The Globe Is Warm

Thanks for this article Ms. Shah.


`The Inconvenient Truth`` has been a wake up call for us, hats off to Al Gore. We as a family have made 3 goals for this year -- 1) Change our refrigerators to new energy saving kind this week 2) Replace the old furnace with a new energy saving one before winter 3) Replace atleast one of the cars with a hybrid this year.

Thats what it comes down to -- everyone taking ownership and making little changes which infact are money saving in the long run and quite the obvious choice.

Playing Devil`s advocate....

It amazes me how this ``global warming caused by man`` debate continues to survive. Planet Earth has gone through cycles of heating and cooling ever since God created it. Yet Al Gore & Co. expect us to believe that it has only started warming over the last 50-100 yrs. because of the burning of fossil fuels. Riiiight.

It was recently discovered that the Arctic was once a tropical paradise some 35 mil. years ago. Imagine all the oil that could be up there. Canada could become an OPEC nation!
Also, where`s the proof that atmospheric CO2 is at a higher level than at any other time in history? Even if it were, could a world population high of 6+ billion have anything to do with it? And besides, plants LOVE CO2. They turn it into oxygen! The tree huggers should be thrilled.



“-- In a new study from the National Center for Policy Analysis entitled, ``Climate Science: Climate Change and Its Impacts``, (http://www.ncpa.org/pub/st/st285/)Dr. David Legates, the Delaware state climatologist, notes, ``Global warming alarmists have attributed increases in hurricanes, floods, droughts, tornadoes, hail storms and heat waves to global warming caused by human activities. However, the evidence does not support their claims.``

This study was the subject of a great op-ed (http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pdupont/?id=110008416)in the Wall Street Journal`s Opinion Journal by Former Delaware Governor Pete DuPont. In it, DuPont cites some very strong evidence of improved environmental data and presents some scientifically based skepticism about the various global warming claims. He also points out that on the first Earth Day in 1970, the New York Times predicted ``intolerable deterioration and possible extinction`` for humans due to pollution. Indeed, says DuPont, one environmentalist, Paul Ehrlich, predicted that 4 billion people (including 65 million Americans) would die from famine in the 80`s. And yes, he meant the nineteen eighties. Hysteria is nothing new -- after all, it sells papers.”

Also see
http://www.climatescience.org.nz/
http://members.iinet.net.au/~glrmc/new_page_1.htm
http://www.cei.org/

A money quote from not-so-global-warming-friendly site.

“There isn`t compelling scientific proof that man has any significant influence on global warming/cooling cycles. We simply don`t understand the complex relationships in enough detail. False precision and reckless assumptions from climate modeling ensembles get the headlines because the left leaning media wants to believe the message.
Gore is yelling ``Fire`` in a crowded movie theatre because a fire might or might not break out some day. Who cares if folks get trampled?”

HP

:) The devil is in the details.

The article here examines in detail some of the skeptics who are in positions of power:

http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2006/05/02/PaidtoDenyGlobalWarming/
Other interesting sites you may want to check are:

http://www.heatisonline.org/main.cfm

and www.climatecrisis.net

About fear. It all depends on what scares us. For some it is fear of other people and their values, for others it is global catastrophe. I find the stance on terrorism irrational and paranoid, others may think the concern for climate change overdone. Isnt it all about the change we are afraid will happen? Global warming is quite conclusively because of deforestation and carbon emissions. Other environmental catastrophes are brewing that I haven`t even touched on. Not so far back, people were denying the problem with the ozone layer. And yet, sure enough it was CFCs, that created a huge hole in the Earths atmosphere. Finally reduction in CFC has decreased the rate of growth in the ozone hole. What really helped the Ozone crisis was widespread media interest. Global warming is also expected to increase the rate of ozone depletion.

As you know scientists always debate, but this is one issue on which 99% of scientists are in agreement. The 1% who are skeptical are being paid well to argue. Makes one wonder, doesn`t it?

Re: # 4
Kaura.....
when the sun cools away ino a white dwarf 5 billion years later u will be dead.....( i hope)
but if the sun fries us all when we are stil alive thats gonna be very painfull
and thanx saima......it was an eye-opener
did u do all that research for the article or is environment one of ur favourite topics......?

Bibi,

yeh garmi sardi tau aati jaati hain....one day thandi other day hotty....

