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Global Warming

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Postby Leif » Thu Aug 16, 2007 5:48 am

If we are partially to blame for global warming, which I'm not counting out, what is it you propose we do? Even if everyone on the planet abides by the Kyoto Protocol, it would merely postpone warming by six years in 2100 at the cost of $150,000,000,000 a year.
For the people talking about fighting poverty and sickness right now---poverty and sickness have been around since civilization began. It doesn't seem as if we've found a 'cure' for either, does it?
No, but we have the resources to help a whole lot of people.

If we were to put the money that would otherwise go into Kyoto into hunger, education, disease, trade barriers, etc. (unlikely, given our current government), the majority of the population would have the means to survive the estimated 50cm rise in the ocean by 2100. (Note that the sea level rose 20cm this past century, with minimal damage.) And, hopefully in the mean time scientists could create a better, more effective plan than Kyoto.
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Postby Huginn » Thu Aug 16, 2007 6:51 am

I have looked. I have not seen any conclusive evidence that the increase in temperature of this planet is a direct result of human activity. Please feel free to do it for me.

My mistake on the Nasa thing.

Don't talk down to me you ~*baguette*~.
What, in your mind, would constitute conclusive evidence?
There you have it, Huginn. Due to the nature of climate activity it is very difficult to prove what exactly is happening. Don't get me wrong on this issue, my post was attempting to open up debate on the moral issue of spending that much money on it instead of using that money to save lives now.

The majorty of scientic institutions endorse that it IS in fact human activity causing the problem but a true scientific mind has to admit that it may only be a factor, yes? You also will notice in my post that I said that taking action now to reduce emmisions and energy consumbtion is a no brainer.

With issues like this I try not to go in full support of either side but try to find the most logical action that I think should be taken. I don't expect my opinions to be belittled and I do do my bit in energy conservation and waste management.
Well, it seems to me that asserting whether human activity is contributing or contributing significantly is, at its core, rather elementary. All we need do is examine how likely it is that natural variations and trends in temperature could explain current data. If the models of natural global climate do not explain these trends or could only explain them as being incredibly unlikely, then we have two options: either our models are wrong, or we are contributing to climactic change.

Granted, I'm no more inclined to read hundreds of pages of reports and abstracts to figure out whether I believe the scientific community or not than you are. There are, as I see it, only a handful of possibilities.

1) We are not the cause of global warming, or we do not contribute significantly to it.
2) We are contributing significantly to global warming.

From here, there are two further possibilities.
A) There is nothing we can do to slow or stop the climate change; we can only prepare for survival, or any efforts would be beyond our capabilities and resources.
B) There is something we can do to slow or stop the change significantly, and these measures would be feasible with acceptable strain on human resources.

In my mind, it's not a matter of who is or isn't correct. It's a matter of what we consider acceptable strain on the economy, on resources as a whole, as we take measures to slow down climate change. Ultimately, it does not really matter how fast our civilization increases its wealth and capability; what matters is that we never drive it into the ground.

Thus, while it may be that this climate change fuss is all for nothing, that we can ignore the consequences and pursue economic growth and other problems of human civilization...what is the point then? Is that all we gain from this scenario?

Whereas in contrast to what we could lose if climate is changing...serious crippling of our civilization, perhaps the entire ecosystem of the planet.

Now Leif makes a point: that the advancement of our civilization could very well outweigh the possible damage done. Why stop a train if you can outrun it, if you will? I admit, I find this possibility intriguing, but it's a gamble. There's no way to predict how far we will come, whether we will outrun it after all.
It just is.
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Postby Qu Klaani » Thu Aug 16, 2007 12:33 pm

I blame Channel 4 for the recent surge in "yeah but, global warming is all nonsense innit" in Britain, because they showed that awful documentry, I bet they'll show Loose Change next, in fact I'd be suprised if they didnt. It's no suprise that theres such opposition in America because of the general anti-scientific mood over there, but I'm a bit disapointed in us Brits..
Is it a good idea to cut back on greenhouse gases and invest heavily in efficency? Yes. Several trillion dollars will be spent to do this. A moral question is raised by this.

