[lesmore49]

Let's see the world is coming to an end, because of global warming...but...now that Europe and other parts of the world are experiencing some of the worst winters in 50 years...now some are changing their tune...yesterday I read that some scientists now are saying the world is embarking on a mini ice age...a period of cooling...maybe for the next 30 years or so.

Now the Doomsday Clock has been moved 30 minutes ahead...


http://http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1242823/Doomsday-clock...sts-today.html

Who to believe and should anybody capable of independent thought believe any of this stuff..no matter which side it is on ?

[Parallax]

The earth's history shows many periods of warming and cooling.

Truth #1 - Someday the earth will be overall much warmer than the present.

Truth # 2 - There is at least one more ice age ahead.

The lie is that there is anything we can do to change it.

[Rupert]

I'll be waiting for word from Big Al before I reach any conclusions....a guy that has made as much cash as he has on the Global Warming myth will surely not miss an opportunity like this to switch teams......will he? He is the Guru Weatherman of all time.......and about as accurate too. My weatherman is hitting near 40% accuracy, a record high lately, and Big Al is catching up quickly....well, not really, but he makes a better presentation, and rakes in more cash by far.

While we are all in a panic over record heat or record cold....has anyone ever thought about record death? I'm just guessing, but I would bet that record deaths occur every day in this world of 2010? Why is that? I wonder if we contribute enough, Big Al can figure that out for us? Sounds like another Major Mystery to me.......He could sell death offsets to make us live longer? Wow! I'm in!
Regards!

[Ratmagiclady]

The link won't open, but you do realize it's the Daily Mail?

(For journalistic gravitas, they're somewhere between the National Enquirer and the New York Post.)

[MRRiley]

Well, seeing as how the brilliant scientists who gave us the clock in 1947 initially set it to 11:53PM I don't put much credence in it. So far, thay missed by at least 63 YEARS!

and I know the clock is a metaphor, but considering that they missed resetting it totally during the Cuban Missile Crisis (woulda been 11:59:59 by their standard) it is hardly relevent nor does it have any bearing on constantly changing global situations.

Face it, simply by existing we get closer and closer to our own ends and the "end of the world" with every breath we take and with each click of the second hand.

Mike

[little laker]

Haven't you heard that the scientists have changed their tune. They're no longer calling it Global Warming, since some parts of the world are actually cooling. They're just calling it Climate Change, to cover all bases

[lmd91343]

Global warming means that overall the earth is getting warmer. Also it means that we will be experiencing more unusual weather, generally warmer. There will be increased precipitation in areas and some colder winters. This is caused by increased CO2 and methane in the atmosphere.

There are predictions that Europe will get colder as a result of the continued melting of the Greenland ice cap. That would drastically cool the northern Atlantic and the Gulf stream current, affecting Europe's weather, perhaps bringing a mini ice age for Europe.

All these changes are above and beyond the "normal" ice ages and intercalated warm intervals. These changes are caused by long term variations in solar activity and slight wanderings of the earth's spin axis.

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Last edited by lmd91343; 01-13-2010 at 11:32 AM. Reason: spelling

[Phil1]

Big Al has it in hand. (cash).

Play it safe, buy both Global Warming and Ice Cube Credits from him and all will be well. He does need to buy fuel for his big boat, private jet and heat the mansion for god's sake. Help him out.

The is no God like a demigod or a demagog.

On with the show.

[Ratmagiclady]

Haven't you heard that the scientists have changed their tune. They're no longer calling it Global Warming, since some parts of the world are actually cooling. They're just calling it Climate Change, to cover all bases

Well, actually, people who can't understand that 'Global Warming' refers to the *globe,* not the tip of your nose on any given day, kind of made that change of terminology necessary.

The climate models do actually warn that 'global warming' could pass a tipping point and set off a runaway freeze situation by shutting down the major Atlantic ocean currents, triggering an ice age. (Much of Eurasia and North America are, in the stable climate we've previously-enjoyed, actually quite warm for their latitudes: this is because the 'Atlantic Conveyor' brings heat up from the equator. Melting the ice pack on top of it could basically *stop* that current... long enough to ice over enough of the North to reflect a lot more solar heat than even a choked-atmosphere might contain. Wild swings of *any* kind are not our friend.

