Is global warming a serious problem?

RadishRose said:
Or have I been brainwashed?

I believe warming cannot be denied since there is melting at the poles, but for how long? Couldn't that be a natural, temporary thing?

It seems the earth normally goes through it's own cycles, but are we forcing weather issues?

I believe so, but I don't want to.

Any thoughts?
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This should answer the question.
https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/climate/impacts-of-global-warming

The image of the baked land could well have been taken this summer in regional Australia where we experienced the hottest and longest dry spell since records began.. that I expect was as far back as the middle of the 19thCentury. Some 80% of my country is still in dire need of rain.
 
Depends on how often I tune into the Fox network. They seem to pretty solidly promote the message of the 3% of scientists. If it drops to 2% maybe I'll start to worry.:D
 

Trade said:
I'll go with the side that has the 97% of the world's scientists that say it's real. You can have the side that has the other 3% that have been paid off by the fossil fuel industry to manufacture bogus studies that say it's a hoax.
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These would be the scientist that hope to keep all that grant money coming in......
 
The gradual warming of this planet will results in dryer soils so less crops and less water. Shorelines are changing right now. As the oceans warm as well aquatic life will be greatly reduced and so much of the planet relies on the oceans for food. Pollution will increase as warmer temps will help trap the air and that will contribute to the extinction of many species. I'm glad I am not young now because if the suspicions and theories bare out then as predicted twelve years from now we probably won't be able to even try to turn back the elements causing it.
 
This subject would be a good case study for what makes people agree with a scientific study or not. If the findings of the experts happen to agree with our own point of view (or that of our favorite politicians), well then, obviously, they have proved it. If their findings don't agree, we can't trust the media, some of the "experts" are lying or incompetent, there's not enough data to be sure, etc.

This is not about science, it's about politics. And I think the greatest line ever in any movie was, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."
 
fmdog44 said:
I'm glad I am not young now because if the suspicions and theories bare out then as predicted twelve years from now we probably won't be able to even try to turn back the elements causing it.
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Many of the climate scientists say it may already be too late to take any meaningful action to help slow down global warming. Most of the emphasis is on the use of fossil fuels, but there is an even greater danger that is seldom discussed....Methane. The millions of farm animals release huge amounts of Methane with their flatulence, and there are billions of tons of Methane locked in the frozen soils of Canada, Alaska and Russia. As the climate warms, this frozen Methane will be released, and make fossil fuel use seem almost paltry, by comparison. The depths of the oceans contain even more of this frozen gas, and if they warm significantly, the composition of the atmosphere will change significantly. Those living a hundred or more years from now will have challenges we can imagine. Nearly every population center along the Gulf and Eastern shores....from Houston to Boston...will begin to resemble the stories about Atlantis.
 
I live in Northwestern Ontario. Where I am sitting now there was a glacier 10,000 years ago which would be right over my head.

The glacier melted and the Great Lakes were formed, so yes the Earth warmed and is continuing to warm but it's gradual and it's not the calamity they are trying to make out of it with all kinds of scare tactics and hype.

I have tracked the weather where I live and in the last 100 years the average temperature has not changed significantly and in fact it's 1/2 degree colder.

The warnings about the polar bears losing ice and starving to death is a crock.

The university in my city is researching the polar bears and they are thriving.

Now our government is putting a carbon tax on. The minute the government starts taxing you, you know it's a scam.

I'm old. Right now compared to the 'good old days' the pollution control is tremendous. At one time there were no sewage treatment plants or recycling or anything like it.

So in my opinion, warming is occurring and gradually and no different than what it was before.

As far as humans contributing. Compared to nature, the impact of humans is minimal. There's no way humans can change the temperature any significant degree.

Volcanoes cannot be capped. Neither can Wildfires be stopped. I'm very skeptical of science.

At one time smoking was promoted in ads by doctors. Got any global warming. Send it my way. Worst winter in years. Records have been set.
 
Camper6 said:
I live in Northwestern Ontario. Where I am sitting now there was a glacier 10,000 years ago which would be right over my head.

The glacier melted and the Great Lakes were formed, so yes the Earth warmed and is continuing to warm but it's gradual and it's not the calamity they are trying to make out of it with all kinds of scare tactics and hype.

I have tracked the weather where I live and in the last 100 years the average temperature has not changed significantly and in fact it's 1/2 degree colder.

The warnings about the polar bears losing ice and starving to death is a crock.

The university in my city is researching the polar bears and they are thriving.

Now our government is putting a carbon tax on. The minute the government starts taxing you, you know it's a scam.

I'm old. Right now compared to the 'good old days' the pollution control is tremendous. At one time there were no sewage treatment plants or recycling or anything like it.

So in my opinion, warming is occurring and gradually and no different than what it was before.

As far as humans contributing. Compared to nature, the impact of humans is minimal. There's no way humans can change the temperature any significant degree.

Volcanoes cannot be capped. Neither can Wildfires be stopped. I'm very skeptical of science.

At one time smoking was promoted in ads by doctors. Got any global warming. Send it my way. Worst winter in years. Records have been set.
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Seriously???? :eek:mg:
 
fmdog44 said:
The gradual warming of this planet will results in dryer soils so less crops and less water. Shorelines are changing right now. As the oceans warm as well aquatic life will be greatly reduced and so much of the planet relies on the oceans for food. Pollution will increase as warmer temps will help trap the air and that will contribute to the extinction of many species. I'm glad I am not young now because if the suspicions and theories bare out then as predicted twelve years from now we probably won't be able to even try to turn back the elements causing it.
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Plan on living another 12 years, you will be pleasantly surprised. No one can predict the future. Theories are just that. A theory. The facts are that humans are extremely adaptable and so are animals. The elements causing it have existed for millions of years.
 
