Is there something about "climate change" I'm missing?

[Cockney Weasel]

Hate to say it folks, but the general consensus of the global scientific community (interestingly with the exception of America, I wonder why...) by a majority of those involved in the study of the trends that we are calling climate change is that humankind are having an effect on the planet and that although sea levels and global temperatures do vary there is a good deal of evidence that we are contributing to this process and that this is not a natural variation.

Yes the whole business has been overhyped. Yes Al Gore is a hypocrite and a douche. Yes the world is not going to plunge into apocalyptic torment in a couple of decades. But we as a species are having an effect on this planet that will lead to some pretty drastic changes and fuck up a lot of the stability that we depend on. This really isn't the time for people to sit with their hands over their ears going 'LALALALALALALA! IT'S NOT HAPPENING! LALALALALALA!'.

 

[Izakflashman]

and just because the media have once again blown it out of proportion does not mean it is false.

(In regards to my first post which I'm assuming your alluding to) they weren't blowing it out of proportion. they made a blatant lie, that the more switched on people called them out on, and the other 90% of the people who watched the show now have a shiver of fear crawling down their back, getting ready to phone their friend in australia to make sure they aren't underwater yet. Lol.

BTW it was renamed climate change instead of global warming because the effect is unpredictable and may also cool the Earth into an ice age thanks to the global oceanic conveyor. Or you could watch the day after tomorrow for a more overhyped vision of it.

Point is scientists are always learning new crap and replacing old crap so stop clinging to out of date details it just makes you stupid.

True enough.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Whereither we're excellerating climate change or not (and we probably do), fact is it happens and it has happend before. A LOT of times. Can we stop it? Probably not. Should we? Don't know. What should we do? Simple: cope with the consequences. If we don't, a lot of people will suffer and die, especially in the poorer regions. Westren nations can cope (but will feel the effects), but especially countries in Asia and Africa will suffer from increasing droughts (if the glaciers from wich they get their irrigation water are gone, they're fucked) and volatile weather. Rising sea levels might not affect developed countries like Holland that much, but countries like Bangladesh WILL be screwed over. But there is barely any energy spend on actually dealing with the consequences of climate change, wich is a very very stupid thing to do. Just wait untill millions of climate refugees are knocking on our doorsteps.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Yup, same with temperature change.

What Al gore fails to acknowledge that a tropical period emerges before an ice age hits. This means we're due for another one in the next 1000 years or so.

My dad (Almost sixty now, jeeze, times getting on) remembers News reports about people panicing that they were about to go into the next ice age. They were talking about theories of flying over the poles with planes and sprinkling coals on them to stop them from growing and taking over the world. XD lol. we laugh at them, But to be honest, I'm gonna be laughing at us in twenty years time.

How so?

 

[RICK BO]

CURRENT NEWS: Reporting in from Saskatchewan.

This year has certainly been the most different from other years in terms of climate and temperatures. Two days ago, it was snowing. And snowing enough to be there the next day when I drove off to work.

Now ten, fifteen years ago, we would have snow by at the latest mid September through late March. These last couple years however have seen Halloween night without snow and the snow holding through till mid April.

This last year (December '08) I was wondering if we were going to have a white Christmas or not and when the snow finally came it stayed here until late April. then snowed on and off between then and now. Here; we're used to temperatures ranging from -45ºC(-49ºF) middle of January with piercing winds to +35ºC(95ºF) middle of July with glaring sun. The last few months of winter this year(March/April) felt like February temperature-wise. Which leaves my flatlands here with a shift in season times of the year. Winter has moved back and our summer is looking to be a much hotter and shorter summer.

Secondly:

[...]Consider the consequences if the IPCC is right and the climate change skeptics are wrong. It's not just going to be a 'loss in biodiversity.' No the world won't end, but it won't be so pleasant for many people facing famine and radical changes in weather patterns.