Ice Age etc. Have you heard of the Gaya principle or theory....

One day, the sun will go out and all will be thanda here.....so enjoy the heat while you can.

Re: # 6

Musa

Even though I feel quite disgruntled by the shortcomings of the present system, I differ visavis what ordinary people can do in their lives. It is possible to live a 0 emission lifestyle. What it means is plant a tree, use public transit, if you must do so, use hybrids, use energy efficient furnaces (saves a lot of money on gas) and energy efficient bulbs. Here are the things that really make a difference if we all practice them. The power of the `consumer` is still more than the power of the corporate, if they act in large numbers.

http://www.theweathermakers.com/globalwarming/

Some great tips are listed above and below is a list of actions that I stand by. I have no trouble practicing this list in my life on this planet. They are easily done, they work very well. And hey, one day it may be hip to be poor in lifestyle but rich in imagination.

1. 70-80% of furniture that I purchase is used. If you purchase from charities, your money goes towards rehabilitating drug addicts, teen mothers and others. Especially when it comes to wood furniture, dont buy new wood, buy second hand wood. Save the planet and your money.
2. Recycle all plastic bags, take your own bags to the grocery store. Use re-usable bags.
3. Buy bulk food from organic stores, try to not buy packaged cartons of food. The extra money you spend will save you pounds and the planet too.
4. Do not use bottled water, instead get a filter and re-use plastic bottles.
5. Recycle all cartons of food such as milk, juice etc and recycle paper.
6. Try to set up a circle of friends and community with whom you can share furniture/things. It is incredible how this simple deed will come back. Buy consumables from local charity stores
7. Try to live in a community situation--don`t buy a single house instead get a condo and share it.
8. Keep the heating down, instead wear more clothes
9. Cook from scratch, amazing how much packaging you can avoid.
10. Try to buy from local farms, again save packaging and your health at the same time.
11. Donate, donate, donate. Don`t junk, donate.
12. Use public transit for journeys as much as possible. Even if you park for the last 10 miles, Mother Earth will thank you. Get out from the prison of the car, and engage in the world. Share a car with a neighbour if you can. Reduce the family`s cars to one highly efficient Honda or Toyota. Get a hybrid if you can, if you can`t afford it, buy the smallest car possible. e.g., Smart Car, Honda, Toyata. Trust me, you wont waste time, instead you will gain it.
13. Walk to local stores, get your kids to bike to school. If you must drive, try to live close to work and school, even if it means a smaller house.
14. Try to eliminate plastic containers, instead, get ceramic or glass that you can re-use.
15. Get a clothes rack and dry your laundry in the sun--especially in summer. Save on electricity and get the sun`s anti bacterial treatment.
16. Buy from local business--transporting goods from China uses a lot of energy. Find businesses that donate 1% to environmental causes and use local craftsmen. You`d be amazed how hard it is to do that. Whatever the West consumes today is mostly sourced from elsewhere, yet you can find alternative markets. Do you really think China is better off producing consumable junk for the West? Shouldnt they be producing to better their own life?
17. If you are an impulse shopper, shop in the most expensive stores. No need to buy things because they are just 5dollars--especially in food stores. You don`t really need them and human greed is killing this planet.

Imagine if even 60% of people here did this. It would mean:

1. Negligible pollution
2. No obesity
3. Cut down garbage by 80%
4. Sustainable economy, dramatically lower consumer spending.

Saima

The one big hope is that somehow, even while living in the system, we can adjust the system to reflect environmental concerns. Public awareness, abstinence from consuming environmentally harmful substances and school education is the path of many NGOs. So far a successful boycott of petroleum products has not been organized.

One wouldn`t necessarily disagree with you, however, to push ideas such as recycling through mass awareness campaigns is unlikely to be succesful. This has been tried through for at least the last two decades and the impact it has had has been negligable.

I`m not too intimate with American internal politics but surely Gore`s highlighting of the issue is an important first step. In Britain, also global warming is becoming a domestic issue in that both opposition parties are putting a major focus towards this. Indeed Cameron for the conservatives seems to see this as a major vote winner.

But the question that concerns me is that what sustainable impact can we have by e.g increasing taxes for airline companies to tax flights rather than passengers (so taxing unfilled seats) or by appearing on the papers to change a light bulb or two. A complete overhaul in our economic system is needed. If even industrially friendly targets are thrown away such as Kyoto then what chance is there of that.

