Just how dangerous is global warming?

[Sui]

Ive allways thought of global warming as something that is very distant- something that, despite hundreds of warnings and media coverage- is allways next generations porblem, and i think this is how most people think.

But the main story of the BBC news tonight got me thinking... Just how close are the icecaps to melting? how much more CO2 can our O-zone take? Just how soon is this going to affect us?

In a recent anime i have been watching - evangelion, it is set in the year 2,015 (it was made in 1996 or soemthing). In the year 2000, a giant metiorite struck (its actually an "angel" self destructing, but i wont get into the plot ). Now while this hasnt got anyhting to do with global warming, the aftermath does. Basically, the world is placed in peril, and the next year (2001) is hell. Half the human population died, and the icecaps completely melted- leaving the earth scarred forever. Life for everyone was altered drastically and the survivors were left to ponder their mistakes.

Now im not saying that global warming will be as epic as this- not at all! but what i want you to do is think about the reality of this subject. I, for one, have previously dismissed global warming as something that "probally will happen". But what i dont do is think of the concequesces. we all know that the water level would rise drastically, but have you actually thought what that would be like? what kind of peril we would be plunged in? imagine of your costal city was slowly being engulfed by water, and your house was next? or if a distant relative came to stay one day and said "awfully sorry, but my house is now underwater and i have no-where to stay".

Now obviously it wouldnt happen as quickly as that- iw would probally be a very gradual process when the water rises, but we WOULD enounter hurricanes, tornadoes, heat inclines and floods during that time.

and this is the bit i want you to think about- it could be in 20 years. 15 years. 10 years. The world could be completely different when i am 25- maybe even when i am 20. Global warming isnt something that we can let the next generation worry about- its approaching!

note: has anyone seen "the day after tommorrow"? it looks good, i might rent it

 

[Fat Tony!]

warning : the day after tommmorow is highly inaccurate .

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Not....Very.



(I believe that just about sums up my answer quite well.)
Edit: Global warming..or at least, what people think is global warming is such a slow process that humans will simply adapt like we always have. Anything that happens sooner will be out of our control, and will simply have nothing to do with our little toys. All the stuff we pump out is bad...but whether it is really making the world melt is another matter.

 

[Prince of China]

Let's colonize Mars!

 

[PvtRyan]

I'm 5 m below sealevel, I'm fuxx0red.

 

[qckbeam]

Global Warming murdered my family

 

[AntiAnto]

Polar bear begin to die in Arctic, because they can't find any fish: the ice has melted and this has disturbed their way to live. After polar bear, others animals are going to be disturb in their environment.... we really have to do something. I'm gonna buy a Toyota Prius: http://www.toyota.com/prius/

 

[Fat Tony!]

Global waming is dangerous but is very much long term it like standing in a pot of water which is slowly being heated, eventually it will boil but your too stupid to notice the slight difference, then you boil to death . Nah the dangers of global warming could be : more hurricans/tornadoes, flash floods, many areas will actually disappear under the sea, there will be drought and there will be many different species disappearing and many species that were not in a place before.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Polar bear begin to die in Arctic, because they can't find any fish: the ice has melted and this has disturbed their way to live. After polar bear, others animals are going to be disturb in their environment.... we really have to do something. I'm gonna buy a Toyota Prius: http://www.toyota.com/prius/

I'd buy that...If I liked the way it looked ;(

 

[Gunner]

Global Warming murdered my family

Blame the gaming industry :hmph:

 

[KidRock]

Who cares about global warming? we will all be dead by the time it happens.

 

[clarky003]

cross your fingers, and hope the atlantic coveyer doesnt dilute anymore than it has :/.

its lost about 20% of it weight in salt over the last 2 decades, if it gets too much freshwater it'll stop one day,, then we really are all Fuxxored,

Britain and russia go into an ice age, America becomes a stifling desert, and global climate would shift, energy production to cope with it all then would be much harder to maintain... etc etc

 

[gh0st]

Britain and russia go into an ice age, America becomes a stifling desert, and global climate would shift, energy production to cope with it all then would be much harder to maintain... etc etc

i dont mind deserts so much.

 

[Sui]

dont worry he tells himslef... some long posts will arrive soon hopefully sorry if i seem like im overreacting, but it doesnt seem like you care much

one thing i will say is that Global warming is like staning in a pot of water that is slowly boiling, only when it gets to half way boiled all teh hurricanes and tornadoes and floods start to becomemore frequent. and thats NOT just something i picked up off the day after tommorrow (which i havent actually seen ) but it is the truth- i mean, think about it- increase in temperature and weather fluxuations is gonna cause some troubles with the heavens... and granted it wont turn new york into the north pole but it will definately cause some upset.

 

[Letters]

An ice age is coming! An ice age is coming! All new buildings from this point on shall now be built underground!

