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Originally Posted by Wondering
Hi everyone! This is my first time on this site, and I was just wondering what you're thoughts are on Global Warming and why you think people (including politicians) may be ignoring this global issue. (That is if you think people ARE ignoring it).
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Some people are ignoring global warming, or that human activity is significantly contributing to this warming. More precisely, they are contending that it is not happening. Others are not.
The reason that some people deny it is obvious: people who’s livelihoods or wealth depend directly on industries that produce greenhouse gasses – eg: oil and electricity production - have a strong interest in resisting measures to restrict these industries, and supporting elected officials who will assist them in resisting these measures.
A less obvious reason that people might deny it is loyalty to leaders and ideologies associated with denying it. For example, in the US, leaders who are members of the Republican party are considered by most of both their supporters and detractors to favor
“trickle down economics”, while members of the Democratic party are not. They are demonstrably more opposed to the
Kyoto Protocol than Democrats. So, people who understand and agree with the idea of trickle down economics may also oppose the Kyoto Protocol, without as fully understanding it.
Unfortunately, businesses and leaders on both sides of the debate sometimes promulgate distorted and inaccurate reports of scientific findings to sway people to agree with their position on global warming, making it difficult for non-expert people to form independent opinions.
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Do you think Global Warming, Climate Change, and Natural Disasters deserve more attention?
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Yes – although I think it’s important not to falsely associate natural disasters with global warming.
The predicted effects of global warming are complicated and not well understood. However, at least 2 are, in my opinion, sufficiently severe to warrant a very conservative, pro-Kyto position:
- Effect of sea level increase on low-elevation populated lands. As the recent events in New Orleans, USA, has demonstrated, human beings have not prepared well for temporary or persistent increases in water levels. The probability of sea level increases sufficient to cause catastrophic loss of property and displacement of people in low-elevation European and Asian countries, as well as portions of America, is not negligible. Such loss could have a destabilizing effect resulting in economic depression and increase worldwide war.
- Effect of changes in ocean current on climate of crop-producing land. There is credible evidence that changes in the salinity of the North Atlantic due to polar ice melting could change ocean currents in a way that would render much of the east cost of the US and the whole of England and Ireland agriculturally unproductive. While unlikely to result in worldwide food shortages, the impact on agricultural business and increased food cost in these countries could have a economically destabilizing effect as severe as one caused by flooding of low-elevation land.
Note that not all global warming effects are certain to be negative. For example, the large island of Greenland was once, very old history records, much more agriculturally productive than at present. Recent research indicates that it may, in the next few decades, become much more agriculturally productive again, creating positive economic and cultural opportunities.
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Originally Posted by TheBigDog
If it proves that man will not be killed off, or suffer any worse than he does today, if the global temerature were to go up say 5 degrees. Then what would be the point of stopping global warming? If we can survive it, then why stop it?
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While man is unlikely to be made extinct by even the worst possible global warming scenario (or, for that matter, nuclear war, disease pandemic, etc.), global warming in the near term seems likely to cause us to suffer worse than we do today. This, I think, is good reason to control it.
In all this talk of possible negative consequences of man-made contributions to global warming, it’s important not to ignore the possibility that, at some point in the future, it may be beneficial for humanity to increase global temperature. Based on credible evidence, the greatest global warm periods are not as dangerous to the human population as the global cool periods (ice ages). There may come a time when on the order of half of the population’s survival depends on our ability to alter the natural cycles of Earth’s climate. I think investigation into the “extreme eco-engineering” this sort of control would require, while unpopular with people on both sides of he current global warming debate, needs serious attention.
Short term and long term needs
Re: Why do you think Global Warming is being ignored?
semantics is not always just pedantic quibbling. ~ douglas r. hofstadter
