Global Warming/Climate Change Super Thread

[ArmyRick]

Some time ago I read an article in Time magazine and it was referring to huba loo about global climate change (which has been on going since earth formed)

It was interesting to note that there was a big scare in the early seventies that we were going to be thrown into another major ice age in 10 years. Turned out to be a bit of panicking on some poorly miread data I would guess.

I am a big fan of studying the pleistocene era and the more you look at it, the more you realize, climate is never constant. You can not truly measure global climate over a 10 year or a 100 year period. I would look at the trend over the last hundred thousand years.

Most of Canada 25,000 years ago was buried underneath massive ice sheets. It took several thousand years but the ice did retreat. 15,000 years ago, you could walk from Russia to Alaska without getting your feet wet or even seeing the ocean. It was the bering land bridge (which is buried under the ocean). At the same time, the grand banks of NFLD was dry land.

Something to think about before "doom and gloom, the world is melting..."

 

[HavokFour]

Say Goodbye to Sunspots?​

Scientists studying sunspots for the past 2 decades have concluded that the magnetic field that triggers their formation has been steadily declining. If the current trend continues, by 2016 the sun's face may become spotless and remain that way for decades—a phenomenon that in the 17th century coincided with a prolonged period of cooling on Earth.

Sunspots appear when upwellings of the sun's magnetic field trap ionized plasma—or electrically charged, superheated gas—on the surface. Normally, the gas would release its heat and sink back below the surface, but the magnetic field inhibits this process. From Earth, the relatively cool surface gas looks like a dark blemish on the sun.

Astronomers have been observing and counting sunspots since Galileo began the practice in the early 17th century. From those studies, scientists have long known that the sun goes through an 11-year cycle, in which the number of sunspots spikes during a period called the solar maximum and drops—sometimes to zero—during a time of inactivity called the solar minimum.

The last solar minimum should have ended last year, but something peculiar has been happening. Although solar minimums normally last about 16 months, the current one has stretched over 26 months—the longest in a century. One reason, according to a paper submitted to the International Astronomical Union Symposium No. 273, an online colloquium, is that the magnetic field strength of sunspots appears to be waning.

Read more...

Better get started knitting myself some mittens.

 

[sean m]

Has anyone read this, it is interesting yet scary. Hopefully we can still become a superpower without the threat of global warming.


http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews//20100924/global-warming-100925/

By the year 2050 Canada could be enjoying newfound status as a global superpower blessed with a developed north, plenty of fresh water, a growing population and new shipping lanes through the Arctic.

That's the theory put forward in Laurence C. Smith's new book "The World in 2050" -- a scientific exploration of the effects of climate change over the next 40 years.

According to Smith's 40-year projection, global warming will free up northern natural resources such as oil, gas and water. That in turn will attract immigrants and lead to new infrastructure and development for northern rim countries -- NORCs, as he calls them -- at a time when southern countries will be running out of resources and seeing their populations fall.

The north will also warm up, meaning fewer and fewer of those -40 Celsius days that tend to grind productivity to a halt.

But this is not a reason to celebrate, Smith is quick to point out. While Canada, Russia, the Scandinavian countries and northern U.S. will see significant benefits from a warming planet, the rest of the world will suffer catastrophic losses.

"Most climate change is overwhelmingly negative, I'm not a Pollyanna," he told CTV.ca from his office at UCLA, noting that we are already experiencing the harsh effects of a warming planet.

"The pine beetle is devastating B.C. timber and summer heat waves knocked out 30 per cent of Russia wheat crop, so it would be disingenuous of me to suggest all of this spells nothing but good news. But alongside the bad news there will be some beneficial changes."

Smith, a scientist and professor of geography and earth sciences at the University of California Los Angeles, set out four years ago to write a book about the negative effects of climate change in the north.

There are two stories to every issue. I went there and found people suffering but I also found people flourishing, doing well.

-- Laurence Smith

Just prior to that, ice levels in the Arctic had receded to a record low and there was a feverish search among journalists for stories about the negative fallout for northern life.

Smith joined in that hunt.

"I'm a climate scientist by training and an Arctic specialist, so I went to the Arctic to document the effects of climate change and hopefully humanize it a bit," he said.

"I wanted to hear, frankly, about the negative effects of climate change. And I did. I got all those stories and I got more than that on top of it. I got a lot more than I bargained for."

Inevitably, Smith's conversations about melting ice and shrinking hunting grounds segued to other issues, like land claims, education issues, new development and industry -- those were the topics northern residents really wanted to talk about.

"There are two stories to every issue," Smith told CTV.ca.

"I went there and found people suffering but I also found people flourishing, doing well."

That discovery changed the direction of Smith's project and he began to consider the possibility that climate change could have a silver lining -- at least for some.

Dramatic projections

In "The World in 2050" Smith analyzes four "global forces" that he believes are the main drivers shaping our future world:

    * Climate change
    * The worldwide effects of a growing and aging population
    * Increasing demand for dwindling natural resources
    * Globalization and worldwide economic integration

Among his findings, Smith projects that China will pass the U.S. as the world's strongest economy by 2050. The U.S. will move to second, followed by India.