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

dont worry he tells himslef... some long posts will arrive soon hopefully sorry if i seem like im overreacting, but it doesnt seem like you care much

one thing i will say is that Global warming is like staning in a pot of water that is slowly boiling, only when it gets to half way boiled all teh hurricanes and tornadoes and floods start to becomemore frequent. and thats NOT just something i picked up off the day after tommorrow (which i havent actually seen ) but it is the truth- i mean, think about it- increase in temperature and weather fluxuations is gonna cause some troubles with the heavens... and granted it wont turn new york into the north pole but it will definately cause some upset.

Its not like "standing in a boiling pot of water" because people do notice, and they adapt.

I know you didn't say this exactly, but take for instance the recent "increase" in hurricanes. A lot of people suggest this is due to globabl warming when in actual fact its just the normal cycle of earth, and we have also had hurricans the past few years but they have mostly hit the carribbean and not made land fall on the US...hence why we haven't heard much about them

The earth goes through these cycles all the time...

 

[Ames]

Now obviously it wouldnt happen as quickly as that- iw would probally be a very gradual process when the water rises, but we WOULD enounter hurricanes, tornadoes, heat inclines and floods during that time.

We do encounter those things now...

 

[Sui]

Its not like "standing in a boiling pot of water" because people do notice, and they adapt.

I know you didn't say this exactly, but take for instance the recent "increase" in hurricanes. A lot of people suggest this is due to globabl warming when in actual fact its just the normal cycle of earth, and we have also had hurricans the past few years but they have mostly hit the carribbean and not made land fall on the US...hence why we haven't heard much about them

The earth goes through these cycles all the time...

Yes, but global warming would increase these significantly, would it not?

and anyway, you people seem to be missing the point of my post. im not talking about the drastic changes that will occur- im talking about how the changes will affect us, and how real they are. Its all very well saying "people will adapt", but yet we have no idea what will actually happen. i am not frightened of global warming- i am intrigued by it. im wondering what this world will be like in 10 years- whether the world will be completely different or not. i want to know whether in 20 years the world map will look different, and whether the UK will have become a whole lot colder.

and Im not saying that global warming creates these problems- but it damn well speeds up the "natural cycle"!

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

I have no doubt the world will be very different in ten years, but whether global warming will be the cause...I don't know.

All I am really trying to say though, is that although all the junk we pump out is doing no good for the earth, I still think this lovely planet of ours is simply going through a cycle and we can basically do little to nothing about it. I believe that "global warming" is just another part of the earths life. Its well known that the earth has heated and cooled in the past....yet we were not here. How is it different now?

 

[Sui]

the difference now is that WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!
j/k

but anyway, i agree with you.

....errr... wow, this is an interesting argument. Lets get a n00b to come in and start talking about how "all your base belong to us", thet will certainly spice up the debate

 

[clarky003]

and to add to the horror's

anyone heard of whats going to happen to the island of la palma in the canary Islands...

all i can say is erkk. :/.

 

[ailevation]

:cheers: We're all gonna die!

 

[affen]

I have no doubt the world will be very different in ten years, but whether global warming will be the cause...I don't know.

All I am really trying to say though, is that although all the junk we pump out is doing no good for the earth, I still think this lovely planet of ours is simply going through a cycle and we can basically do little to nothing about it. I believe that "global warming" is just another part of the earths life. Its well known that the earth has heated and cooled in the past....yet we were not here. How is it different now?

I totally agree. It's the same thing with solar radiation; every 11 years there's a peak which changes the climate on earth a bit (hot summers, colder winters).
I think we reached the point where humanity can change the world more drastically than nature can.

EDIT: and I don't mean by producing exhausts, but by accidentally pushing a dangerous button.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

I can't agree with the solar thing...Its been established that the Sun is in fact, pure evil. Cultivating us for its eventual final destruction...

(Yes, that was a joke from another thread )

 

[Immortal]

and to add to the horror's

anyone heard of whats going to happen to the island of la palma in the canary Islands...

all i can say is erkk. :/.

Is that the one thats going to fall into the ocean and send a tidal wave all the way to the east coast of America and do lots of nasty damage? ;(

 

[clarky003]

uhuh, thats the one.. sometime between now, and the next 20 - 50 years.

it will also hit the southern coast of cornwall aswell,, and south Ireland

 

[AntiAnto]

An ice age is coming! An ice age is coming!

I heard that lyrics somewhere...ooh that's it: Idioteque - Radiohead

 

[outpost]

I can't agree with the solar thing...Its been established that the Sun is in fact, pure evil. Cultivating us for its eventual final destruction...

(Yes, that was a joke from another thread )

But everything is going to be ok because were going to harnes cold fusion to power microwave to heat up tv dinners!

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

But everything is going to be ok because were going to harnes cold fusion to power microwave to heat up tv dinners!

of course...but now I'm just wondering about this button affen mentioned. Is it some kind of off button to the world. I'm intruiged....