With the amount of smoke, smog, garbage, plastics and poisons being chugged into our air and oceans, how can that NOT have a serious effect on the planet?

Where do people think all this stuff goes?
 
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My brother was a career NASA scientist beginning with Apollo 11. Although he is now retired, he continues to participate in a climate study group that began as all-NASA scientists. Part of his work at NASA involved atmospheres of the terrestrial planets, including Earth and Mars.

A few years ago when I asked, he emailed me his overview - see below:



" The truth lies between those who say there is no global warming caused by humans and those who say the Earth and mankind face rapid and certain catastrophe. My view is that we cannot ignore future warming, but response should be measured, phased, and carefully thought out.

Some points:

1) CO2 produced by fossil fuel burning does cause warming, as does land use practices, cement making, and other ways humans alter the surface.

2) The oceans have been absorbing half of CO2 emitted. Via limestone deposition, they are the ultimate end of dissolved CO2. They also absorb heat. These effects are poorly quantified.

3) By itself, CO2 produces modest warming, about one deg centigrade (1.8 Fahrenheit) for a doubling of atmospheric CO2.

4) The greater effects are produced by feedbacks of the warming. There are many; some warm, some cool. For example, warming evaporates more water into the atmosphere, and that water is a greater greenhouse gas than CO2. But more atmos. water produces more clouds, which reflect sunlight back to space and cool Earth.

5) Many of these feedbacks are poorly understood and some probably not known.

6) Long-term variations in the Sun are generally ignored, as are other natural factors (e.g. changes in ocean currents or cloud cover).

7) The "doom predictors" use computer models of future warming. These model predictions are all over the map, but in past have predicted more warming than occurred. Models range from about 2 to about 8 deg-C total warming for each CO2 doubling. The truth is likely between 2 and 3. But politicians and Greens adopt numbers of 5 to 8, which are unlikely.

8) Renewable energy (solar and wind) are intermittent, and often not predictable (Sun behind cloud; wind stops blowing). Storing renewable energy is very difficult and that is not likely to change soon. (Today's options are pumped hydro or huge battery groups.) That means fossil fuel plants have to be kept operating in reserve. So more power plants are needed than before.

9) Coal plants cannot be started up quickly, as needed for backups. That leaves natural gas. From fracking the US has a growing NG supply, but not the rest of the world. It requires enormous funding to retire all coal plants, build new NG plants, and new renewable facilities.

10) Further new transmission lines and grid lines to distribute are needed. And when the fraction of renewable into a grid exceeds about 20%, new problems and costs arise. We are talking $$trillions here. It must be a slow phased process.

11) Nuclear energy, which is NOT intermittent and produces no CO2 is being ignored or phased out around the world.

I could go on and on. But you get the picture. Replacing fossil fuel energy is a very difficult, expensive, and disrupting process. It will probably require many decades. And electrical power is only part of fossil fuel CO2 production. There is transportation (oil) and business and home heating (coal, oil and gas). Together these are even bigger than electrical power. "


 


What about the citizens of this town will they be adaptable in the future when they have to migrate and settle into relocation? This is happening now in 2019
Guess what ? I am getting a little scared!
 
Yikes!

Hopefully, the species lasts long enough to address these things. Imagine! All that needed to produce power, never mind transportation.

I like #4- no wonder it's been so cool in my area. I'm not complaining!

Thanks, Kings.
 
Camper6 said:
There are plenty of abandoned towns and cities all over America from natural disasters. People just move and start over. They adapt.
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True...but when the oceans rise enough to inundate everything from Houston, TX, to Boston, Mass, and the U.S. loses 17% of its land mass, and displaces 150+ million people, things are going to quickly descend in chaos and anarchy. None of us will see this, but those living 1 or 2 hundred years into the future are going to face some almost unsurmountable problems. Canada may be the recipient of millions of these people, as the climate becomes mild enough to support more farming, etc. However, it is doubtful that the bulk of them will be able to find work, so expect the Canadian economy to consist of high taxes and generous welfare.
 
Don M. said:
True...but when the oceans rise enough to inundate everything from Houston, TX, to Boston, Mass, and the U.S. loses 17% of its land mass, and displaces 150+ million people, things are going to quickly descend in chaos and anarchy. None of us will see this, but those living 1 or 2 hundred years into the future are going to face some almost unsurmountable problems. Canada may be the recipient of millions of these people, as the climate becomes mild enough to support more farming, etc. However, it is doubtful that the bulk of them will be able to find work, so expect the Canadian economy to consist of high taxes and generous welfare.
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Interesting. What is going to happen to cause the oceans to rise so dramatically. Where is the extra water to come from? So far the rise is well within the norm.
 
I misunderstood. Is it "Global Warming" or "Global Whining?"

Well, I don't know if it's a big deal or not, so I couldn't say. But, (much like earthquakes), I'd rather worry about things that are under our control & can be improved by us. What can WE do about global warming?
 
RadishRose said:
With the amount of smoke, smog, garbage, plastics and poisons being chugged into our air and oceans, how can that NOT have a serious effect on the planet?

Where do people think all this stuff goes?
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The tonnage of plastic garbage in our ocenas is now equal to the tonnage of fish and all other creatures. I cringe every time I see people buying bottled water.
 
Camper6 said:
Yes seriously. That glacier melted all by itself. There weren't any humans causing it. Your claim of 97% needs supporting evidence.
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A reasonable request. NASA's website seems a good place to start.

"Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals[SUP]1[/SUP] show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree*: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities. In addition, most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position. The following is a partial list of these organizations, along with links to their published statements and a selection of related resources."

https://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/
 

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