Is it right for us to spend this much money on a problem that may not be as bad as we think (Could be worse than we think too of course) when that money could save thousands if not millions of lives right now? Of course that same money could be used to invent things to kill people too.
Yes it is right, cause if we continue to be incredibly wasteful and depend on non-renewable energy then we can forget about saving millions of lives in the developing world, we'll be too busy focusing on trying to save millions of lives in the west. Well, we're pretty much ~*iguana*~ anyway, but theres no harm trying to delay the inevitable.
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Postby Mockingbird » Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:52 pm

Now now. /me pats everyone. I'm sure she didn't mean it, she was just disagreeing with your statement.
No, I meant it.
And, hopefully in the mean time scientists could create a better, more effective plan than Kyoto.
I don't have any more solutions than what we've discussed, Leif. My only point is that it doesn't matter how effective the next plan is because whatever it is, it will require a significant change that can't go into effect as long as the government remains a slave to the interests of big business, oil tycoons, and the short-term wealth of this nation, which is the real reason we're rejecting the current plan. I know that the Kyoto Protocol isn't perfect by any means, but I think we're likely to end world hunger before we find a perfect plan.

And the government will always reject any efforts that harm the current wealth of their top 5% as long as the American people, as a whole, allow it to. To an alarming percentage of Americans (and I clearly don't mean you or anyone here), global warming is nothing but alarmist propaganda started by the likes of Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio, and hipsters from San Francisco and New York. Thank goodness for propaganda and hipsters slowly turning this issue into a 'cool' thing to support. At least it means that the kids who are growing up watching Go Green campaigns on MTV now will be more proactive than we are. It's due to their efforts that corporations who want to come off as liberal and hip are 'going green'. God, I love my city, though it probably causes more pollution by itself than some entire countries do. :P
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Postby Huginn » Fri Aug 17, 2007 7:34 am

And, hopefully in the mean time scientists could create a better, more effective plan than Kyoto.
I don't have any more solutions than what we've discussed, Leif. My only point is that it doesn't matter how effective the next plan is because whatever it is, it will require a significant change that can't go into effect as long as the government remains a slave to the interests of big business, oil tycoons, and the short-term wealth of this nation, which is the real reason we're rejecting the current plan. I know that the Kyoto Protocol isn't perfect by any means, but I think we're likely to end world hunger before we find a perfect plan.
I think Kyoto would have stood a much better chance in the US if it could not have been perceived or viewed as granting exemptions to economic competitors --China in particular.

Should the US have ratified it anyway? Perhaps. But sacrificing your own economic progress is one thing. Sacrificing it while others don't have to...
It just is.
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Postby zemarl » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:44 pm

Now now. /me pats everyone. I'm sure she didn't mean it, she was just disagreeing with your statement.
No, I meant it.
are you saying you intended to tell me i'm stupid, because that's essentially what you've done. overlooking my usage of the word "smart" in that statement, you might have been completely right, but i really don't give a ~*iguana*~ what you have to say anymore.
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Postby Mockingbird » Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:43 pm

Now now. /me pats everyone. I'm sure she didn't mean it, she was just disagreeing with your statement.
No, I meant it.
are you saying you intended to tell me i'm stupid, because that's essentially what you've done. overlooking my usage of the word "smart" in that statement, you might have been completely right, but i really don't give a ~*iguana*~ what you have to say anymore.
:?: No, zem. I'm saying that I meant the idea that wars are started for any reason but the interests of the people at the top is funny, it was more like derision against the people who always start those wars in the name of helping people out of things like poverty and hunger. Looking at my post again, I see why you thought I was calling you stupid, bad wording, sorry about that.
I think Kyoto would have stood a much better chance in the US if it could not have been perceived or viewed as granting exemptions to economic competitors --China in particular.
Yeah, that would be a semi-valid reason for rejecting it, if it were the real reason, but I don't think it is. It's a convenient excuse and a childish one: 'Why should we do it if they don't have to whinewhine'. China's other economic competitors have signed it and China itself has ratified it---the U.S. hasn't, and as far as I'm aware, has done absolutely nothing except written a few plans that haven't been put into action.

