Global Warming in trouble?, MO calling in the administrators? Options

[Exhausted]

But there is one essential point you have all missed.

The warming of the earth amid the emission of greenhouse gases is only a part of the wider, encompassing problem:
CLIMATE CHANGE

If you think we are all safe because there is a momentary slowing of temperatures, don't fool yourself. Climate change still means extremes of weather, floods, swathes of land made infertile, storms, tidal waves etc.

The problem of climate change has not abated and won't unless we all make the required paradigm shift in our lives and on a macro level.

Can you give me a timescale for this

[dannyboy]

Can you give me a timescale for this

started about 10000 years ago. Been going on ever since.

[Penelope]

Can you give me a timescale for this

No, 'cos it's myffic.

[Penelope]

started about 10000 years ago. Been going on ever since.

It's called climate change.

[dannyboy]

It's called climate change.

nah, that has been going on for aeons.

[Simon Kirby]

It's called climate change.

Sure, the climate changes, 15,000 years ago Blighty was in an ice age and that's a pattern that's been repeated for millions of years and is caused by the combination of several different natural variations in the earth's axis of rotation. But the real and measurable change in the global climate over the last century which is measurably increasing is different because it's very rapid, and it's thought to be caused by us - specifically by the carbon dioxide we've been pumping into the atmosphere since the start of the industrial revolution from the coal and more lately the oil and natural gas we've burnt to fuel it.

The climate is changing, and that's easy to measure, the debate is about whether it's us that's really caused it, and whether any change is likely to continue for the next couple of generations. Scientific opinion is that we're guilty, and it is.

[Penelope]

Sure, the climate changes, 15,000 years ago Blighty was in an ice age and that's a pattern that's been repeated for millions of years and is caused by the combination of several different natural variations in the earth's axis of rotation. But the real and measurable change in the global climate over the last century which is measurably increasing is different because it's very rapid, and it's thought to be caused by us - specifically by the carbon dioxide we've been pumping into the atmosphere since the start of the industrial revolution from the coal and more lately the oil and natural gas we've burnt to fuel it.

The climate is changing, and that's easy to measure, the debate is about whether it's us that's really caused it, and whether any change is likely to continue for the next couple of generations. Scientific opinion is that we're guilty, and it is.

Strange, now that it's generally accepted that "global warming" has been proved to have ceased, all the clever money's on "climate change" still I suppose it's better than believing in the big sky pixie.

[Andy Capp]

Strange, now that it's generally accepted that "global warming" has been proved to have ceased, all the clever money's on "climate change" still I suppose it's better than believing in the big sky pixie.

Currently, more global warmed, than warming. Climate change is a fact of life. The argument is whether it is man-made or not. The trouble is, the science isn't hard enough to know for sure.

[dannyboy]

Strange, now that it's generally accepted that "global warming" has been proved to have ceased, all the clever money's on "climate change" still I suppose it's better than believing in the big sky pixie.

where are you getting this from?

[Simon Kirby]

Strange, now that it's generally accepted that "global warming" has been proved to have ceased, all the clever money's on "climate change" still I suppose it's better than believing in the big sky pixie.

But it's not generally accepted that "global warming" has ceased.

The Torygraph reports an update to a Metoffice global temperature model, and the model is predicting a 0.1 degree lower average temperate in the next four years than the previous model predicted, and although 0.1 degrees in a predicted change of around 0.5 degrees is a large fractional error, 0.1 degrees in the next four years is an insignificant difference in an insignificant timeframe.

The threat of global warming doesn't really bite even in the next twenty years, the problem comes in the next fifty years where UK temperatures may have climed by a couple of degrees. That might not seem like a big change it may well have a disasterous effect on our climate and environment as native plants and commercial crops are attacked by pests and diseases which can newly thrive in the climate and fo rwhich they have not natural immunity.

There's no serious debate about the evidence of global warming. There are some parts of the world that have undenyably seen a cooling, but the evidence from the arctic ice is that the world is warming. There's also undenyable evidence that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have risen since the industrial revolution, and that high atmospheric carbon dioxide is historically correlated with high global temperatures. The serious debate is about whether the temperature rises because of the carbon dioxide, or whether the carbon dioxide increases because of the temperature.

The green-house effect is an explanation put forward to support the theory that an increase in the carbondioxide concentration causes an increase in temperature, and that has strong scientific support, but atmospheric physics is not simple and that may not be the whole story and it's possible that global warming, which is real, is not caused by us, or has a more complicated cause than just carbon dioxide. Methane is a much worse greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide for example, and it might be a worse culprit, and if the Chinese and Indians starting farming cattle then the methane produced might be what does for us - silent but deadly! There are other atmospheric polutants like sulphur dioxide that work in a diffent way to affect the amount of sunshine that gets to the surface. These are the kinds of thing I think the Metoffice are modelling - the contribution to global warming from atmospheric polutants. And yes, the model might be wrong, it would be arrogant to claim otherwise.

[Penelope]

Oh well, so long as it's nice and warm for the holidays. And we'll save on the heating, nice.

[Simon Kirby]

Oh well, so long as it's nice and warm for the holidays. And we'll save on the heating, nice.

[Blake]

If anyone is in doubt, I suggest reading data from the IPCC.

In addition, read Heat; How to Stop the World From Burning by George Monbiot.

[Hugh Saskin]

If anyone is in doubt, I suggest reading data from the IPCC.

In addition, read Heat; How to Stop the World From Burning by George Monbiot.

"lefty, multicultural crap!"

[Blake]

The Olympic opening ceremony? You are off-topic.

[dannyboy]

The Olympic opening ceremony? You are off-topic.

Yeah, it should have been right wing, xenophobic propaganda.

[JeffG]

Scare stories for children and the gullible.

Nonsense. It is an established scientific fact that the north polar ice cap is receding, in other words it has been observed and measured over time. Even you cannot deny that. The less ice there is, the more heat is absorbed instead of being reflected, thus contributing to a vicious circle. The more the ocean warms up the greater the threat of extreme weather events and the very survival of the food chain.

Whether or not anyone believes this is caused by man it is certainly a contributing factor (science, again) and we need to reduce that contribution to lessen the risk to our future as far as we are able.

[JeffG]

Meanwhile, significant snow forecast for Friday. Up to 10cm.

[Penelope]

Meanwhile, significant snow forecast for Friday. Up to 10cm.

Yeah, this 'warming' is a real bugger.

[motormad]

Yeah, this 'warming' is a real bugger.

Perhaps the poles are reversing and Norway will be the new Majorca.