Mega-cities will proliferate in this new world, and wet regions will get wetter while dry parts of the planet will get even drier.

And of course, the world will get a lot warmer. By century's end, Smith predicts, the planet's temperatures will have risen by 15 degrees Celsius on average -- at best. At worst, it will be double that.

The earth's animal population will also suffer huge losses as a result of these changes and some species will be forced further and further north, in order to survive.

Weathering the storm

Canada, however, is well positioned geographically, politically and socially to deal with many of these changes, Smith said.

Perhaps most importantly, Canada is a country that welcomes skilled immigrants. As a result, despite our aging demographic, Canada's population is set to increase by 30 per cent in the next 40 years -- a growth rate rivalling India's.

"That's mostly due to her ability to attract highly skilled immigrants," Smith said. "Canadian immigration policy favours work skills and language above all else, even family reunification."

Culturally, Canadians have become a very welcoming country to newcomers, Smith said, referencing Canada's multi-ethnic television spectrum as an example. That characteristic will serve the country well, Smith said, as outsiders begin to clamour for opportunities here.

Russia, by contrast, will likely experience a population crash due to its xenophobic attitude towards outsiders.

"There's a spectrum and it all goes back to the exact same thing, how welcoming are you of global integration? And the countries that welcome outsiders grow, the ones that don't, do not," Smith said.

Smith also cites the birth rate of Canada's northern indigenous people and the "resurgence of their political power" as a strength for Canada.

Among the Inuit the median age is 23, compared to 40 for the country as a while, and in Nunavut the birth rate is 24 babies for every 1,000 people.

"So it's a small population but it's one of the fastest growing," Smith said, pointing out that a growing northern population bodes well for the region.

A warning cry

Despite the positive predictions Smith makes for Canada over the next 40 years, he says his message is overwhelmingly one of warning. He hopes readers will not take his theories as a reason to celebrate their NORC status, but that they will be inspired to change the course currently set in motion.

"It's my fervent hope that this book makes people think harder about what were doing now so we can avert many of its predictions," he said.

"We're talking about a tiny part of the globe. These handful of benefits occur in a small place, and they have to be framed against the background of a world depressed. It seems almost selfish to relish in those benefits that come at such a cost."

 

[a_majoor]

If the prior post by HavocFour is correct, we won't be celebrating our NORC status at all.....

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

We'll all be illegal aliens in Mexico...........

 

[zipperhead_cop]

The more affluent this country becomes, the more money we shovel into welfare and societal leeches.  Net result for average Joe/Jane?  Zilch. 

 

[a_majoor]

Eco-Fascism shows its true face:

http://pajamasmedia.com/zombie/2010/10/01/most-honest-political-ad-of-all-time/

Global Warming murder fantasy nabs prize as most honest political ad of all time
October 1, 2010 - by Zombie
Share |

“10:10″ is a campaign to get people around the world to lower their carbon consumption by 10% in the year 2010. Global Warming and all that, you see.

It’s quite a large, well-organized movement, funded in part by the British government.

This morning, the 10:10 campaign released “No Pressure,” a much-anticipated video promoting the notion of compliance to the carbon-reduction drive, a video scripted by famed British screenwriter Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Mr. Bean, etc.) and produced by a professional film crew with top-notch actors.

However…

Within minutes of its unveiling earlier today, “No Pressure” caused such an uproar that it was taken offline while the producers issued an apology.

Luckily, enterprising bloggers saved copies and have been frantically re-uploading them to YouTube, to prevent the video from disappearing down the memory hole.

Why? Because no video has ever provided such a revealing and shocking peek into the mindset of the Global Warming alarmists.

Before I say any more, you absolutely need to see the video itself:

Alternately, you can watch directly on its (often faster-loading) YouTube page: 10:10 mini-movie – No Pressure

In both cases, let the video load fully before watching it, to get the full effect, and make sure to watch it all the way to the end.

Oh, and make sure you’re sitting down, too.

…

OK, now that you’ve lost your “No Pressure” virginity, what do you think? An effective way to convince people to lower their carbon footprint — or final proof that the Green movement are a bunch of crypto-fascists with violent fantasies of exterminating their opponents, and who use threats to enforce groupthink?

As James Delingpole put it in his column about the video, “Eco-fascism jumps the shark: massive, epic fail!”

And just exactly how amusing is it to depict the graphic murder of children who refuse to march in lockstep with the Global Warming cult?

If someone set out to intentionally discredit the Global Warming movement, they couldn’t have made a video more devastating than this one. It’s as if the eco-fascists have an irrepressible urge to expose their unconscious fantasies to those whom they seek to dominate — like a serial killer who sends taunting letters to the media. “When we say ‘No pressure,’ what that really means is, ‘We will kill you if you don’t obey.’ So, don’t worry, NO PRESSURE. Understand? Our finger is hovering over the red button. Really, you are free to think whatever you want. (Wink.) No pressure. Ha ha ha!”

Discuss.

