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Any Global Warming Deniers out there still?
Posted: Feb 06, 2008 in Culture
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I just want a general conversation are there any global warming deniers left around here? This is rediculous this year and this week in general. I just had to user bags of rock salt as sandbags at the IMAX theatre on the southside becasue several inches of rain in FEBRUARY collected outside! As I am writing this there are tornado watches and we have already seen tornadoes this week. We have also had four tragic deaths in trafic accidents this week related to fog. The ground froze not surprisingly after several bellow zero days and when we reached nearly sixty a thick fog occured and four motorists died! Eleven died this week in tornadoes in the south and I am just glad that none have died thus far as a result of the tornadoes here. We weren't as lucky in years past with the storms in Evansville that killed 22 or in other deadly storms. We are used to tornadic activity and to serious thunderstorms but we have seen more of them and more of them when we don't expect them in these normaly frigid winter months. There is a serious human cost that comes with these storms I have had my own home and the homes of several family mebers leveled in the past. I don't want to see any more of these storms than we absolutely must. So I am asking at this point in time, do we realy still have people who are willing to spit in the face of families who have lost homes or loved ones to these rather unnatural storms? And if we do see the problem and know some solutions such as ethanol and other biomass which we do produce in near record numbers, than why are we still the 49th worst polluter in the nation? Are there any deniers out there? And what is your reasoning?
I don't know enough to deny it but I think it's exaggerated.
So yeah...you just listed 1 week's worth of unusual weather, among EONS of unusual weather, and cited it as proof of global warming? As warm as it was yesterday, we did NOT hit a record high temperature. Warm spells and tornadoes in January and February are unusual, but by no means unheard of. In fact, January of 1999 saw the largest tornado outbreak in U.S. history with 141 confirmed tornadoes. I'd say we've faired pretty well compared to that, with only 38 tornadoes nationwide in January 2008. Thunderstorms, fog, rain/flooding...all symptoms of cold air from the north pushing in to replace the not-so-unusual warm air from the gulf...which is to say, it's going to get cold again, so calm down!
I'm not saying that global warming doesn't exist, but as Randy said, it is grossly over-exaggerated. The world goes through long-term warming and cooling cycles. These cycles are so long that they far exceed our entire recorded history of weather data. Looking at such a short set of data on such a long timeline and declaring an out-of-control warming pattern would be like the Department of Transportation doing a 1 day survey of an intersection, seeing no wrecks, and deeming it safe...when in fact 150 wrecks have occurred over the other 364 days. A small sample may not be indicative of a long-term result.
I do think we should be concerned with out environmental footprint, and reduce it where possible. But if you want people to listen to you seriously, you have to stop with the maniacal pseudo-scientific rants. You have to back up your arguments with hard evidence, rather than listing a bunch of unusual weather symptoms and then saying "See! Global Warming!!!" Nobody wants to listen to a raving lunatic. I mean, think about it...when was the last time you took anything out of Tom Cruise's mouth seriously?
Actualy neither you or I had any way of knowing but yesterday set an unfortunate record for tornadic activity in february with the national weather service confirming sixty tornadoes and more than fifty deaths nationwide and an additional seventy five injuries in Tennesee alone. I was sadly also wrong about the death toll earlier in the week by the southern storm systems, the actual death toll was twenty two.
At this point in time after the IPCC report, NASA's climate model that shows that within five years we will have no more arctic ice, the NSA and pentagon assesment of global warming one of which came as early as 2004 as the most serious threat to global stability in addition to the most conservarive estimates by intergovernmental panels saying that this centruty could produce as many as 600,000,000 climate refugees.
My point is that though one week of strange weather is by no means proof in and of itself with issues of climate we are indeed forced to look at the bigger picture and if weather such as this is to become more common it will have a direct impact on us as a state and city and I think that fact has realy yet to be acknowledged even though we are the 49th worst polluter in the nation with the average carbon footprint in the state well over ten tons acording to the alliance for climate protection and forbes magzine.
I personally believe it is happening and to me the proof is in the glaciers. In glacier national park in Montana, they are rapidly melting away right before our eyes!! The fact that they are melting steadily shows that the overall temperature has gone up. Soon they will be gone... so sad.
However, I also believe that part of it could be due to natural weather cycling... but to the extent it is happening... no.
Regardless if global warming exists or not, my main concern is what we are doing to our environment. Like stated above, Indiana is the 49th worst state in poluting... yuck!!
I think its our responsibility to protect our environment for future generations. Most likely our lazy, careless use of energy and resources isn't going to effect us personally... and I think that's why so many are lazy. But what about the next generation?? It just takes little things: recylcing, carpooling, energy efficient lightbulbs, etc. I hate how so many just don't care.
Recylcing pick up is only $6.40 a month! Or you can drive your stuff to a nearby location for free!! IPL customers, you can get your energy from renewable resources for only 0.002 cents per kilowatt hour (average of $2 a month!!!)