I wasn't referring to the projections, I was referring to the general population of scientists. So... Fair enough. Which is why it's laughable to say "we're in danger of a new ice age". Particularly in light of what we know, the world is warming--ice doesn't lie. Not true. It is preponderance of evidence that makes the hypothesis of gravity the Theory of Gravity. A true scientist will admit of the possibility that an apple will rise when it's severed from the tree. It just has never been observed and so is very improbable. I'm not a broken window Keynesian, though if money is available but not circulating, it is in fact probably better overall to "make work" than it is to have general unemployment (leaving out the finite capacity of Earth, for the moment), I'm a "new windows" or "better windows"-until-the-private-sector-gets-moving-again Keynesian, to put it in too brief a sentence. Thank goodness we're at least on page two or three of the argument. It appears at least one guy around here is still on page one, ie. "is there really any warming?" Get a fatter wallet. That's what I do. : ) No comment on the coal industry, not the right thread for it imho. So, what do we know? We know that CO2 has a greater heat capacity than oxygen. We know that the quantity of CO2 in the atmosphere is rising. So, we would anticipate atmospheric warming (all other things being equal, where the "anthropogenic" and "solar-genic?" argument begins) and yep, that's what we're observing. We also know, through isotope analysis, that Man is adding a significant and growing amount to total atmospheric CO2.
"But pollution's got CO2! It's what plants crave...!" (OK not an exact comparison, CO2 does help non-C4 crops) It's only a 13 % increase in yield with some serious limiting factors... http://www.newscientist.com/article...l-boost-plant-growth-and-food-production.html So let me get this straight... You guys think that more pollution (CO2) will be good for the environment because more plants will grow with the CO2 in the atmosphere. Also, you will help to avert the next ice age because you're helping to heat up the planet...!???:eek: No way... just come clean already... You guys are fucking with us right...!?
It's not laughable and is in fact a "chilling possibility." By disturbing a massive ocean current, melting Arctic sea ice might trigger colder weather in Europe and North America. http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/05mar_arctic/
You see he fooled you again. Until scientists discover some pathway of how that life evolves from non life... there is no way to estimate the probability of life forming from non life on some other planet. Its all pure conjecture and trashy headlines.
It can be scoped (in a macro sense) without knowing that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation
I guess you could call that a "local ice age". Just one more way to subtract from the total supply of arable land as the planet warms.
Local? If the Atlantic Conveyer was ever disrupted and stopped carrying warm water from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Sea we would see northern Europe covered with a contiguous sheet of ice within a few years and the whole globe covered in a few generations if anyone was still alive to see it.
That's the catch! Scientists have NEVER been able to create life from non-living matter. They really have no idea how life happens although they have a few unproven theories. They are just assuming that what ever happened on earth must happen elsewhere. But maybe not.