Just cause you can say, "Humans can't make an avalanche!" doesn't mean you throw grenades on your Alpine vacation.


Frankly, the only people who seem to have a problem facing *facts* are the ones who believe that 'Science is a rival religion claiming the same kind and form of 'authority' as the Bible of our pop theology: Let's treat it like something that claims to be holy writ even when it isn't! Make up a counterexample, then move on to something else when that's discredited!'

Science is different: folks, that's why it's *science.* It's a process, not a product.

Well, actually, people who can't understand that 'Global Warming' refers to the *globe,* not the tip of your nose on any given day, kind of made that change of terminology necessary.

The climate models do actually warn that 'global warming' could pass a tipping point and set off a runaway freeze situation by shutting down the major Atlantic ocean currents, triggering an ice age. (Much of Eurasia and North America are, in the stable climate we've previously-enjoyed, actually quite warm for their latitudes: this is because the 'Atlantic Conveyor' brings heat up from the equator. Melting the ice pack on top of it could basically *stop* that current... long enough to ice over enough of the North to reflect a lot more solar heat than even a choked-atmosphere might contain. Wild swings of *any* kind are not our friend.

Just cause you can say, "Humans can't make an avalanche!" doesn't mean you throw grenades on your Alpine vacation.


Frankly, the only people who seem to have a problem facing *facts* are the ones who believe that 'Science is a rival religion claiming the same kind and form of 'authority' as the Bible of our pop theology: Let's treat it like something that claims to be holy writ even when it isn't! Make up a counterexample, then move on to something else when that's discredited!'

Science is different: folks, that's why it's *science.* It's a process, not a product.

When they show us *provable, consistent facts* I'll believe it.

Right now the variations could come from natural occurrences, eg sunspots, wobble, or our temp sensors now aren't as reliable as the sensors from 1000 years ago, or the sensors in the coldest spots have stopped working and have not been replaced, the formulas could have wrong data, (gee that hasn't happened now has it) or any of a 120 other things.

[lmd91343]

When they show us *provable, consistent facts* I'll believe it.

What is a fact, how do you put it in context, and how is it accepted by others in the scientific community?

[Parallax]

Science is different: folks, that's why it's *science.* It's a process, not a product.

Its often a huge scam as well.

[Gooshin]

society has survived living on volcanoes and in the arctic

i'm sure if the worst comes, alot wont be able to adapt... but a small percentage will carry on the human spirit.

Hell we advanced technology so much we dont even need an atmosphere!

[MRRiley]

Been watching The Day After Tomorrow RML?

The point that is missed most of the time is that the Earth is a self correcting system. Push hard enough in one direction and Big Mama Gaia is gonna push back. And she can push a whole lot harder than we can. Point of contention, can we push hard enough to get her attention? I'm on the fence when it comes to "climate change." There IS evidence that overall temps are up, but there is no concrete proof that the changes are outside of reasonable tolerances and historic trends over the scale of 4.5 billion years. Of course that time scale is meaningless to our flickers of a lifetime. We view things in decades, centuries and millenia simply because those are the limits of our experience and our historical knowledge. This time beriod isn't even the bat of an eye in the lifetime of the earth.

On a related note, there is a certain amount of evidence that the current "warming trend" is a self correction reaction to "the Medieval Warm Period (AD 800-1400 (approx)) & "The Little Ice Age" (ad 1600-1900 (approx)). By these schedules we are smack in-between "The Little Ice Age" and "The Next Big Warmup." While I agree we may be speeding this warm up along to some degree, there is little we can do to forestall it on any long term basis.

Mike

[Parallax]

............. While I agree we may be speeding this warm up along to some degree, there is little we can do to forestall it on any long term basis.

Besides not being able to forestall it, it will, as you stated, correct itself.

The course of action should be pretty clear:
If you think the earth is warming up - buy more shorts and T-shirts
If you think it is cooling - buy more sweaters.

That's about the extent of our control of the situation.