said that "some people still dont believe in global warming even though scientists have proved its true" i almost jumped out of my chair. i believe the earth naturally goes through temperature cycles.

my question is for the liberals.. do you believe that scientists have "proved" global warming? or do you just like protecting the environment (which i have no problem with)

i wonder what UD is up to

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have not been at their present levels in 400,000 years, which is as far back as we have data. In fact, before our current upswing, the previous 400,000 year high was only 76% of what current the current level is. This unprecedented upswing coincides exactly with the beginning of the industrial age in which fossil fuels and other carbon compounds are being burned at an almost unimaginable scale, forests are being cut down at rates never before seen and the number of humans on the planet has grown exponentially.

The earth does go through natural carbon cycles. The temperature of the earth varies accordingly. However, unless you are willing to believe that all of the above is simply the most incredible coincidence in the history of ever and/or that all the scientists reporting these things are involved in some sort of massive conspiracy (to do what, exactly? I don't know) there is no other conclusion but that the present upswing of carbon is caused or at least accelerated by human activity.

 

Originally Posted by Lord Supremo

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have not been at their present levels in 400,000 years, which is as far back as we have data. In fact, before our current upswing, the previous 400,000 year high was only 76% of what current the current level is. This unprecedented upswing coincides exactly with the beginning of the industrial age in which fossil fuels and other carbon compounds are being burned at an almost unimaginable scale, forests are being cut down at rates never before seen and the number of humans on the planet has grown exponentially.

The earth does go through natural carbon cycles. The temperature of the earth varies accordingly. However, unless you are willing to believe that all of the above is simply the most incredible coincidence in the history of ever and/or that all the scientists reporting these things are involved in some sort of massive conspiracy (to do what, exactly? I don't know) there is no other conclusion but that the present upswing of carbon is caused or at least accelerated by human activity.

Well said.

Its the SUN STUPID

if global warming is true why hasn't teh earth gotten warmer in the past 8-12ish years? unless it has and what I've seen is wrong?

ncj

pro-environment, anti-hysteria

Climate change belief given same legal status as religion

It all comes down to who has an exaggerated sense of self-importance and who doesn't. Nature always wins. Nature doesn't give a fuck if you drive a Hummer or a Prius. It just wins.

You can recycle. You can cry for trees. You can make every imaginable effort to minimize your "carbon footprint".

At the end of the day, it makes no difference. Humankind has been around for less than one millionth of the history of the earth. In the grand scheme of things, humankind has about as much to do with environmental health as someone stepping on a bug in India has to do with the health of someone in Idaho.

Get over yourselves, tree huggers. You don't matter. Never have, never will.

That said, put out your campfires and don't pollute lakes and streams.

 

Originally Posted by keylight

this fucking kid kills me. I'd watch his reality tv show.

lmfao, i was really into what dude was saying about carbon levels then scroll down a little and that kid starts laughing and i just lose it...sf funny...

 

Originally Posted by Lord Supremo

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have not been at their present levels in 400,000 years, which is as far back as we have data. In fact, before our current upswing, the previous 400,000 year high was only 76% of what current the current level is. This unprecedented upswing coincides exactly with the beginning of the industrial age in which fossil fuels and other carbon compounds are being burned at an almost unimaginable scale, forests are being cut down at rates never before seen and the number of humans on the planet has grown exponentially.

The earth does go through natural carbon cycles. The temperature of the earth varies accordingly. However, unless you are willing to believe that all of the above is simply the most incredible coincidence in the history of ever and/or that all the scientists reporting these things are involved in some sort of massive conspiracy (to do what, exactly? I don't know) there is no other conclusion but that the present upswing of carbon is caused or at least accelerated by human activity.

#1 I thought all the rise in carbon was mostly from animal gas release, or thats what vegans say

#2 Id say the bigges coincidence in the history of ever would prob be the creation of the universe and whatever sparked the start of life on this rock of shit flying through space, but you can say that a 100-year span in a 50 billion year or w/e life is the most significant thing thats happened

 

Originally Posted by Lord Supremo

Butterfly effect tho.

Also, you're right that in the grand scheme of things what happens to the global temperature and the sea levels and on and on and on, because the earth was here before us and unless we destroy everything with a nuclear winter, the earth will continue on long after we've evolved into something else and colonized the surrounding star systems. However, in the actual grand scheme of things absolutely nothing matters at all because everyone who will ever live will die some day, 4.5 billion years from now the sun is going to expand to the point of engulfing our whole planet, our galaxy will eventually decompose into nothing but a relatively small disk of spinning gas, and the universe will collapse back onto itself. Yet somehow you find time to be concerned with ideas like "individual liberty" that have only existed for less than 1% of the history of human civilization, which is itself only 2-10% of the history of humankind which is, as you rightly point out, less than one millionth of the history of the earth. Interesting, that.

I agree with your argument. My liberty is of immediate concern, and matters a great deal to my existence in my lifetime. Arguing for the well-being of the planet is just dumb.

Global warming is real, we need the govt to fix healthcare, and war is not the answer.

I agree with you that some/much of the rhetoric around climate change is exaggerated and inaccurate. The issue isn't "ZOMG THE WORLD IS GOING TO END FOREVER UNLESS WE FIX THIS!!!!!" The issue is how hospitable the earth will be to the current human way of life for ourselves and the generations that follow us. Rising temperatures = melting ice caps = higher sea levels = less land. If there's less land available, where will everyone live as the human population continues its exponential growth? Where will we grow enough food? et cetera.

#1 animal gas release is definitely a problem, although I wouldn't be shocked if vegans overstated its impact. Animal gas release is also the result of human activity, specifically our agriculture (Please don't make me explain why).

The biggest problem in my opinion is the massive deforestation thats going on right now...less trees (and there are way way way way waaayyyyyyyy less trees) means that the CO2 that we do put into the atmosphere isn't being converted back into oxygen the way its "supposed to" (please don't give me shit for that phrase, its just the most convenient one right now. I don't believe there's actually a plan or design behind all this), and a snowball effect occurs.

#2 OK, obv hyperbole on my part. wp

 

Originally Posted by Lord Supremo

I agree with you that some/much of the rhetoric around climate change is exaggerated and inaccurate. The issue isn't "ZOMG THE WORLD IS GOING TO END FOREVER UNLESS WE FIX THIS!!!!!" The issue is how hospitable the earth will be to the current human way of life for ourselves and the generations that follow us. Rising temperatures = melting ice caps = higher sea levels = less land. If there's less land available, where will everyone live as the human population continues its exponential growth? Where will we grow enough food? et cetera.

Sounds like an inconvenient pile of horseshit to me. Except for the fact that I live on a small island with 6 billion residents and no farm subsidies. Well, maybe not yet, but it's imminent. Well, maybe not "imminent", but it might happen. Well, "might" might be a strong word. What were we talking about? Oh, never mind. Hope and change!