Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

On Horizon tonight, which I shall be watching, there is a programme on whether Britain, together with north western Europe, could be heading for another 'Little Ice Age'. In essence, the argument is that large amounts of fresh water produced by global warming will stop the oceanic 'pump' that keeps the Gulf Stream going. The warm water of the Gulf Stream is why we do not have a climate like Labrador; if it stops, expect extremely cold winters, the Thames freezing in winter and sea ice off the White Cliffs of Dover.

Now let us get one thing straight. This is only a theory, but it is based on solid science and it is a definite risk to our vital national interests. So what is Tony Blair doing? Well, he makes a few noises but, in practice, he is doing nothing. Instead of forming alliances with other countries threatened by possible global warming and taking a hard line against America, he apparently prefers basking in the glow of President Bush's approval and asking, "How high?" when told to jump.

Meanwhile, the Americans, who take their vital national interests (or the interests of the major companies; take your choice) much more seriously than Tony Blair takes ours, are making vigorous attempts to rubbish Global Warming to avoid any need to curb back on their profligate energy use.

So, in a few decades time, while you're all half frozen to death and the UK economy is is in terminal decline, you will have the dubious satisfaction of cursing Tony Blair as the arrogant, self-satisfied person that he seems to be.

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

If you're worried about global warming, go after China, Indonesia, and Brazil. Those people like to burn trees, which is a double negative: you pollute, AND you kill trees which removes those pollution.

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

So you suggest we revert back to a pre-fire civilisation while America continues to destroy the gulf currents anyway.

Has anyone else noticed how this is an unusally warm autum or the lack of rain? It begins :eek:

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

Nuclear power.
Doesn't cause global warming
And then once fusion power is up and running, go over to that

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

Burning trees is ok, so long as you plant new ones at the same rate you burn them. There was an experimental power station set up to explore the practicality of such a scheme using coppiced Willow as the fuel source - it achieved good results, but was mothballed due to lack of funding - which kinda proves Theodoric's theory.

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

Nuclear Fusion is already here - the oil companies are holding it back :D [/end paranoia]

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

So you suggest we revert back to a pre-fire civilisation while America continues to destroy the gulf currents anyway.
No I suggest you go after the people that are the biggest offenders on a pollution per capita basis.

Has anyone else noticed how this is an unusally warm autum or the lack of rain? It begins
Our fall was cold, and it has already started snowing. Moot point.

Burning trees is ok, so long as you plant new ones at the same rate you burn them.
Which they are not doing in those countries.

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

I was being entirely serious, we've had record floods in the past few years, record hot summers and an unusually dry autumn. All the signs point to global warming.

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

Global warming is a myth. Our winter last year was record cold, and our summer was quite a bit cooler than the one in 1999, 2000, and 2001. Hell, Alberta had snow in June!

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

Aren't some percentage of greenhouse gases/pollution caused by cows flatulence :)

Missed the program as was doing the washing up/watching the egyptian program but hopefully it will be repeated. From geography at school I remember though that Ice Ages come and go in a cyclic fashion so maybe it's just time for one.

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

Hell, if it's not where you are it musn't exist

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

There are other theories which rubbish global warming pointing to natural long term variations in weather patterns. These occur over periods of hundreds of years.

Dont forget the Thames did freeze over in 1963, only 40 years ago !! It actually seems to freeze over about once in every 50 years or so. It also floods regularly (hence the barrier), but none of this is indicative of permanent alterations in weather.

La Nina and El Nino also have major effects on world weather but again these are regular, natural and (almost) predictable changes, nothing to do with global warming.

There is no doubt weather patterns have changed, hot areas are becoming cooler and cool areas becoming warmer. This in turn alters all sorts of things from rainfall to sea currents and upper atmosphere jetstreams. But non of it equates to global warming effects IMO.

Even the suns output...which has been increasing since the 17th century...has affected earth temperatures. But recent observations say this may now have peaked and we may be heading for a cooling down period.

Best go get a sledge and dogs then ???

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

As to the original question, yes. As a foreigner, it sure looks like Tony Blair is ignoring vital national interests.

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

The Chinese governemt has a policy that every person in China must plant 10 trees - every year. That's a lot a trees, and should more than compensate for the amount they burn.

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

Well our summer was the hottest on record and our winters are milder. I cant remember any SIGNIFICANT snowfall since 1986.
Sure a few years ago (97/98) new years eve the temp in teesside dipped to -27 with windchill. It was indeed a tad parky.

I think the planet is warming up, and the US have to do their fair share. Jerreck you can go blaming other countries but whilst the US refuses to do anything they are just as bad as china etc.

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

And the US has significant legislation to ensure continuity of timber growing.

The areas where IMO US lacks is water usage and greenhouse gas pollutants (mainly fuel oil burning) only the latter really making significant contribution to any global warming.

Deforestation of the Brazilian Rain Forest is the one I fear the most as damaging to global environment.

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

I think the planet is warming up, and the US have to do their fair share. Jerreck you can go blaming other countries but whilst the US refuses to do anything they are just as bad as china etc.
Oh, we are doign our part. We just don't want to send billions of our dollars to third world dictators and ruin our economy by useless taxes. We're not as fond of taxes as you guys are. ;)

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

Sheeeeesh, isn't one yankee-bashing thread enough for you guys? Change the record for a second eh!

It is stupid, irresponsible reductionism to lay 'global warming' at America's door due to its refusal to support the Kyoto protocol. Whatever the rights and wrongs of that decision, there are far more villains in the world who have cunningly avoided the spotlight.

But then, it's not fashionable to be anti-Brazilian or anti-China at the moment. ;)

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

That's not the point you are evading the question with another, we do this so it should cancel out argument. :rolleyes:
Some fashions follow reason you know. Some people think it's a good idea - others just go along with the fashion. As I have proven in other threads my opinions are based on my own obsavations

Although I do admit that I mildy mis-interpreted what he was saying

Re: Is Tony Blair ignoring our vital national interests?
 

That the earth has been getting warmer over the past few decades is not a myth, it's based on facts; hence arguments based on the weather over a few years in Alberta, or any other local area, for that matter, are irrelevant. What is arguable is that it is a continuing process caused by the activities of humankind.