 

[outpost]

of course...but now I'm just wondering about this button affen mentioned. Is it some kind of off button to the world. I'm intruiged....

Pfft I got one! Its located right next to my coffee cup holder. I've had a few close mishaps though...

 

[SIGbastard]

There are other theories that never reach the light. Such as how sunspots have increased in the last few thousand years along with the earths temperature (a pretty good correlation though I don't have the numbers right now). These spots of much hotter temperatures will in fact have an affect on our climate. I find it hard to beleive that a few billion of us humans can really burn enough fossil fuel to cause global warming. I mean some volcano eruptions emit more green house gases than we can produce in 10 years (maybe more I can't remember). Anyways i could see something as huge as the sun having a much bigger impact than we ever could. I'm not trying to claim to be an expert. I'm not uneducated either as I just finished my B.S. in Zoology and am starting Dental School in July (so I've been told because with my scores it would be highly unlikely to not get accepted, but nothing's in stone yet).

 

[SIGbastard]

I hate not being able to edit my posts awhile after I post them. I always fudge grammar up in forums and don't realize it until later.

 

[Jakeic]

we are destroying our environment. if you don't believe that all exahust, smoke, trash, chemicals, and other toxins we have been dumping onto the earth doesn't have negative effects, you are stupid. now maybe you believe that it does, just not to the point of changing our environment. in that case, you should wake up a little. we are the most powerful things on the planet, we can empty the ocean of fish, posion our drinking water, move mountains, and destroy the world many times over.

 

[Vigilante]

Polar bear begin to die in Arctic, because they can't find any fish: the ice has melted and this has disturbed their way to live. After polar bear, others animals are going to be disturb in their environment.... we really have to do something. I'm gonna buy a Toyota Prius: http://www.toyota.com/prius/

why not just wait for a hydrogen car? they will appear soon. Get a big gas-guzzling V8 Powered american SUV while you still can!...just kidding. I hate SUVs, but i <3 v8 power in a sports car (eg. corvette, mustang, audi S4)

The situation here on earth is not a dire as everyone here wants to believe.

 

[SIGbastard]

I never said that we can't harm our environment. I just don't think we can to the scale your typical environmentalist fundy wants us to believe. There are many other theories that you don't ever hear about. It's not because they are less valid. They just don't fit into the liberal belief that all problems are driven by humans. I'm not sure what the exact population of earth is, but it is in no way near the capacity that the earth can handle. The earth is resiliant (sorry if that's spelled wrong), and believe it or not it'll take a hell of a lot more than burning fossil fuels to create massive global changes. The earths temperature goes through periods of cooling and heating. We will inevitably go through another ice age eventually. Your the idiot if you wholeheartedly swallow all the crap that is spewed from the biased "scientists" that are favored by todays paranoid liberal culture. Nobody really knows how much humans affect the environment. You just go on believing that we can change our climate so dramatically and I'll keep looking for something a little closer to reality.

 

[Jakeic]

Wait a second, can i drink water from rivers and lakes with no negative effects? can i eat most kinds of fish from the sea without drastically increasing my chances of getting cancer? can i go outside during the middle of the summer for longer than 2 hours without sun block and not get sun burned?

Have you ever seen a river in the midwest? Take a look sometime into the Mississippi, the missiouri, the des moines, the cedar, or the iowa river and tell me that the river is a deep shade of brown because of natural causes.

 

[The Mullinator]

Short term there is no real threat to us, people in the Western world. However in the long term there will be dangers and in the short term there will be places and people that will suffer alot because of global warming.

Personally I would rather use global warming as an excuse to kickstart technological development more than anything.

 

[SIGbastard]

I never said that we can't harm our environment. You just go on believing that we can change our climate so dramatically and I'll keep looking for something a little closer to reality.

I live in the midwest. Once again I know we cause damage to our environment. I know we can pollute lakes, rivers, destroy habitats, etc. I just think somethings are really a little out of reach for us to mess up. Now I'm not taking into account such things as the possibility of nuclear holocausts or other such unforseen circumstances. Now the whole UV radiation thing. That would increase as sunspots increase in number. That's not to say I believe this theory, but there are alot of other valid theories that should be considered. Cancer has risen dramatically in a large part to how much processed food, preservatives, and junk we thrive on now in my opinion, but that's only one possible contributor.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

A big problem is people want one theory, one problem and one solution but with something like the global climate, its just too complex to understand and know why its really doing what its doing. The earths temeprature could change for thousands of reasons, all seemingly inconsequential but when they come together they make a difference.

 

[CptStern]

here's news report from today saying there may be a rapid greenhouse effect sooner than scientists believed

"An unexplained jump in greenhouse gases since 2002 might herald a catastrophic acceleration of global warming if it becomes a trend, scientists said on Monday. "

yet many countries still refuse to sign the kyoto protocols that would reduce the amount of Carbon dioxide into the atmosphere