Climate change - random thoughts from the Cheese

[JamesM]

CO2 emissions are easily quantifiable, which in turn is easily taxable.

CO2 = Tax

True. Diesel cars have lower CO2 emisions than petrol cars and so pay less tax. Petrol cars emit pretty much only CO2. Diesels on the other hand emit CO2 and a load of black sooty crap that ends up in my lungs and all over my bike, clothes and bag (when the road is wet). Solution: Take the cat off your petrol car and it will be more efficient and emit considerably less CO2. Then you too can pay less tax!!!

 

[Gadro]

The whole of human civilization is just a blip between Ice Ages. The Earth is continually cycling through warm and cold era's

10,000 years ago at the beginning of Holocene. Large mammals including saber-toothed cats, mammoths, and mastodons become extinct. Neolithic period with beginning of agriculture and end of Ice Ages. At the time an estimated 5 million Homo Sapiens inhabited the Earth.

I remember back in Primary and early Secondary School in the Late 70s early 80s, the Geography lessons looked at a possible impending Ice Age. This was probably due to the really cold winters. I remember 1982 when the drifts were so high that I could walk out of my bedroom window on the first floor. Then came the Global Warming discussions.

The hard evidence is there and no one can doubt that the Earth is warming up. This warming may be quicker due to industrialisation and transport emissions BUT rapid warming has happened before during the Earths history and I've no doubt that such episodes will happen again. The film The Day After Tomorrow could really happen as there is now hard evidence that such rapid events have happened in the past.

Doesn't look good for us in the UK

The main thing that we should think about is Sustainability. Getting cheap energy whether it be current Nuclear Fission or possibly future Nuclear Fusion. The answer may lie in more 'Greener' energy such as Wind and Solar and the Hydrogen Fuel Cell. But we need to free ourselves from hydrocarbons, which are limited and not infinite. This is ever more relevant in current global politics and a possible cause of future Conflicts / Wars (Iraq??). The need for Strategic fuels is a major concern for Dominant Developed Country's.

The weather in the UK has gone crazy. The 2008 Golf Open in St Andrews actually had colder course temperatures in July than in February of the same year. Bonkers. It's also been raining in the Brecon Beacons now for about 18 years - non stop (seems like)

Just one final point - The world beef production makes more greenhouse gases than all the worlds cars. FACT.

 

[legrandefromage]

Anybody know what the Sun was doing at the same time as below? Seems cyclical to me.

 

[Easy_Rider]

What does BP stand for? For some reason i can't get "Before Pete" out of my head

Solar activity measured in radiocarbon

 

[Gadro]

Article from National Geographic

The sun is the least active it's been in decades and the dimmest in a hundred years. The lull is causing some scientists to recall the Little Ice Age, an unusual cold spell in Europe and North America, which lasted from about 1300 to 1850. The coldest period of the Little Ice Age, between 1645 and 1715, has been linked to a deep dip in solar storms known as the Maunder Minimum.

Full article here

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... oling.html

Also take a look at this

http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/32 ... ow-the-sun

You never know we might actually end up freely pumping greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere in order to prevent an Ice Age. Now that would be a turnaround

 

[rosstheboss]

BP = Before present

 

[Easy_Rider]

BP = Before present

I knew it would be something obvious :roll: and nothing to do with Pete

 

[Gadro]

For now the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere rests at 380 ppm, up from a pre-industrial level of 280 ppm.

Scientists reckon that these levels could reach 900 ppm by the end of the 21st century. CO2 levels above 560 ppm would most certainly be enough to prevent the global cooling that now triggers an ice age.

Our climate is far more affected by slight 'wobbles' in the Earth's orbit than by man's activities.

Now if this has started to freak you out lets talk about Tectonic and Polar shifts. Don't 'google' it as it will freak you out. Abandon all hope for we are doomed.

Mayan Calender a la 2012 :roll: Not much hope for us, unless you've got a big boat

 

[Tallpaul]

Our climate is far more affected by slight 'wobbles' in the Earth's orbit than by man's activities.

To be fair, the effects of man's activities are limited to the last 200 (if not 50) years, whereas the effects of shifts in axis and rotation can be measured a long way back. So I don't really think there's enough data to support that statement.

The Nat.Geo article you qoute is well balanced, but I'm not convinced about the AstroBiology magazine (although the article itself seems fine) - is it actually a US Government publication? :?

 

[JamesM]

npower sent me 4 free energy saving light bulbs. I think that pretty cool, especially as now I'm going to be paying them less money!!!