I saw something funny in Grand Central Station this morning that made me think of this thread: They were selling 'Global Warming' mugs, tag line: 'Watch Our Coastlines Disappear!' :P <3 liberal alarmists.
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Postby jessia » Fri Aug 17, 2007 9:09 pm

kyoto isn't especially effective on its own. change is really only going to happen if people change their attitudes towards the environment. the reason that kyoto is significant in terms of large-scale environmental legistlation is that for the first time (pretty much) ever, the western or otherwise "developed" world took upon itself responsibility for the pollution associated with its own industrial and economic development, also acknowledging that a lot of the countries we refer to as "developing," are countries that have suffered economically because of their undeveloped industries. obviously, there isn't going to be much change in carbon emissions if the whole world doesn't take part, but i'm just saying that this is why kyoto is special. otherwise, it's just a piece of legislation, and we all know how significant or insignificant legislation can be.

what might appeal to the most people is how much less costly living on this planet will be in the very near future if they made some simple, and some not-so-simple changes to the way they live. america and many other nations all have to decrease their dependency on non-renewable resources like oil... not just because pumping oil through those engines is bad, but for the simple fact that it will eventually run out. et cetera, et cetera, et cetera... it's easier to make changes when you can see how quickly they effect you, e.g. automobiles with better fuel economy or better ways to power your homes saving you money at the end of the month... whether it's good or bad, other things like how we spend our money tend to trump concerns about the world getting warmer.

regarding war and simple changes and this...
cut back on use of non-renewable resources. spend your money on tackling preventable diseases, poverty and lack of education. smart people with food in their stomachs and something to live for don't fight wars.
That's pretty hilarious considering that it's one of the richest countries in the world that started the current war, and it seems to me that it is always the educated, well-off people that start all wars and people seem to fight them for false ideals like 'freedom' and 'religion'---not hunger.
i think what zem might've been referring to is the actual soldiers who fight actual wars. richer, more powerful people, might be responsible for them, but considering the soldiers that are fighting all the ongoing conflicts internationally, i doubt many of them have access to higher education. in the case of the more "relevant" war that everyone likes to concentrate on, so many people are signed onto the military because they can't find better jobs, or they can't pay for college without the financial aid accessible by signing up.

wars and conflicts go on as a part of human history, but when people have food in their stomachs.. there are less conflicts to go at.

this has nothing to do with global warming, so i'll let this return to kyoto/not-kyoto.
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Postby Gabe » Sat Aug 18, 2007 7:46 am

I saw something funny in Grand Central Station this morning that made me think of this thread: They were selling 'Global Warming' mugs, tag line: 'Watch Our Coastlines Disappear!' :P <3 liberal alarmists.
Well I don't know that Florida disappearing would be an altogether bad thing... :P
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Postby gentleman of noble repute » Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:18 pm

I think it's bad cos the penguins will die.
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Postby Cookiemonster » Thu Sep 06, 2007 11:08 pm

I think it's bad cos the penguins will die.
One of them, eh? I think moony may have to have words about your penguin-supporting :wink:
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Postby Somewhat » Fri Sep 07, 2007 7:18 am

*Cracks knuckles*
Penguins are evil. Evil. Be not amused nor weakened by their waddling and cuteness, inside those monochrome chests are souls of DARKNESS. Their hearts beat pure malice through their bodies, and they would rip out your throat sooner than look at you. Sooner even than that! You still feel sorry for them? Don't. Global warming won't affect them. They are causing global warming. Deep in the Antarctic wastes, they are hiding enormous machines, continually pumping out carbon dioxide. The penguins have existed since the start of the universe, and will always exist. They didn't like the dinosaurs, so they wiped them out with an asteroid. They didn't like humans, so they're wiping us out with overheating! The penguins are secretly our lords and masters. To them, we are but playthings. They created life on Earth billions of years ago, and now they bend and shape it to their will, eradicating and creating species as they see fit. One day, they'll get bored, leave our universe for their own barbaric dimension, and our planet will simply disintegrate. But until that time, we must fight! The penguins are in our cities. They spy on us day and night. Google? Owned by penguins. Microsoft? Funded by penguins. Apple? All their ideas are thought up by penguins. Linux? Don't even talk to me about Linux. All our technology, our 'progress' and 'breakthroughs' are engineered, moderated and watched over by penguins. And for what reason? TOTAL WORLD DOMINATION!
It's all an ingenious master plan, of course. The global warming, our secretly penguin-controlled society, even the penguins quietly living among us - it's all there for a reason. One day, the penguins will strike, perfectly and silently, through the Internet, through the air and the sea and from under the ground, and then we will vanish just as quickly as the dinosaurs. Resistance will be futile. Defense - pointless. The penguins, master race of the universe, know that we are trying to save ourselves from their merciless approach. THEY TOY WITH US! But we have only one route open to us. We must fight, whatever the odds! We must risk our lives in a last attempt to stop them! THE TIME HAS COME, COMRADES! TO THE DEATH!



