Climate Change - Fact or Fiction?

[Stormrider51]

First off, let me say that I'm a conservative when it comes to most things. On the subject of climate change however, I think anyone who doesn't accept it isn't paying attention or hasn't done enough research. Doubters got hung up on the buzz phrase "Global Warming" and gleefully point out every episode of cold weather anywhere in the world as proof that the climate isn't getting warmer. But it is. Unusual weather patterns are part of the effect. What are your thoughts?

SR51

[blucher]

You can't mush a dog team to the North Pole anymore but you can paddle a kayak there.

The Inuit villages are losing ground to rising seas and building dikes like New Orleans.

Global Warming happens over time and a few winter storms are just part of that mix. How many of us in snow country remember those big storms that regularly dumped 30 plus inches of snow?

[M22KLARS]

My thoughts are that the climate has been changing since the beginning of time.....

[Stormrider51]

The problem is not just that the climate is changing, it's how fast it is happening. That the climate changes over time is evident. Just look at the Ice Ages. I've lived in Texas all my life and can remember when we had "real winters" meaning that it got cold for longer than a couple of days at a time. That hasn't happened in decades. I also know that we now have a breeding colony of Mexican Red Head Amazon parrots living along the San Marcos River. Those are tropical birds who migrated north with the warmer winters.

SR51

[blucher]

Originally Posted by Stormrider51

The problem is not just that the climate is changing, it's how fast it is happening. That the climate changes over time is evident. Just look at the Ice Ages. I've lived in Texas all my life and can remember when we had "real winters" meaning that it got cold for longer than a couple of days at a time. That hasn't happened in decades. I also know that we now have a breeding colony of Mexican Red Head Amazon parrots living along the San Marcos River. Those are tropical birds who migrated north with the warmer winters.SR51

Same thing happened to the California brown pelicans. They're now the Oregon pelicans.

By the end of the Civil War the Industrial Revolution was nearing full speed. Throughout the 20th Century we poured fossil fuel emissions into the atmosphere. Our populations exploded and we added chlorofluorocarbons and other nice stuff to the mix.
Nature is pretty much self cleaning but we overwhelmed the system. Cancer doesn't run in my family but it hit me a year ago. I just lost one friend to cancer and will lose two other friends over the next few years.
I remember back in the early 60's driving past Gary Indiana when the steel mills still thrived. There was a 20 mile stretch of pure stench covered by a rust brown sky and that was 50 years ago.

[Musicinabottle]

Then you have the ice cores and the whole carbon emissions thing...........

[RedJeepXJ]

I certainly believe it is happening and there is evidence to support that man is speeding it up, but evidence from both sides needs to be looked at critically as there is just to much money being poured into both sides of the debate for much of the reports/studies to be truly unbiased. as usual I would bet the truth lies somewhere in the middle and not at either extreme. I don't think that doing nothing will lead to an apocalypse with florida underwater in 30 years nor do I think we won't suffer problems if we don't do anything.

[ivounnerry]

It's hard to admit that Climate Change really exists and its because of the Global Warming. Also, it really give me headaches when I think of the people who just take it for nothing. They're stupid and uneducated and don't know how to love the nature.

What's happening now is the proof.

[Funetical]

Oh yeah, it's real, if you don't accept that there's an issue. I think the debate is whether humans are causing it.

I think we aren't helping it, but I don't think it is entirely our fault.

[opheucus]

Originally Posted by RedJeepXJ

.....evidence from both sides needs to be looked at critically as there is just to much money being poured into both sides of the debate for much of the reports/studies to be truly unbiased. ..........

Try to find one independent climatologist who doesn't agree that we are indeed causing it, AND that it is actually WORSE (speeding up faster) than they projected.

Scientist's worldwide, who have no financial interest in pushing it one way or the other, are incredulous that evening news talking heads can cause the confusion over this subject that it has.

Fla. may not go under in 30 years, but it wont be a helluvalot longer than that.