madman195 Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - Seriously I don't dispute the fact that climate change is happening, but i dispute the statement that its human caused and that the only way to prevent it is by reducing CO2 emissions. I also believe that its not the warming that we should be worried about but the cooling cycle of climate change that will really be detrimentally to our survival.

dimatud Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - ok. fair enough. How about this for a fact: Earth "stable period" was in fact the Ice age. Global warming happened before human interfeered and it will happen again. So... cost = shelter and food. there is nothing we can do to stop global warming and the next Ice Age. We're just aminoacids in a universe full of elements. The only thing to avoid catastrophical events is to build Enterprise;)

dimatud Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - And by the way, I really don't see the point of this video. Sorry... really but if we spread the word we spread panic so...

grastog1313 Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - In climate science, many items are debated, but the conclusion we're warming the planet to a potentially dangerous extent has now been documented by an enormous body of evidence available to readers, and so both science and the international community have moved past arguing this point. Debate is still appropriate, but it involves the best means of reducing CO2 emissions in time to avert the worst warming consequences. If we want our voices to be heard, I believe it's a debate we should join.

euphemus2 Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - jwezel: Sun's effect on climate change/warming since 1970 - Potential total contribution: UV irradiance <30% variability of solar total irradiance <30% cosmic ray flux <15% Source: SOLAR TOTAL AND SPECTRAL IRRADIANCE MODELING AND A POSSIBLE IMPACT ON CLIMATE (Ktivova/Solanki: ESA SP, 535, 275-284) Publication: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 108, NO. A5, 1200, doi:10.1029/2002JA009753, 2003 Extract: Google search "2002JA009753" (Grasog1313 feel free to copy this.)

NationalGreenWeek Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - Let's make a change in the way we live, and live more organically, and responsibly.

j72034 Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - Driving a gas powered vehicle causes enormous damage to the environment. I'd love to switch, but the entire infrastructure of our economy depends on heavily on fossil fuels. There is no alternative available to me.

grastog1313 Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - j72034 - National and international efforts are needed to fully transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but individuals can take their own steps to reduce their carbon footprint. These include driving a fuel-efficient car (e.g., a hybrid), walking rather than driving when practical, fluorescent lights, reset thermostats, better insulation, reduced meat consumption, and for some individuals, solar panels. It also means pressuring elected officials to address energy and climate issues.

grastog1313 Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - To the foregoing, I would also add the use of energy-saver devices, and the simple expedient of turning off things when not in use. Implementing renewable energy technologies may involve some costs, but all the steps listed here and below are actually cost savers as well as actions that will save the environment from unabated warming due to CO2 emissions.

defzepled Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - This was startling. Across the world there were reports of unseasonal snow and plummeting temperatures last month, from the American Great Plains to China, and from the Alps to New Zealand. China's official news agency reported that Tibet had suffered its "worst snowstorm ever". In the US, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month, and ranked it as only the 70th-warmest October in 114 years.

defzepled Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - A surreal scientific blunder last week raised a huge question mark about the temperature records that underpin the worldwide alarm over global warming. On Monday, Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), Dr James Hansen, and is one of four bodies responsible for monitoring global temperatures, announced that last month was the hottest October on record.

defzepled Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - Problematic GISTEMP global temperature anomaly plot for October is heavily weighted by temperatures from weather stations in Russia. Like in the USA, weather stations tend to be distributed according to population density with the more populated western portion of Russia having more weather stations than the less populated eastern areas such as Siberia. Greatest magnitude of the GISTEMP anomaly plot for October is in these mostly unpopulated areas where the weather station density is the lowest.

grastog1313 Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - All climate monitoring sites, without exception, including satellite data sites, show resumption of warming following the temporary La Nina cooling of earlier this year. The pattern is typical of the ups and downs frequently seen during the past decades of CO2-driven warming. For an example of satellite data, see global-warming. accuweather. com/ (note the Nov. 6 comments showing temperature rising toward the long term warming trend line of 0.158C/decade.) It's uncontroversial within science.

theherk Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - People say the most telling things about themselves without intent.

theherk Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - Certainty in ability to adjust would require knowledge of what is to be adjusted for. For the sake of argument; if we woke up tomorrow and there was no soil farmers would have a tough time adjusting. I've pointed out an extreme - no need to remind me.

Billbear4 Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - If you look at the paleoclimate marine isotropic stages for the pleistocene period, you'll see that the LONGEST ice ages followed 50,000 year cycles where the CO2 levels were in the 230-250 PPM (Illinois and Wisconsin) while the 1st and 2nd Yarmouth, had higher prolonged CO2 counts with ice ages that followed sporadically. It actually seems, to my untrained eyes, that ice ages followed a sudden and steep LOSS of CO2 in the atmosphere. Spikes of CO2 weren't promptly followed by an ice age too.

Billbear4 Says:

Nov 17, 2008 - There is also a misnomer about coal being bad. It depends on what coal is used. There are three types. Lignite, bituminous and anthracite. America uses anthracite coal for heating. That grade of coal doesn't give off tarry or hydrocarbons when it is heated below it's point of ignition and gives off a smokeless flame. The biggest contributor of burning lower quality/higher hydrocarbons is Germany. The largest countries burning/using bituminous coal is Russia and Australia and Japan.

defzepled Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - Reality has proven that there is no correlation between CO2 and warming as we have experienced cooling cycles while CO2 has increased. Studies have shown that man's impact on atmospheric CO2 is negligible. People like James Hansen cannot be trusted as they massage the data to fit their desired outcomes.

grastog1313 Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - The strong predominance of anthropogenic forcing (mainly CO2) in global warming is documented by hundreds of independent reports, but a recent paper in GRL further reinforces this conclusion with data indicating a >90% anthropogenic component, and with no recent solar contribution. The paper is also significant in that its conclusions are derived without recourse to climate models. Those interested can read it online - Google "Lean Rind 2008" and download the pdf file.

schwan361 Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - The ultimate irony will be that when global warming is finally exposed for the scam science that it is, these people will try and take credit for saving the planet.

grastog1313 Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - In a recent talk, U.S. President-elect Obama was very explicit in planning a carbon cap-and-trade system to reduce CO2 emissions, with an 80% reduction goal by 2050 (John McCain also supported cap-and-trade). To me, this is a clear sign of how far the world, following the universal lead of science, has moved past arguing whether CO2 reduction is necessary, and is discussing how to accomplish it. Those of us who want our voices heard rather than ignored would be wise to engage in that discussion.

defzepled Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - Yes, carbon cap-and-trade is just one of the many reasons why neither Obama nor McCain got my vote.

mineralpinksalt Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - hey, guess what.... the earth isnt warming. it's cooling.

grastog1313 Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - defzepled - Cap-and-trade worked quite well for acid rain reduction, but the initial European carbon initiative was less successful, because the caps were too lenient and free of charge. It's a system that's both necessary and inevitable, but its success will depend on how it's implemented. This is one of the reasons, I believe, why we should move past sterile arguments on whether we need to reduce CO2, and start talking realistically about choices among the CO2 reduction options.

timstevealbright Says:

Nov 18, 2008 - gay. you want us to choose the column that has absolutely no happiness option. you're like the people who give up on true love when they turn 16. and you're gay. did i mention that? gay and stupid.