http://www.clearlight.com/~mhieb/WVFossils/ice_ages.html In the 1970s concerned environmentalists like Stephen Schneider of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado feared a return to another ice age due to manmade atmospheric pollution blocking out the sun. Since about 1940 the global climate did in fact appear to be cooling. Then a funny thing happened-- sometime in the late 1970s temperature declines slowed to a halt and ground-based recording stations during the 1980s and 1990s began reading small but steady increases in near-surface temperatures. Fears of "global cooling" then changed suddenly to "global warming,"-- the cited cause:manmade atmospheric pollution causing a runaway greenhouse effect. What does geologic history have to offer in sorting through the confusion? Quite a bit, actually. Periods of Earth warming and cooling occur in cycles. This is well understood, as is the fact that small-scale cycles of about 40 years exist within larger-scale cycles of 400 years, which in turn exist inside still larger scale cycles of 20,000 years, and so on. Earth's climate was in a cool period from A.D. 1400 to about A.D. 1860, dubbed the "Little Ice Age." This period was characterized by harsh winters, shorter growing seasons, and a drier climate. The decline in global temperatures was a modest 1/2° C, but the effects of this global cooling cycle were more pronounced in the higher latitudes. The Little Ice Age has been blamed for a host of human suffering including crop failures like the "Irish Potato Famine" and the demise of the medieval Viking colonies in Greenland. Today we enjoy global temperatures which have warmed back to levels of the so called "Medieval Warm Period," which existed from approximately A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1350. During the last 100 years there have been two general cycles of warming and cooling recorded in the U.S. We are currently in the second warming cycle. Overall, U.S. temperatures show no significant warming trend over the last 100 years (1). This has been well - established but not well - publicized.
When I started this thread I posted a little dramatically to try and get some good responses. If there is such a thing a global warming occurring that is caused by humans and is not some normal long term weather pattern I dont think there is anything we can do about it. Even if the USA felt right now the time was right to go 100% solar in homes, build more mass transit, outlawed fossil fuel passenger vehicles and allow delivery/work trucks only..used strictly nuclear power..etc. There would still be China, India, Emerging industrial Eastern Euro countries burning record amounts of dino juice...even more actually because the price would plummet. I feel like a conspiracy nut. But these issues make me want to move to some 50 acre plot in the woods with a natural spring or river and teach my kids the arts of farming and husbandry.
http://www.desmogblog.com/tim-ball-rewrites-the-truth-once-more http://www.desmogblog.com/tim-ball-vs-dan-johnson-lawsuit-documents tough to judge from outside. is timothy ball a reliable source or not? hmm. there seem to be concerns.
I'm 100% pro clean air. I'm totally against toxic chemicals for health reasons. Why doesn't Al Gore say anything about that? Because he is a politician. First find (or create) problem and then position yourself as a saviour. Warm periods have always meant progress and prosperity in history. If rational person thinks about the scope of a problem he must realize there is no way to truly know. The dumber the person more assured he is about anything. Simply, Al Gore is a dogmatic idiot. When I was 18 I knew it all.
Are any of the facts, graphs or stats we read reliable? Everytime I read an article on this issue somewhere somehow it gets countered with stats, graphs and facts proving otherwise.
Im all for global warming......once NT heats up about 10-15 degrees, me and the rest of the NYers who invaded Florida can leave
Can't you debate an issue without having a temper tamtrum? Face it. The environmentalists and socialists are pushing this "crisis" because it is their current best hope of achieving policy changes they believe warranted for other reasons. Policies like strict carbon controls, limits on private vehicle use, prohibiting urban sprawl and mandatory wealth transfers to less developed countries. Are we really going to detroy our economies on the basis of some computer models that cannot even replicate known data?
Lies are easy to manufacture. That's what the Bush administration and their supporters are doing on global warming. It's also hard for an average person to judge real science. Historically, science always eventually won despite scientists losing their political battles. On global warming, science will eventually triumph too. We all know what kind of evidence can convince every last man on earth. I'm not worried about who's right. I think there are bigger problems to worry about...
touche on my temper. yet again ... you'd better face that it is not about destryoing the economy but the free lunch for some of the "bigs". there is huge industries to come, if the guys you are following were not blocking the way. we are influencing this place here in a big way. we reduce the variety of species and influence the whole ecosystem. i can hardly believe that someone can deny that. but i cannot believe the popularity of fox news either. if there is anything evil on this planet ... it is what is today called the "conservatives" ... and their prime example: the US republicans. what a shame. see, somehow the world can afford fox news and even playing around in iraq and all this global ambition by US psychotics, but THIS thing is about the WORLD. get it? there is no time left for you little small headed pinguins to go on playing with the rest of us as your obedient ants ... and luckily enough the other side of the fence has already realised what kind of opponent you are. if proof of that was necessary, check the 2000 election and ask yourself if there can ever be honest rep. politics with this generation being in charge ... too many lies. too much hypocrisy. and, again, please stop that nonsense of protecting the economy, when you in fact mean the profits of a small number of companies. well ... my temper ...