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| 2006/3/14-16 [Science/GlobalWarming] UID:42228 Activity:kinda low |
3/14 "Global warming gases at highest levels ever: UN"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060314/ts_nm/environment_greenhouse_dc
\_ And it will accelerate in the coming decades as we switch to
more Carbon-heavy sources of energy like Coal, and burn vasts
tracts of forest to plant "carbon-neutral" feedstocks for biofuels.
Even if Europe and the United States get their act together
(unlikely) and actually reduce their CO2 & greenhouse gas emissions
that will be quickly undone by China & India's booming industry.
\_ Why do we care? We've already been told that Global Warming is
irreversible. Personally, I burn tires for warmth. -emarkp
\_ CO2 is one of the global warming gases. Do your part to cut down
on its production. Stop breathing.
on its release. Stop breathing.
\_ I think it would work better if you did, actually -- then we'd
be left with one guy that gives a damn, and one fewer motd
trolls.
\_ But the point is, why should we care? Unless you have
children or are under the age of ten by the time the
shit really hits the fan we'll all be really old or dead.
There also isn't much we can do about it. I think that we
need to let technology take care of the problem or just
live with the consequences. It's akin to caring about whether
or not the Big One will hit the bay area. Nobody can really
do anything about it, so most of us just don't care. It's
unfortunately a cynical way to view global warming, but it
is realistic.
\_ ie, "I'm going to get mine because it's all about me,
no matter who dies."
\_ Ahhh, nihilism.
\_ So in your moral framework, we should not care about it
because it only affects our children? You suck. (Actually
it is already starting to have effects and will continue
within our lifetimes.)
\_ I sure hpe it hurries up. Then I can turn off my space
heater and save on my monthly electricity bill.
\_ Just wait til you see your AC bill, fucker.
\_ Surveys say 100 out of 100 scientists who depend on global warming
fright for continued resarch funding say global warming will kill
us all unless funding continues.
\_ By this standard, we should never believe anything any scientists
tell us. I'm sure that's not what you meant to imply, and you
were just trolling.
\_ By what standard? All scientists do *not* acquire funding
through fear mongering. Most of them get funding by saying,
"Hey I found this cool thing and if you give me more money,
I can probably make something useful from it". I wasn't
trolling. I think the global warming 'scientists' have a
vested interest in fear mongering. Population explosions,
global cooling, global warming, running out of [food, water,
oil, various minerals, arable land, etc], and global warming
is just the latest scare tactic for cash. The sky is not
falling.
\_ The sky might not be falling, but the sea (level) is
already rising.
\_ At .0004mm per year? Ok. I'm scared now. You got me.
\_ guess you don't live in New Orleans
\_ Actually it's 1-2mm per year for the past 100 years.
-tom
\_ Which might zoom up if say, all the ice on
Greenland decides to melt. Everyone into the
Hummer! |
| 5/26 |
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| news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060314/ts_nm/environment_greenhouse_dc United Nations agency said the gases -- the main warming culprit carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide -- "all reached new highs in 2004." WMO officials also indicated that a near record year-on-year rise in CO2 levels for 2005 recorded by US monitors -- well above the average for the past 10 years -- would not come as a major surprise. "Global observations coordinated by WMO show that levels of carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, continue to increase steadily and show no signs of leveling off," said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. Carbon dioxide, which the WMO says accounts for 90 percent of warming over the past decade, is largely generated by human activity involving the burning of fossil fuels -- including in industry, transport and domestic heating. Scientists warn emissions must be slowed and reduced if the earth is to avoid climatic havoc with devastating heat waves, droughts, floods and rising sea-levels sinking low-lying island states and hitting seaboard cities like New York and London. The UN's 1992 Kyoto Protocol, which came into force last year after a decade of wrangling, obliges major industrial nations to cut emissions while granting exemptions to developing countries like India and China. President George W Bush said that working to meet its targets would seriously damage the US economy. He has also argued that warming is a natural, not man-made, process. Methane, generated by intensive farming and landfills as well as the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal and which accounts for around 20 percent of the greenhouse effect, has risen 155 percent in the modern age. But its growth is slowing down, the WMO said, while nitrous oxide, which accounts for only 6 percent of the warming effect, is rising consistently. The average annual increase in absolute amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere over the past decade has been 19 ppm, slightly higher than the 18 ppm of 2004, WMO environment division chief Leonard Barrie told a news conference. Barrie said a finding by the UN National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, cited by the British Broadcasting Corporation, that carbon dioxide had grown last year by 26 ppm had to be viewed in perspective. If it were to persist over several years, then we would have to start talking about what it means." A processing plant billows smoke from chimneys at sunrise in the port city of Newcastle, Australia July 27, 2005. Greenhouse gases blamed for global warming and climate change have reached their highest ever levels in the atmosphere, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. |