[GeoStL] Re: NGR: Is it really getting warmer?
- From: "Susan Ring" <susanmring@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 11:26:39 -0500
-
Thanks Mike, Keith and Jim for starting and joining in this discussion.
I actually do agree that we don't know what is causing global warming. But
it is real. From everything I read, and I do read a lot about this, the
data supports the statement that the earth is getting warmer. I'm not sure
that it's even important right now to know the cause. What is very
important is that we start thinking about how we are going to deal with the
EFFECTS.
Is every hurricane season for the next 30 years (the common length of an
active tropical period) going to be like 2005? Then we better start
figuring out how we are going to deal with 3 to 5 major hurricanes making
landfall every year in the US. Will the breadbasket turn into the dust
bowl? Where will we grow crops? Will Europe lose the moderating effect of
warmer oceans off its shores? What if the sea level rises 10 feet over the
next 50 years? No region on earth is immune to the now unpredictable shifts
in weather patterns that may occur.
The more time people spend arguing about the causes, the less time we have
to figure out how to survive the EFFECTS. I was a little encouraged (and
yet scared) to read an article that said that the Pentagon now considers
global warming at the top of problems facing the US and apparently has
assigned a special task force to study it and make plans.
Thanks for reading my humble 2 cents,
Susan
A frivolous PS: Does anyone else feel old when you remember that
typewriters used to have a key for the "cents" symbol? Have I mentioned
that before? Maybe I AM old.
-----Original Message-----
From: geocaching-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:geocaching-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of
know_future@xxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 8:56 AM
To: geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [GeoStL] Re: NGR: Is it really getting warmer?
-
Morning all,
I think the evidence is pretty conclusive that we are witnessing a global
warming trend. The big question in my mind is whether we can, or should, try
to make an effort to reverse it. Geologic evidence indicates that on several
occasions in the distant past St. Louis was covered by oceans and had a
tropical climate. We also find skeletons of mastadons and other ice age
plants and animals. This happened when the oceans receded (the water being
stored in massive continental ice sheets) and earth entered one of many
global ice ages.
Indeed there have been numerous global warming and cooling cycles during
earth's history. Each cycle lasts for tens of thousands of years, so we have
not yet witnessed a complete cycle. The thing to keep in mind is that our
climate is cyclical, therefore it is always changing, never static. The
earth's climate has been quite cool, by geologic standards, since the
beginning of recorded history. That it's becoming warmer should not be
surprising.
Can we do anything about it? I think the answer is: we don't know. To blame
ourselves for global warming may be an overreaction. We didn't cause any of
the previous warming cycles - they all happened before humans arrived on the
scene. Yet something caused them. Geologic history suggests that the earth
is inevitably going to enter a global warming cycle. We don't know when or
why and most likely, if it is happening now, it's not because of anything we
are doing.
Should we try to do anything about it? In my opinion, no. Why? We don't
understand the mechanics of the global climate cycles. Since we don't
understand the problem, how can we hope to solve it? When I was in college
in the 70s, some scientists believed that we were entering a new ice age.
There were proposals to pump massive quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere
in an attempt to retain warmth in the atmosphere. How things have changed in
just 30 years! Personally I think that our ability to alter a global
phenomenon that has been occurring for billions of years is about nil.
On the other hand, saving fossils fuels, reducing emissions of poisonous
chemicals, gases, etc. is a worthwhile effort for many obvious health
reasons. To say that this will also have an effect on global climate trends
just doesn't jive with the historical record, in my mind.
Thanks for considering my opinion (if you did, that is ).
Know Future (BS Geology, 1976)
-- "Mike Griffin" <griff@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
-
http://www.junkscience.com/
Mike
Tired of Spam??
Here's your solution..
See: http://www.spamarrest.com/affl?4001050
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