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Postby Mockingbird » Fri Sep 07, 2007 2:29 pm

I know what you mean, just look at the Devil staring at you through his eyes:

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Postby daemon_light » Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:12 am

Haha! I like penguins though... feel sad for the polar bears too!!

We're (and the penguins :P ) are causing the slow death of or Beloved Iorek!!

Someone today told me that global warming wasn't real... that it was hoax or some ~pinapples~
He was talking about how they were just trying to get money and what not. He tried sounding really smart, but.... no. Yeah, if he were a smart person, I'd consider his arguement, but truth is Ryan Whitney is not a smart person. :P
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Re:

Postby Darragh » Sat Jan 26, 2008 1:49 am

Haha! I like penguins though... feel sad for the polar bears too!!
Everyone should watch the episode about the poles on the BBC Planet Earth dvd. The Polar Bear scene is one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever witnessed.

Found it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFce-Nqi6aI

Don't watch if you are easily upset.
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Re: Global Warming

Postby daemon_light » Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:26 am

Sounds really sad... so I'm not going to watch it. If I ever do, I'll see it in the film's entirity... it'd probably be better that way. Sad stuff, but thanks for sharing! :wink:
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Re: Global Warming

Postby aklebury » Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:08 am

Has anyone heard about 'Earth Hour '08'? It's a global event where several major cities pledge to save as much energy as possible within one hour from 8pm on March 29th. It happened last year as well, but only in Sydney from what I can tell.

Cities participating this year are:
* Australia:Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide
* Canada: Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal
* U.S.A.: Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix
* New Zealand: Christchurch
* Thailand: Bangkok
* Denmark: Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense
* Fiji: Suva
* Philippines: Manila
* Ireland: Dublin
* Israel: Tel Aviv

I think it's a pretty cool idea, but I'd really like to see more cities involved and an hour really seems such a measly time, surely it's not hard to make it longer than that?

http://www.earthhour.org/
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Re: Global Warming

Postby Riali » Sat Feb 23, 2008 8:59 am

This is a perfectly stellar thread, folks!

I'd like to add my incredulity at the apparent fact that there are still people that believe a) the environment is not royally ~*iguana*~ up and/or b) it is not mainly the fault of humans that this is the case.

Yes, the earth goes through natural cooling and warming cycles. Yes, terrible natural disasters occurred long before the advent of modern "civilization", and yes, they will continue to occur after we are all gone. The fact still remains that we are pumping huge, I mean, ginormously massively large, amounts of poison into the air and the water all the time. Have you ever been to a landfill? Even a small one? It's heartbreaking. We just can't expect to behave like this with out some pretty massive consequences.

And consequences we are having. Species are becoming extinct. The ozone layer is shrinking. The sea is rising. The icecaps are melting. These are all measurable phenomena, and they are all happening. Fast. I suppose if it makes you feel better to believe that all of it is part of a natural cycle, and that they just coincidentally are occurring just as we make all the messes we make, then that's fine, believe that. It won't make them kill you any slower though.

The fact remains, that we simply need to try to fix it. Perhaps it's too late, and we're all screwed either way, but it's simply stupid not to try. As has been said, the earth would certainly be better off without us parasites, but I for one am quite fond of being alive. I like breathing and eating and drinking and walking and laughing. I would like to continue to do these things. I would like my children and grandchildren and their children and grandchildren to be able to do them too.

We need to spend the money and the effort to steer our selves away from a petroleum based economy. Clean, renewable, accessible, energy will go a long way toward fixing not only the environmental crisis, but many of the other world issues mentioned, such as disease, war, and poverty. And the science is almost there. Today's governments, however (Yes, I'm looking at you, George), have a distinct tendency to not only reward the huge corporations and conglomerates who are the worst environmental offenders, but actually block many more responsible and sensible companies from entering the market place. (Any number of non-combustion engine car manufacturers, for instance) I'm singling out the States a bit here, not because they're the only offender, but because in many ways, they are the worst. Not necessarily because they make the most mess, but because they are the Superpower, and they have the influence on the rest of the world to either spearhead the revolution, or stop it in its tracks. Not to mention the money. We all know the US has the money. We also all know where it's being spent.

But we are all citizens, and we do all have a responsibility, so let me just wrap up my rambling diatribe by reminding all Sraffies to keep scorning those plastic bags and SUVs!
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