Yesterday, there were record high temperatures in Minnesota and Michigan. Temperatures where I am currently will be as high as 70 degrees before falling to a low overnight in the bottom 40's.

There is very little rain and Flagstaff has only received 1.6" of snow during the '05-'06 ski season. This is the worst snowfall deficit on record. Burn bans still exist in Oklahoma and Texas as these extremely dry periods continue. Other parts of the country are also under limited outdoor fire-starting.

It would be nice if the scientific think-tank that warned us over the past decade would give us some ideas on how to combat the trend which they claimed was occuring.

Any thoughts on how serious global warming really is?

Global-warming is as serious as serious can possibly get. As well, where I curently am, tempratures have never been such as the current; yet it does not surprise me one bit.

Yes we have been warned for many years, but not enough have taken action against it. The think tank you speak of... They had solutions back then... Now unfortunately only drastic measures can actually stop global warming. All electricity would have to be shut down for at least 150 years, all industrial and nuclear waste would have to be shipped off the planet, and nature would do the rest... though that will never fly, so global warming is still inevitable as it was back then.

Polar ice may desalinise the oceans, in turn changing the temperature and currents in the water and in the air. One man even wrote about these possibilities and how if enough melting happened to Antarctica, its whole could slip into the ocean at once and create a pole shilft. He claims all it would need is the whole of it to slide a fraction of a milimeter (less than a 1/24th of an inch), then the frictional heat would be so great that the whole continent would just slip. Geological evidence indicates the poles where once in total different places than they are now.

Another possibility is is the loss of seaonal life - plants and animals have evolved over thousands of years under moderately the same climate. Change that climate drastically, and evolution may not be able to keep up. Already many smaller life forms are dying from pollution and temperature changes. I think it's at 82% ozone that plankton die instantly (no time to check the temp of this one in my books tonight, but i'm sure it's near there). Anyone here ever see the readings of our ozone over the course of month, lest a year? It's a scary though, but our children (if you have'em) may not live to be our grand-parents age due to our self indulgence, pacifism, and greed. And trust me, medicine is not nearly that advanced as to fight global warming.

Or...

...it takes a thousand years to reach that point...

...or...

...life may stay as it is, and we all live moderately happy ever after.


Pick one, which ever may seem more realistic at the moment, but don't stick too strongly by it because nature has a will of its own - (i think) - and it may surprise us all, no matter what the outcome of global warming. Let's face it: Life here on Earth has not always been nice and seasonal; at one point it was closer to the description of the climate from biblical Hell, and at the other end, a practical cousin to Uranus or Pluto. So if Darwinism is correct and sudden drastic changes in climate are embedded in our genome, we may survive anything nature throws at us - then again, we could always be the next dinosaurs, and leave our realm to the ants and cockroaches....

hehehe.... kinda like the book "Les Fourmis".
Any thoughts on the rant?
:ph43r:

Its interesting. I'm glad that alot of people can finally realize that there is gobal warming (even if they can't agree on what extent/what should be done). Thats a step.

The problem though? We aren't seeing any real effects that people can use their underdevolped reasoning to link to gobal warming. Sure, massive shifts of weather patterns, including more hurricanes than there have ever been in human history (as well as stronger ones) occur. Sure we have freak snow storms in Denver is like Septemeber while the place where we are holding the winter Olymics just got its first snow on Thursday, but we don't grasp that gobal warming is more than "Its a degree hotter this year than it was 40 years ago."

I dunno. I don't really know what can be done about it, or how to get people to see it, but its there.

By the way, welcome back Clandestine. I wasn't really here when you first joined (Internet Problems back then) but I'm glad you're back. The staff had nothing by good things to say about you. Except Kevin. He really doesn't say much.

You've made a good point Clandestine. Since we are already on this well-paved road, people aren't going to simply revert back to pre-electricity or pre-natural gas homes. They aren't going to ride bicycles or buy horses to use. Farmers aren't going back to oxen or mules.

It was a good rant. Sure, maybe there is very little we can do to avoid the inevitability of a warming globe. Still, wouldn't it be nice if we could start making the changes to alleviate how rapidly it happens? Couldn't we start learning little habits to extend the possibility of our children becoming grandparents?

When you are deep in debt, it seems ridiculous to throw pennies into paying it off. Yet enough people casting in their lots might start making a slight difference. Often, I wonder if global warming doesn't create more chaotic weather that leads to planetary instability which causes the tsunami like one in SE Asia or a CAT 5 hurricane named Katrina. Heck, a tornado was even reported over the past week.

It's hard to tie how staying at home, running the air conditioner less and being more conservative is going to stave off the impending changes. But if we don't start thinking like that on any level... or have anyone start a trend as an example for others to follow... then we'll probably just look at the entire race as being at fault and not feel any "ownership" for the amount of which we were responsible.

Absolutely. There may very well be some ways out, but will society - or the corporate world - accept them?

For example, Ford came up with a hydro-combustant vehicle ten years ago - where is it now? The car seperates the Hydrogen from the Oxygen, burns the hydrogen to run the engine, and emits the oxygen from the exhaust. Current cars emit a toxic gas which deteriorates our ozone, but Ford has obsoleted one that CREATES ozone. If every car, plane, boat was a hydro-combustant one... I'm at a loss of words here...

