if this is happening its just a cycle. This is one of the coldest winters in our area for many years, but nobody ever tries to explain that. The "experts" blamed Katrina on global warming last year, then when there was no hurricane activity this past fall, nobody mentioned this discrepancy.

I believe we are polluting the air and water and we need to take steps to improve that situation, including going to cleaner burning fuels.

 

[Egon]

I've got nothing against clean air, clean water and clean ground. If a volcano messes this up I'm sure it's beyond my control. If I mess this up by putting raw sewage in my drinking water it may be controllable.

There's some things we can control but many others we can't.

Global warming -- I haven't a clue???

Eddie: You did mention grapes in Canada so I just added some information. By the way those grapes in the picture make for good eating.

How does the world population fit into all this?

 

[SkyPup]

We can all thank God for Global Warming when it last began 10,000 years ago, otherwise all of North America would still be under a contentinal ice sheet five miles thick and Columbus would have turned around and gone home without bothering to try to climb up onto the massive glacier covering North America....

When Antartica melts, it will be nice to plant some palm trees there and retire.....

 

[Raddad]

FYI

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30423853.htm

 

[riptides]

Well, I lasted opted out of the one thread, lasted till page five of this one.

All I can say is that I hope to leave things better than I found them. I try and subscribe to the be good, do good philosophy.

Meanwhile I travel 150+ miles a day in my polluting, gas guzzling SUV.

I hope the other stuff I do balances that out, but I doubt it.

Some things I can change, others I cannot. But we all can get better at energy conservation and pollution control.

-Mike Z.

 

[N80]

It is funny that those doing the most worrying never mention how much global warming could benefit a great number of people. I can see the headlines now: US Oil Imports Drop by 20% Due to Decreased Heating Costs! or Famine Abated in Sub-Saharan Africa Due to Wave of Life Giving Rains from Tropical Depressions! or How To Cash in on the Norwegian Orange Market! or US Threatens Embargo on Chinese Air Conditioner Imports!