One of the main aspects that I have been left uninformed about (and I suppose the average world citizen) in terms of this debate is the chance of reversability. How much would we have to do, what could be the realistic outcomes, or is it simply going to be too little too late?

Cheers

Musa

The author writes <<< The world is an illegal alien, who gets some money to produce for US but has no right to speak in its affairs >>>

Great analogy, I would add the exploitation part to it, as well as the rhetoric that tries to criminalize the illegal aliens.

HP sahib, the earth has gone through heating and cooling cycles but what is different with global warming is the artificial and rapid nature of this warming, unlike the cycles you mention. Further the effects of extra carbon emmission and how it traps heat has been demonstrated in the laboratory and there is scientific consensus on what`s going on. Similar to ozone depletion which was a fact and an abnormality, this warming is quite real and quite catastrophic, if it proceeds unabated- the cause lies with rich industrialized countries but those that will bear the brunt of the catastrophie will be the poor.

What I am also concerned about is the political use of this real issue to punish the economies of the poor world as the rich consolidate their profits. After undertaking massive slave trade, Britain started opposing and stopping it towards the end, and started enforcing it all over the world for economic reasons to consolidate its hegemony and not any moral considerations. Global warming and the regulations that might ensue in the future might turn out to be a similar manipulative control mechanism by the rich over the poor.

Saima,

Why`re you so worried about global warming? The big-bang is still continuing and the universe still expanding. Change is inherent in the nature of all things. If we thought the ice age had ended, we were wrong. It`s ending now, and the next age will emerge in a couple of thousand years. No one can prevent or alter the course of the universe to their liking.

Rgds

Re Zeemax and bjkumar

The article refers to 906 peer-reviewed articles i.e., 100% of academic articles over the last few years that concur that global warming is not only happening but that it is due to people who have cut down trees while at the same time increased CO2 emissions. In fact scientists have gone on record signing statements calling an emergency. NASA scientist James Hansen is case in point. The spike in temperature is not part of the climate age that we are in. It is an anomoly. Even though in the early 90s it was thought that global warming would be a threat 50 to 100 years later, its impact is being felt right now.
1. The polar ice caps have receded. Glaciers in North America have melted.
2. Droughts in Africa are thought to be worsened because of global warming
3. Because of higher global temperatures pollen matures sooner leading to incredible amounts of pollen this year.
4. Hurricanes are more intense causing incredible damage, recall 2005.
5. Forest fires are more common in North America now than even 10 yrs ago
6. Extinction of thousands of species because of loss of habitat and the increase in insects e.g, the pine beetle in forests.

For more of such data please refer to the following books:
1. David Suzuki`s series of books and DVDs
2. http://www.theweathermakers.com/
3. An Inconvenient Truth

The chart that really got me was one that plotted global temperatures on a graph over the last 100 000 years. The spikes on the warm side over the last 5/6 years were so scary since they are completely out of the normal ups and down over 100,000 years. This graph is in `The Inconvenient Truth` which is full of the evidence.

You will ask, how come it isn`t headline news? Well, this book has made the cover of many magazines this year, but it vies with other more exciting news such as who murdered whom, how many millions Bill Gates donated to what, what colour a star wore or what your neighbours did last Saturday. In a world saturated with the petty, the profound becames trivia.

Author, this article fails to provide any evidence of an actual global warming – and also suffers from the misconception that a few political acts here and there will make any difference in the scheme that mother nature has in mind for us. Please be advised of two Laws from the science of Thermodynamics – the First Law essentially ensures that all energy shall conserve and it will only convert from one form to another – no net gain or loss is experienced, the Second Law essentially dictates that all “better quality” forms of energy in the real world – like all “better quality” bunch of people in THIS virtual world – will eventually end up converting to their lowest common denominator – which, for the individual is hot air and for energy, is simply heat. Therefore, warm-up of the world is as inevitable as the rise of temperatures we routinely see during most chowk discussions – the only question is how quickly the earth as a whole can cool down – and just like witnessed so many times on this web site, any attempts to impose a lower state of entropy are futile . You are strongly advised not to accept Science lessons from Hollywood producers, anti-war flower carrying individuals singing off-tune songs that are over four decades outdated, or individuals who belong to the political domain. (Note: Mr. Gore’s claim regarding inventing the internet can also be legitimately questioned.) (PS: you need to shorten your text, organize and present your points in a less diffused manner, and need to hold off on putting in your own interacts until the END of the article.) (Note 2: the nobility of your honest intentions is not being questioned here – only your attempts to throw in a lot of unrelated side issues like immigration, FOX news amd the like, in your attempt to conduct their mass wedding by force to your thesis – like a Shahanshah being provided with a harem of one hundred non-entities strictly for decorative purposes!)