Theory by my Physics teacher in Highschool: Ever hear of the Great conveyor belt [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermohaline_circulation] of Deep sea currents? This 'belt' has an 'engine' in the north Atlantic Ocean, a point in which the water density become very great through increase of salt content and drops to a deeper level. This basically keeps the 'belt' moving across the globe and spreads the heat from the equator to the northern and southern regions. However, Melting Ice-caps provide Fresh water, thus reducing the salt content and if this 'engine' were to stop we don't really have a way to start it again. and if this deep sea current stops dispersing the heat from the equator to colder regions: the tropics get real frikken hot and we get real frikken cold.

 

[Izakflashman]

Yup, same with temperature change.

What Al gore fails to acknowledge that a tropical period emerges before an ice age hits. This means we're due for another one in the next 1000 years or so.

My dad (Almost sixty now, jeeze, times getting on) remembers News reports about people panicing that they were about to go into the next ice age. They were talking about theories of flying over the poles with planes and sprinkling coals on them to stop them from growing and taking over the world. XD lol. we laugh at them, But to be honest, I'm gonna be laughing at us in twenty years time.

How so?

Because time and again we're all proven wrong, Hind sight is a beautiful thing.

And chances are the clothes I'm wearing right now will look silly in twenty years time.

 

[hypothetical fact]

and just because the media have once again blown it out of proportion does not mean it is false.

(In regards to my first post which I'm assuming your alluding to) they weren't blowing it out of proportion. they made a blatant lie, that the more switched on people called them out on, and the other 90% of the people who watched the show now have a shiver of fear crawling down their back, getting ready to phone their friend in australia to make sure they aren't underwater yet. Lol.

When I say blow it out of proportion I refer to the rediculous "today tonight" segment on global warming. Judging by your post you don't live in Aus so you haven't seen the show but it literally amounted to "methane fireballs" raining from the sky. It came wih a nice CG city being blown up by fireballs, and this was not meant to be satire!

The chasers war on everything did a joke on it if you ever find the episodes to that old show.

 

[Sion_Barzahd]

Climate change is definately happening, but scientist have found that we contribute to around 5% of the total carbon emissions in the atmosphere, its not really that much. Enough to make a difference, but still not enough.

Strange though there is always something. What was it before global warming? Global 'dimming' if i remember.
"We must help quickly before the sun is concealed behind a mask of smog and the apocolypse comes!"

With incidents such as the islands being flooded, people aren't looking into outside variables, but are leaping to the assumption of global warming.

 

[Biek]

Yup, same with temperature change.

What Al gore fails to acknowledge that a tropical period emerges before an ice age hits. This means we're due for another one in the next 1000 years or so.

this.

Climate change is definately happening, but scientist have found that we contribute to around 5% of the total carbon emissions in the atmosphere, its not really that much. Enough to make a difference, but still not enough.

and this.

Id also like to add that everyone is saying the ice caps are melting, but fail to mention its thickening in other regions.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Yup, same with temperature change.

What Al gore fails to acknowledge that a tropical period emerges before an ice age hits. This means we're due for another one in the next 1000 years or so.

My dad (Almost sixty now, jeeze, times getting on) remembers News reports about people panicing that they were about to go into the next ice age. They were talking about theories of flying over the poles with planes and sprinkling coals on them to stop them from growing and taking over the world. XD lol. we laugh at them, But to be honest, I'm gonna be laughing at us in twenty years time.

How so?

Because time and again we're all proven wrong, Hind sight is a beautiful thing.

And chances are the clothes I'm wearing right now will look silly in twenty years time.

Very true. All of our recent 'doomsdays' spring to mind. Eurgh.

 

[Cubilone]

Let me refer you to a list of things that will happen with each degree of increase in mean global temperature:

http://www.marklynas.org/2007/4/23/six-steps-to-hell-summary-of-six-degrees-as-published-in-the-guardian

Don't let the sensationalist title affect you and read on. All of a sudden a "mere" increase of 2 degrees doesn't seem so innocent, does it?

As for people that say that global warming has happened before, it is true. Global warming is a natural procedure. But people are affecting it heavily: never before has the earth sustained this much emmission of greenhouse gases, and the natural absorption of them has long reached its peak. Is it really so hard for people to understand that relying on fossil fuels (that are finite) is backwards and insustainable?

Research things yourselves guys. Don't let neither eco-loonies nor ultra-sceptics or the media affect your judgement and you will see how things are and might become.

