Brrr
It’s cold. I guess this one weekend of cold that means global warming isn’t happening after all, it being, like, the middle of winter and all.
Talking of climate change, the Independant, via Treehugger, has the results of a cartoon competition focused on climate change. The winner was a bit gloomy for my liking - it looks like it belongs on an eighties soft metal LP cover. But this honorable mention seemed slightly more hopeful.
Image credit: The Independant
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July 6th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
What about all those Chinese marching? Amongst Chinese the family take responsibility for children in stark contrast to our system of got “preggers.. no questions asked…” The Chinese have their heads down and tails up whereas we are subtly altering the behaviour of generations who associate an income with “something I get from someone else for free”. My wife is Japanese, she complains about her tax here “in Japan we only pay 10%!”
July 6th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
The whole issue about paying taxes is so we have enough to be able to afford the lifestyle we want. Presumably people who move here do so to enjoy the lifestyle, so like all of us should be prepared to subsidise it. None of us like taxes but none of us want to get rid of the part of our society that we enjoy. Japanes society certainly does pay less taxes and are also one of the highest contributors to cliamte change emmissions (not that we dont all have a responsibility) Having one cold weekend (or month) does not mean that climate change is not happening and most scientists (at least those not employed by the fossil fuel indistry) recognise that it is here and that it is a problem. The longer we wait to do something about it the greater the cost is going to be when we do have to do something (if we are still able to) We can either bury our heads in the sand like the proverbial dodo (and sentence our grandchildren to a future of disease and violent weather creating less food crops, greater poverty and death or we can try and do something about it now. Whatever we do will be remembered and we will go down in history for it.
July 6th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Brr, its cold? That was yesteday when it was snowing and the wind was howling. Today is clear blue skies and gentle breezes and the washing is drying on the line.
Which, I guess, prove that climate change is real and happening real fast.
Ah well, must go and pick the very last tomatoe and check me sprouts and leeks.
July 6th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Just wondering is all about this global warming lark….since you know that it hasn’t warmed since 1998…that is 10 years of NO warming….perhaps just maybe you guys may have it wrong…possibly?
July 6th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
whailoil said: you know that it hasn’t warmed since 1998
You should know better than that, whaleoil. Picking out a 10 year period out of a 200 year trend is insignificant. There have been lots of 10 year periods over that time that have not resulted in warming, or have even resulted in cooling, due to climatic influences other than grenhouse gas emissions. It is the long-term trend you, and your mate Owen McShane who is still trying to argue ruminant methane emissions are carbon-neutral, need to look at.
Look to the science, whaleoil, and you will be found to be promoting propaganda that is not supported by the scientific evidence every time.
Mind you, that’s the tactic, isn’t it? Tell the lie often enough, and in enough places, and people will believe it.
I really can’t work out where you come from whaleoil - do you really want to stuff the planet for all those who succeed us? We are mere mortals, so ignoring reality to make heaps of money may feel good to you, but it will be an insignificant act to your great-grandchildren if they inherit a world of poverty and energy (and even water) wars!
July 6th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Toad you can’t debate with people like Owen and whailoil, its like trying to debate the age of the earth with a creationist.
They have their mind made up and no amount of evidence will allow them to change it.
July 6th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Thats a nice smear, turnip
Most people that believe in creation don’t accept the young earth theory they are just a very vocal minority like many other activists I know.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:51 am
The only point worth making about the last ten years is that none of the IPCC scenarios include this period of stability.
They all show a steady increase in temperature from 1998 - some are steeper than others. But none show a leveling for ten years and then an increase.
If the models cannot get the first decade right how can we be certain that they have got the next nine decades right?
July 7th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I love the whole “sky is falling” argument, there is no right or wrong prophecy about future temps. It is entirely based on statistics which can be altered to fit the hypothesis. What is really funny though, is Owen and whaleoil pointing out that the Emperor has no clothes on and the courtier replying that it is of the finest gossamer thread, and reqires a refined, intelligent mind to see. They have a very valid point, a few months of warming sparked this whole environmentalists wet dream and yet 10 years of real time data is scoffed at, because it isn’t a long enough series. Heads I win. Tails you lose!
July 7th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
“a few months of warming sparked this whole environmentalists wet dream”
yah, rly.
July 7th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
CoroMatt, Owen and WhaleOil…
The three… hmm… yeah… neither a few months nor a few years. Please gentlemen, PAY ATTENTION to the following as it has been made available to you repeatedly.
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2005/
http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2007/
http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg1.htm ( refer to chapter 8 )
http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/abstracts/2007/Hansen_etal_3.html
There is a Greenhouse effect. It has been an established fact since before you were born. Without it the planet would be about 30 degrees colder. We humans have increased the CO2 in the atmosphere by roughly 50% over its state before we started… there is no credible science to suggest any other cause for the increase.
The planet is experiencing a resulting CO2 engendered forcing, but the WARMING is not (neither in the models nor in reality) a monotonically increasing function of CO2 levels. Nobody expects it to be. All climate models accept multiple forcings and make PROJECTIONS, not predictions as a result. Anyone who starts with none of the IPCC scenarios include this period of stability as an assertion is making a serious error. The climate models are working fine thanks.
Equating the last 200 years with “a few months of warming” is disingenuous at best. Discard the idea.
“It hasn’t warmed since 1998″ - The recycling bin whaleoil, is not where you should be looking for arguments to use here.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006/11/4/175028/329
So much for your cherry.
Now… if you have nothing better to do, try to find some other place to espouse your politically driven beliefs about science.
BJ