Climate Change

Thanks jjordie, some additional balance in this discussion, I like to call it an open mind and a sense of perspective. :D :D :D

 

jjordie, we still might get a mini ice age in our time! The Gulf stream could change direction letting the Labrador current cool us down. It has done it before...

Still on the whole I agree with Banana Man, it's our economic systems which will probably bring disaster faster than climate change.

Recycling and conservation still make sense to me.

 

Liz - "Recycling and conservation still make sense to me".

And to me. Just bored of the medias current 'human bashing' when it come to the environment. There are much scarier forces at work than us. I saw an interesting programme about ocean volcanos that in previous ages have caused global warming with catastrophic results. Need I mention asian tsunami! They toyed with the idea of ocean volcanoes in respect of the dinosaurs extinction before the more accepted meteor theory. We are very priviledged in this country to have the freedom of speech to be able to have these discussions about the environment.

 

Liz is right and the Gulf stream is already and measurably slowing down. That is happening because of all the fresh water entering the sea in the Arctic as the Greenland glaciers melt. What we in Britain need to remember is that our latitude is further north than Labrador! When global warming switches off the Gulf Stream, we shall enter a new Ice Age. It is just the planet balancing things up.

That brings me to Banana Man's point on water. Yes - the sum total of water on the planet has not changed since the cave men drank it. But the balance has changed and now much more of that fresh water is salt water. Sea levels were 20 or 30 metres lower around our coasts 10,000 years ago when the North sea was dry land. So unless we invest in de-salination plants (Ken Livingstone allowing) we are going to run out of the fresh stuff p.d.q

 

Well said that man...

(So unless we invest in de-salination plants (Ken Livingstone allowing) we are going to run out of the fresh stuff p.d.q)

If they planted as many trees as they build flimsy new houses then energy to do this would be negligable Mr Livingstone.

Common sense things like triple glazing, water capture, solar panel etc should not be lumped together with the wider concerns over global warming. These things are acheivable and are much more worthy of investment. These things aren't about saving the planet they should just reflect moral obligations in building practice.

Grow your tropicals while you can!

 

I would be interested to see what this climate change situation is like in 2500 but doubt I will be around then! (still the experts say we will soon be living much longer :D )

And will we be here to worry anyway? There is a meteor that is hurtling towards earth we are told!

Perhaps one day we will be told some happy news!

 

Just watched David Attenborough - what a champion he is and at 80 too! The graphic demonstration of the accelerating rate of change was alarming. Its not just in my lifetime but during the lifetime of my children - 1970s to date. Never mind 2500, jjordie - fast forward another 30 years to 2036 and things might look very different. I'll be 92!! yes - I'm going to keep that date.

 

I didn,t watch the programme, but have seen plenty on the subject. I agree that there are natural cycles in temperature and sea level, and that building so many cities just 20 foot above sea level is asking for trouble irrespective of what man does to the climate. But I think that there is strong evidence of man's contribution from the extremely rapid rise in temperature recently.

What irritates me is that no one will talk about the cause. The cause is overpopulation. Not only are we causing global warming, but we are using up the world's resources at an unsustainable rate - oil being only one. And as long as the population continues to rise, recycling, conservation and triple glazing are irrelavent.

 

Well said PeterS. Its no good telling me I need to preserve local water supplies when infills are granted willy nilly. 9 houses, my saving certianly won't support these new additions.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e140/WRX53/illegitimate children.jpg

 

True PeterS, but how are you going to cull the population? People try to live on the flood plains in Britain and on the encroaching deserts of north Africa and China. Some places just cannot sustain human life. We get urgent appeals from Oxfam and others to feed the children etc and I, like you I'm sure, respond. What are we doing but increasing the population? The earth tries to reduce the local population through drought and famine. We,understandably and compassionately, try to upset that balance by shipping in food from elsewhere.

The earth responds to over population with plagues - be it in rats or humans. So the earth will cull us one way or another. Bird flu started in Asia because they cram too many birds into tiny cages in their dreadful bird markets. It would never have occurred in the wild because birds don't live that close together in the wild. So it goes...

 

PeterS, I very much agree with you. Few of the problems we have would exist if there were fewer of us. But i don't agree that this means we should live in a profligate manner. If world population stops rising [and look at the attempts China is making in that direction] then it would be good for the people left to have some resources.
If there are too many of us then surely all the more reason for us all to 'step lightly'.

 

You read my mind stop it!

 

Essex boys got it all sussed out!

 

You taking the....?

 

I'm an Essex boy too!