 

[Izakflashman]

Yup, same with temperature change.

What Al gore fails to acknowledge that a tropical period emerges before an ice age hits. This means we're due for another one in the next 1000 years or so.

this.

Climate change is definately happening, but scientist have found that we contribute to around 5% of the total carbon emissions in the atmosphere, its not really that much. Enough to make a difference, but still not enough.

and this.

Id also like to add that everyone is saying the ice caps are melting, but fail to mention its thickening in other regions.

Very true.
I can't find the exact quote that goes with what you say but
"..But if the arctic was slightly smaller overall in 2008 compared to 1979, the Antarctic was larger. The university of illionois arctic climate research centre posted the results of its own analysis in jan 09, reporting that globally, sea ice coverage in 08 had returned to nearly the same levels satellites first recorded back in 1979."

 

[Deef]

Actually water does make a very slight hill in the direction of the moon, that's what makes tides, but the moon moves, so this isn't a good explanation.

 

[Lonan]

Ok, so amongst the number of crisis's around at the moment (which keep springing up as often as a new summer blockbuster) is this thing we like to call global wa- climate change, woops. I forgot we were changing the name now and hastily forgetting the last. aaanyway, I just have a quick question, I hope its not a dumb one.
Al Gore mentioned on his little movie that some of the pacific islands were getting flooded because of global warming, and that refugees were coming over here to NZ. The other day on TV they showed this island called Takuu with waves sweeping up into the houses, people running for their lives. The host of the shows gravely says that this is the ugly work of global warming.
Now the question is, are there little ocean hills? Does the ocean stack itself up in certain spots? Cause I was under the impression that when the ice caps would melt, and oceans would rise, it would rise everywhere, not just on random little islands. Last time I checked our high tide line at the beach hasn't changed. Its rather perplexing.

P.s. I looked up about the islands that Al mentioned to see if what he says about refugees coming to my country was true. Well turns out he was right sort of, although last time I checked erosion from years and years of waves hitting an island didn't count towards climate change.
And TVNZ got slammed for its news report about Takuu for being hugely inaccurate. Turns out the island has been well documented for years by geologists as sitting on a fault line and is actually sinking.

Al Gore is not the best for information on climate change caused by global warming. Tim Flannery, Australia's top climate change scientist, probably is. As for the ocean being higher in some areas rather that others, it's called an ocean swell, I believe, Denmark has had to contend with them for a long time now. The North Sea would surge or swell, (I can't remember what it's called) and would breach the barricades or whatever they're called and flood vast tracts of land. As for ocean level not changing where you are, you'd better hope it stays that way, because if it doesn't we should probably just kill ourselves right now to stop ruining the lives of people in the developing world even more. My dad, who is a VERY level headed person, said that he almost thought people should stop having children now, out of mercy. If the reason you doubt this is because things haven't happened yet, you don't understand things at all. The affects that will trigger your primal fear response will happen when it's far to late.
Please read my post on this thread: (It's actually #152)
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.113714?page=5#2063671

 

[Anoos]

Climate change is definately happening, but scientist have found that we contribute to around 5% of the total carbon emissions in the atmosphere, its not really that much. Enough to make a difference, but still not enough.

People always go on about how all these other things like natural forest fires and stuff cause more CO2 than us however there is something called the carbon dioxide cycle (high school chemistry anyone?) that talks about Co2 production and removal. Turns out pretty much all teh natural processes cancel themselves out and then we go pump more in that does not have a way to get removed. This leads to a rather significant increase in Co2 over a period of time blah blah insulation heating weather changes abound. So its not the amount so much as the lack of anything to remove the extra stuff thats causing ze climate change

 

[manaman]

the ocean dose 'stack' its self up higher in some places an lower in others, due to the air pressure being diffrent. so it could be 2feet below sea level in one place, and 4 feet above sea level in another.

but its always changing, so one day it might be 4 feet, another it might be 2 another it might be 6 feet.

The sea level on either side of the panama canal is different. Tidal variation, and other forces can combine to make as much as a 20ft difference in ocean levels at times. Averages 8 inches of hight difference.