Someone mentioned to me that Nova on PBS this week ran a program called "Global Dimming" speaking about how the reason why global warming isn't as bad as it could be is the particles of pollution we shot into the air, even contrails, are blocking sunlight. This blocking of the sun keeps temperatures rather low and through our efforts to reduce pollution we may be giving global warming a boost through other means. Thoughts?

I guess there is some pont to that, but the fact that in under a hundred years we will double the amounts of CO2 emissions since the industrial revolution gives me pause to think that yeah, it might not be enough to delfect the sun, might limit alterntive forms of energy, and might increase lung and respetory illness.

The point wasn't that of it protecting us from global warming but that of our desire being to rid ourselves of air pollution is going to making it happen far faster then it is now whether more greenhouse gases exist or not.

I would ride a bike but the bike posts to lock them to are all gone. They used to be at public schools, churches, in front libraries, parks, outside the larger food stores & in front of museums. Just gone when they redid the sidewalks. I don't actually travel all that far most of the time. I don't drive so I usually take bus or train to travel. Its a healthy & cost efficient way to travel but its not promoted anymore.

Drivers do tend not to respect cyclists on the streets too. Although many cyclists are just to blame as well as they don't follow the rules of the road either. We used to be taught in elementary school left, right, and stop hand signals, to stop at lights, to keep to the right of the road, to go with not against traffic, & to stop at stop signs. That you should have rear and side reflectors. A bell is helpful. Kids don't know this anymore. All they know is the more recent wear a helmet law and some don't even know that.

It also really annoys me that so many Indian and Guyanese neighbors seem to like their homes surrounded in cement. They cut down the trees and cement in the lawns. Queens isn't a jungle. You don't have to worry about monkeys stealing your food. The streets which used to be tree lined are so hot in the summer now. Ecology is definately not being taught in many countries.

And the illegal aliens are living off the parks. They keep stealing the turtles out of the ponds and dig up the plants to eat. They pick the berries off the bushes that the birds,raccoons and oppossums need to eat. Its disgusting. Everyone lets their dogs piss and crap there and picks up the crap. Everyone takes their dog to the park. I talked to a cop the other day in the park who took a backpack full of turtles off some illegal aliens. He and other park rangers come across this daily.

The corporations don't help. Everything is made to break down quicker now. When the plastic handle broke on my can opener, I went shopping in 15 stores to find a new all metal one. I found that the all metal ones now, have plastic cogs. This disposable culture is pushed on us. When the glass broke on my blender, I found that to replace it was $20 plus $7 dollars shipping and handling. I bought a new blender for $25. How can the glass cost more than the motor? Is there a sand shortage?

There's something wrong with the pricing or consumer laws I was told once. Something to the effect that in order to keep charging the same price on a product over time you have to make some change to it. You can't just make a good product anymore & stick with it & get the same price profit. That's why metal lids on pots become glass, or the handles plastic. I don't know if this is true, but if so, I think it'd do the world good to change that.

I say we have to get a move on with dealing with Global Warming! If we don't act soon, the Polls will melt and the polar bears will go extinct! :(

I say we find a way to drop petrolium and go to vegetable oil, some sort of biofuel, anything as long as it doesn't pollute.

Did you know that Global Warming is worse than you might think it to be? If something isn't done about Global Warming, the Earth will be unable to support life as we know it. Look up any website on Global Warming, and you'll see that. Global Warming will kill everyone in a matter of years if we don't do anything about it. We all, no matter how old, will be effected. Droughts beyond imagination are begining to occur. Temperatures are soaring, higher than ever before. More than a hundred times more than previous climate changes. This is proof that Global Warming exists. If we don't do something about Global Warming soon, we'll all perish due to the Earth's inability to support life. (Still reading? Good em_laugh.gif ) Now here's a way to make a small change. If every American where to change one candencent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, it would be the equivilant of taking 7.5k cars of the road. We would be reducing carbon emissions by nearly 90 billion pounds. This would reduce carbon emissions dramatically.

Solution? A new petition: http://petitionspot.com/petitions/LightBulbProject

Admins and moderators- I'm not a spam bot. I'm just trying to get the word out about this petition. I hope that I'm not spamming.

Its only spamming if thats all you came here to post. When you reach 10 good quality posts, you can edit in the link again.

Done :)

Sounds good. I'll be checking out the petition within the next day or so.

Awesomeness :D

To TheLightBulbProject:


Talking about a topic that is on a lot of minds these days is good. The thought of registrants coming here to 'petition mine' (variation of data mining) seems rather preachy which doesn't necessarily have the effect upon the bright minds that habit here... [which doesn't include me, btw :rancer:]

Stating you case here is exactly WHY this forum exists. We like informative posts, with reference URL(s) and any documentation mentioned which supports your views or the action being sought. I applaud that you are conscientious enough to bring this matter to light (pun not intended).

You should check back in and find out what others here feel is important. You might willingly participate in discussions of other members in order to belong to this community instead of seeing a rambling herd here awaiting your direction. And this isn't really ragging on you other than to point out we like smart people with the valuable contributions they can make. One way or the other, you are depriving us the pleasure of such. :)

And this home has at least 2-3 of the helical fluorescent bulbs in use at any one time, including the lamp in this particular room. Let us hope you are not a person receiving some kind of monetary return for your efforts or your "drive" will seem less than altruistic!