As I have noted elsewhere, the “conservatives” seem to be realizing slowly that tens of thousands of scientists, all of whom have vast amounts of hard research, might actually be RIGHT about something they’ve studied for decades now…
Now the critical research is about whether we have passed a tipping point, and whether we can pull back sufficiently. Even if magical machines started pulling CO2 out of the air right now, the effects will linger for some time. Like a century.
In the article you refer to, @OldCoal, is promising to take out, they note that they would need 750,000 shipping-container-sized plants to remove 1% of global emissions. Notice that joker? Humans are putting something like 40 billion tons of CO2 into the air EVERY YEAR. (http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/08/20/atmospheric_co2_humans_put_40_billion_tons_into_the_air_annually.html)
But even if they manage to build 7,500,000 plants to remove all 40 billion tons (assuming they can), that still doesn’t account for all the CO2 CURRENTLY in the atmosphere, which will continue to keep the temperature rising.
We have a lot to do, I’m afraid. And the deniers have made it that much harder, as their delays have prevented us taking even basic, sensible action like moving to renewable energy (which has many advantages, including removing our dependency on Middle Eastern oil, reducing pollution, and allowing Americans to produce their own energy locally instead of relying on increasingly fragile networks).
One point to be made is that CO2 doesn’t just increase global temperatures, it also increases water acidity. The primary producers of our biosystem live in the oceans. They can be severely damaged by the acidity to the point of extinction. The dying coral reefs of the world are already warning us of this danger.
It’s interesting to see that we homo sapiens , at least in terms of global warming, climate change, etc. have hardly gotten past homo erectus: still growling warnings at each other, still throwing rocks, still immersed in the disputational primordial bog. This, while the planet dies. It’s okay, though. I’m part of it all, and I would mourn us, but I’m sure the Presence has gotten tired of this experiment and will dream up something better in the future. I only hope the new dream contains beings able to act for the universal good. Oh…….and pizza!
California is definitely heating up, but every August, here in San Diego, we are sure still seeing an awful lot of Arizona license plates. Climate change is real, and there are real consequences, but it is not just California. Europe and much of the rest of the United States is seeing record high temps, and there have been a lot of heat records and wildfires in Arizona this year, too.
It is a GLOBAL problem and, world-wide, we all need to do better in addressing it (my wife and I plug our two electric cars into our solar panels).
I remember – when I lived in Phoenix – when the joke was to sell land in western Arizona as beach front property because California was going to sink into the ocean because of earthquakes. But now it’s just going to be a vast, burned out desert. Meanwhile, the eastern side of the US is flooding out. Scandinavia has been having huge fires much like California’s, and the rest of Europe has had an extreme heat wave. I lived in Madrid as a teen for a couple of years and it was never so hot. Not once. The world isn’t going to survive the human race much longer.
Motivemagus almost 6 years ago
As I have noted elsewhere, the “conservatives” seem to be realizing slowly that tens of thousands of scientists, all of whom have vast amounts of hard research, might actually be RIGHT about something they’ve studied for decades now…
Now the critical research is about whether we have passed a tipping point, and whether we can pull back sufficiently. Even if magical machines started pulling CO2 out of the air right now, the effects will linger for some time. Like a century.
In the article you refer to, @OldCoal, is promising to take out, they note that they would need 750,000 shipping-container-sized plants to remove 1% of global emissions. Notice that joker? Humans are putting something like 40 billion tons of CO2 into the air EVERY YEAR. (http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/08/20/atmospheric_co2_humans_put_40_billion_tons_into_the_air_annually.html)
But even if they manage to build 7,500,000 plants to remove all 40 billion tons (assuming they can), that still doesn’t account for all the CO2 CURRENTLY in the atmosphere, which will continue to keep the temperature rising.
We have a lot to do, I’m afraid. And the deniers have made it that much harder, as their delays have prevented us taking even basic, sensible action like moving to renewable energy (which has many advantages, including removing our dependency on Middle Eastern oil, reducing pollution, and allowing Americans to produce their own energy locally instead of relying on increasingly fragile networks).
martens almost 6 years ago
One point to be made is that CO2 doesn’t just increase global temperatures, it also increases water acidity. The primary producers of our biosystem live in the oceans. They can be severely damaged by the acidity to the point of extinction. The dying coral reefs of the world are already warning us of this danger.
Masterskrain Premium Member almost 6 years ago
“But…But…But…Al Gore…But…”Fake News"…But…But…Cold Winters…But…But…But…Rush says it’s not real…But…But…But… Inconclusive…"/s
Diat60 almost 6 years ago
Out of the frying pan………………….
shakeswilly almost 6 years ago
Republican solution: Cut all the trees down, and pour asphalt over all the grasslands and there won’t be any forest fires.
Radish the wordsmith almost 6 years ago
go north, not east
braindead Premium Member almost 6 years ago
Trump Disciples still believe it’s a hoax — by China.
Kind&Kinder almost 6 years ago
It’s interesting to see that we homo sapiens , at least in terms of global warming, climate change, etc. have hardly gotten past homo erectus: still growling warnings at each other, still throwing rocks, still immersed in the disputational primordial bog. This, while the planet dies. It’s okay, though. I’m part of it all, and I would mourn us, but I’m sure the Presence has gotten tired of this experiment and will dream up something better in the future. I only hope the new dream contains beings able to act for the universal good. Oh…….and pizza!
Masterskrain Premium Member almost 6 years ago
So California has both Smog, and Smaug!
DD Wiz Premium Member almost 6 years ago
California is definitely heating up, but every August, here in San Diego, we are sure still seeing an awful lot of Arizona license plates. Climate change is real, and there are real consequences, but it is not just California. Europe and much of the rest of the United States is seeing record high temps, and there have been a lot of heat records and wildfires in Arizona this year, too.
It is a GLOBAL problem and, world-wide, we all need to do better in addressing it (my wife and I plug our two electric cars into our solar panels).
pamela welch Premium Member almost 6 years ago
I lived in Phoenix for 20 years, it’s a difficult concept: AZ cooler temps than CA … Lordy
kaffekup almost 6 years ago
If you can tolerate the brutality, there’s a great SF book about Phoenix’s near future, The Water Knife, by Paolo Bacigalupi.
Baslim the Beggar Premium Member almost 6 years ago
^Pamela Welch: Remember that California has Death Valley, which owns high temperature records.
And then there is Palm Springs…
https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/palm_springs_ca/phoenix_az/climate
GoneGirl almost 6 years ago
I remember – when I lived in Phoenix – when the joke was to sell land in western Arizona as beach front property because California was going to sink into the ocean because of earthquakes. But now it’s just going to be a vast, burned out desert. Meanwhile, the eastern side of the US is flooding out. Scandinavia has been having huge fires much like California’s, and the rest of Europe has had an extreme heat wave. I lived in Madrid as a teen for a couple of years and it was never so hot. Not once. The world isn’t going to survive the human race much longer.
martens almost 6 years ago
They’re looking at temps in excess of 115 F in Spain and Portugal. That is enough to cause deaths of susceptible people (such as the elderly).