Global warming 'past the point of no return'

Originally Posted by ntluser

Just as an aside, what happens if the stable ice caps do melt and instead of being fixed at the poles as ice the resultant melt water flows about over the earth's surface?

Will this have implications for the tilt and spinning of the Earth?

Not as far as I understand it. I think I read that instabilities like that would be resolved internally, and result in more crustal bulging as a consequence.... There is some evidence to support crustal slippage in the past, but theories for such slippage lent towards impacts by astroids/comets. Rather than melting ice caps....

[Dai]

An interesting question. The spin of the Earth causes it to be slightly greater in diameter at the equator compared to it's vertical measurement.

I wonder if the extra water released by melting ice and the heat-expansion of the oceans will be more damaging around equatorial zones? In years to come maybe the Sahara will bloom again.

[Hom3r]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Has anyone managed to work out by how much the sea levels will rise?

sea levels won't rise.

[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

See it's this inability to get a straight answer that makes the average punter give up on global warming.It's also why so many of the population find it hard to get to grips with carbon footprints and recycling and actually understanding what changes they should expect and what they can do if anything to avert any such situation.

[AdamD]

I'm on the fence as to whether to believe all the doomsday stories about global warming but I do believe humanity is "assisting" the warming of the planet

But, even after all the evidence, research and confirmed studies, the governments of the world really aren't doing much at all, certainly not enough to make a real difference anyways

It always seems to come down to the cost involved, but the planet is priceless, it's our home, it's not like we can just "move out" when it can no longer sustain us.

To be honest, most humans don't deserve to live here and I think back on two quotes in paticular which I remember from The Matrix and The day the earth stood still, which were

"I'm afraid they are not a reasonable race. Any attempt to intercede with them would be futile. They are destructive, and they won't change. The tragedy is, they know what's going to become of them."

And

"Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with its surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply, and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? –A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet."

Not saying everyone is like that mind you, but the majority, in my opinion, seem to be heh.

Originally Posted by Hom3r

sea levels won't rise.

The sea level is rising over the last century its risen on average by around 1.8mm per year but it is increasing. As the planet warms apparently there is thermal expansion of the oceons which is a greater risk than the melting ice caps

---------- Post added at 02:35 ---------- Previous post was at 02:34 ----------

Originally Posted by Maggy J

[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

See it's this inability to get a straight answer that makes the average punter give up on global warming.It's also why so many of the population find it hard to get to grips with carbon footprints and recycling and actually understanding what changes they should expect and what they can do if anything to avert any such situation.

worst case senario is upto 1 to 2 metres by 2100

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...hange-flooding

[injuneer]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

See it's this inability to get a straight answer that makes the average punter give up on global warming.It's also why so many of the population find it hard to get to grips with carbon footprints and recycling and actually understanding what changes they should expect and what they can do if anything to avert any such situation.

I thought recycling was more to do with not dumping our waste in big holes in the ground & turning the country into a rubbish tip rather than any climate problems?

Originally Posted by injuneer

I thought recycling was more to do with not dumping our waste in big holes in the ground & turning the country into a rubbish tip rather than any climate problems?

True, but the fact that alot of foodwaste was dumped into landfill sights, which rots and releases Methane gas. Seeing as methane is 21 times more efficient a greenhouse gas than carbondioxide, they got a bit worried about it.... Well.... That and cows farting.

grazing animals produce he most gh gasses by far

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze

That and cows farting.

It's actually burping rather than farting that's the cause....

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle2051364.ece

[rashlan]

Seen as you all seem to believe in anthropic climate change will someone explain why the planet has been cooling for the past 11 years. I think if people actually looked at the evidence like the infamous massaged figures hockey stick graph and the actual percentage of co2 that human activity produces, you might rethink the impact that we are having on any change that is occurring.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8299079.stm
By Paul HudsonClimate correspondent, BBC News Average temperatures have not increased for over a decadeThis headline may come as a bit of a surprise, so too might that fact that the warmest year recorded globally was not in 2008 or 2007, but in 1998.But it is true. For the last 11 years we have not observed any increase in global temperatures.

From your link:

In addition, say Met Office scientists, temperatures have never increased in a straight line, and there will always be periods of slower warming, or even temporary cooling.
What is crucial, they say, is the long-term trend in global temperatures. And that, according to the Met office data, is clearly up.

Seems a reasonable enough explanation to me.

[rashlan]

Originally Posted by Chris

From your link:




Seems a reasonable enough explanation to me.

Thats because the data has been cherry picked
http://www.climateaudit.org/

I've edited your post - we prefer you not to copy and paste large amount of text straight from other sources, and especially not without using [ quote ] tags.

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[Pierre]

Truth is, "scientists" don't know what causes climate change. The earths climate has "never" stood still.

over the millenia the UK has been frozen as far down to the south coast, and been covered in tropical rainforest.

There was more CO2 in the atmosphere during the last Ice Age than there is now, and that's a fact you are free to look up.

The causes of climate change are complex and I doubt our influence in the last 100 years has suddenly sent the planet out of kilter, and most probably it was already heading this way.

That not to say we shouldn't be cleaner and greener, but just don't kid yourself that this is a human caused issue.

Climate change, however, is a great excuse for increased taxation.