#9, the earth is not a closed system for your laws of thermodynamics to work in a non-boundary fashion. The earth does gain energy from the sun and it loses it as well. When something like excessive co2, whose amounts in the atmosphere have been going up because of what the rich countries have been putting out disproportionately, blocks the loss of this heat, demonstrated in the lab, global temperatures go up and they have been. The balance is disrupted, end of story, it is very real. Hollywood has nothing to do with it neither do the laws of thermodynamics in the fashion you suggest.

Re: # 11

Thanks!

Al Gore`s demeanour doesn`t strike me as someone with the political ambition to go after the Presidency. Also, he doesn`t seem to be ready to compromise on environmental issues which is what any self-respecting President would have to do. Perhaps his approach may do more for the environment than political manouvering in the corridors of power.

Lol on the Redwood Tree. But, alas, can you imagine a nation fed on Fox, Fear and War, having the sense to elect him?

Saima -- great piece -- I am glad that you are one with Al Gore on this very important issue...

but if I may bother you for an inconvenient truth -- why don`t you give a call to that global moron al gore the bore telling him -- that right now it`s more important to boil the butt of that Kyoto Kller George Bush -- than WORRY about warming of the Global Butt --

it is right now more important to make a film on the environment polluted by republican prostititution -- than making a movie on the future Global restitution stuff ...

......did it occur to that Dumbo that he has a good shot at the US presidency this time -- than he ever will -- that for for his project of Global warming he can be more effective as the President of the United States than playing a redwood tree against Linsey Lohan.....

Saima,
Good article, even though it lacks the garam masala we folks on chowk have become accustomed to, it was a pleasent change from the usual drab, many thanks and lets hope ppl start paying attention to this impending tragedy ie if anyone will be left to report after mother nature exacts her revenge with interest.

#14 by SaimaShah

Ama Yaar Saima Sahiba,
(I hope that is not a grammatically incorrect address in Urdu)

Kis ne kaha hai kee warming nahin ho rahee hai.

Duniya to ek chai ke pyale kee tarah hai.

Kabhie thoree garam to kabhi thoree thundhee!

Aur aisa hai ki…

Meri utility company gas ka bill din raat badhate jaa rahee hai – ek taraf aap kehti hain ki warming ho rahi hai or wo loag kehte hain ki main aur jiyada heating iste-maal ker raha hoon! Hum idhar dekhein ki udhar?!

Khair!

Chaliye maan lete hain ki tree kat gaye aur us se warming badh gayee – lekin katne wale trees to sabhi Africa mein hain (ya the)!

Aur aap hain ki – Amrikka per gussa hue jaa rahi hain!

Sawal hai ke reh na to yehin hai. Aur bina tarakki ke to jindagi chal nahin saktee (waise mere Bihar mein abhie bhee baail-gariyan chulti hain – lekin na jaane kya baat hai – koi un per chadhna hi nahin chahta! Hai na tajjub kee baat!!)

Aap ko tajjub nahin hua?

Aisa hai ki….

Agar a phenomenon strictly man-made hai bhee to – aap jantee hain, ye “men” to akal ke dushmun thahre. Hum Amrikka wale kitni bhee koshish karein – un Africa walon ko tree katne se kaise rok sakte Hain! Janaba, hum to ek Iraq sambhalne mein hi phans ke rah jaate hain.

Kitna karenge hum Amrikka wale – akele akele!

Tree kat te hain Africa wale – aur aap ghussa hotee hain Amrikka walon per!

Population growth hote jaati hai Asia mein – aur aap ghussa hotee hain Amrikka walon per!

Petroleum kee sub se jyada demand badhti hai China aur India mein – aur aap ghussa hotee hain Amrikka walon per!

Ye mamla samajhna thora mushkil hai – khaas taur per mujh jaise seedhe saadhe insaanon ke liye!

Hai na?!