Update: In case the above clip is pulled from YouTube, Ed Driscoll has also uploaded a copy of the video to his PJ Express blog, where he places it into context with last year’s increasingly violent environmentally-themed PSAs.

 

[ModlrMike]

Well, that was pretty disgusting. What are they trying to say? That it's OK to kill children and adults that don't agree with you?

If I was of a mind to participate before I watched the film, I'm certainly not now!

 

[HavokFour]

I think it reveals a lot about the 'global warming' mindset. To me it says "We're OK with your choice. Now please follow us into this dark alley for 'reprogramming'."

What I really want to know is what the hell the director was thinking when he thought this would be OK to show on national television. Sure it got the whole issue press time (then again, when isn't 'global warming' in the news?), but it's seriously going to hurt the cause in the long term.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

I thought it was bloody awesome!  Not much help for the climate conspirists, but a great look at the carbon bullying that has been going on. 

They should do one of those for H1N1 flu shots. 

 

[Haletown]

So some fear mongering eco-grifter makes the claim"

"And of course, the world will get a lot warmer. By century's end, Smith predicts, the planet's temperatures will have risen by 15 degrees Celsius on average -- at best. At worst, it will be double that."

That means in 90 years an increase of about  0.17 degrees per year.  Given that the most accurate satellite data says the troposphere has warmed  about .5 degrees since 1979, this is quite the claim. 

Kind of like saying the Leafs will win  10  or maybe 20 Stanley Cups by the end of the century.


The bigger the lie, the greater the fear, the more funding they hope to get.

 

[GAP]

Coldest winter in 1,000 years on its way
Article Link
Published 04 October, 2010, 22:20 Edited 05 October, 2010, 21:10

After the record heat wave this summer, Russia's weather seems to have acquired a taste for the extreme.

Forecasters say this winter could be the coldest Europe has seen in the last 1,000 years.

The change is reportedly connected with the speed of the Gulf Stream, which has shrunk in half in just the last couple of years. Polish scientists say that it means the stream will not be able to compensate for the cold from the Arctic winds. According to them, when the stream is completely stopped, a new Ice Age will begin in Europe.

So far, the results have been lower temperatures: for example, in Central Russia, they are a couple of degrees below the norm.

“Although the forecast for the next month is only 70 percent accurate, I find the cold winter scenario quite likely,” Vadim Zavodchenkov, a leading specialist at the Fobos weather center, told RT. “We will be able to judge with more certainty come November. As for last summer's heat, the statistical models that meteorologists use to draw up long-term forecasts aren't able to predict an anomaly like that.”
More on link

How a two-degree increase would hit home in Canada
John Ibbitson Globe and Mail Update  Oct. 05, 2010 10:06AM EDT
Article Link

Bad for skiing, good for golf. Hard on the St. Lawrence seaway, a boon for the cod fishery.

Rather than just worrying about the effects of global warming, a new study projects the actual impact on Canada’s environment and economy, if the planet experiences an increase of two degrees this century.

PDF file of National Round Table on the Environment and Economy maps climate-change impact
More on link

 

[bdave]

Global Warming Alarmists are like PETA: a bunch of a retards with nothing better to do worried about something that is natural, with nothing to back up their claims.

 

[Haletown]

The morons that released the 10:10 blowing up the kiddie dissenters video are receiving the full internet treatment.

They have been "Downfalled" and given the "Director's Cut" treatment.


http://eyetube.me/play/YouTwat/1010_The_Dictators_Cut

This isn't going away soon, especially after the greenie fear mongering that came out of Ottawa today about a 15 degree temperature jump this century.

 

[ModlrMike]

Global Warming Alarmists are like PETA: a bunch of a retards with nothing better to do worried about something that is natural, with nothing to back up their claims.

Yet these are the same clowns who foresaw the next ice age when we had bitterly cold winters in the 70s.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Global Warming Alarmists are like PETA: a bunch of a retards with nothing better to do worried about something that is natural, with nothing to back up their claims.

That's unfair to retards.  They don't chose to be simple. 

 

[lethalLemon]

Cycles... That's all it is.

Sure, we see these "record breaking temperatures" and temperatures that are "off the norm"; but we can't see detailed weather patterns down to 0.1 of a degree (Celsius) 100 years ago... 300 years ago... 150 000 years ago.

What Scientists do know is that the Earth works in cycles; and it's quite possible all we're seeing is the tip of an iceberg of a cycle.


You know what I say?

BRING THE HEAT! 8)

 

[57Chevy]

Coldest winter in 1,000 years on its way

Likely going to be a BIG winter and coming extra early too.

 

[a_majoor]

There are many indicators (especially from solar observations) that we might actually be entering another "little ice age", which would have pretty severe effects on agriculture, shipping and almost every other human activity.

Humans, plants and most animals like warmer weather, so you might consider uprooting and moving south along with the rest of the great migration.

OTOH, Canada was actually settled during the last little ice age using 16th century technology, so be prepared to dig in a bit and tough it out (the last one only lasted about 400 years...)

 

[bdave]

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/health-sapping.html