So you people are saying the warmth we’re getting in December now may turn out to be a permanent thing? In the words of Bruce of “Family Guy” fame: Ohhhhhhhhh, noooooooo!
“Oh Brother! You do realize that the atmosphere has been warming for 14000 years, right? Since the last Ice age? And it wasn’t human caused either. The earth manages itself and only human arrogance causes the mania that humans can actually affect the entire biosphere.”
No it hasn’t been warming for the last 14000 years, yese there was an ice age, in fact there have been several so yes indeed there is a cycle of warming and cooling, we have people called scientists who spend their lives studying such things. So they can tell if what we are seeing now fits into that pattern, It doesn’t. The earth doesnt manage anything, it doesn’t give a %^&$ if its an iceball or all desert, only we sentient beings care that it stays pretty stable. Now there are 7.125 Billion of us……busy burning fossil fuels (trapped carbon from millions of years of life on earth) and cutting down forests and its only Human complete arrogance to imagine we can do so without affecting the entire biosphere, we already have done so by creating the biggest mass extinction since the Dinosaurs.
@Judson Fredrickson@Everyone Else Who Reads This StripI just signed up for an account, after reading for years, to once again, as many have done before me, implore you all, toPLEASE…STOP…HIJACKING…COMMENTS
@Herrweh made a great piggyback about the pretenses of selling the planet, while giving it a spin with today’s issues. He/She did NOT ask for a debate about climate science.
I read these comments because most of you regulars, like@Bilan and @LeadingEdge have lots of funny “piggyback” jokes and quips relevant to the daily strip.And we ALL appreciate input from @Hobbes.
The rest of you goodhearted souls who have tried to respond, believe me, it takes all my strength to avoid jumping in. But it only encourages people to keep starting these conversations on websites and forums that have nothing to do with it. Fight the good fight on the right battlefields, and try to help keep these threads relevant.
“We turn to comics to laugh about our issues, not to wallow in them.” – Me
Guess I’ll have to put the sled away and start using SPF 20 instead of SPF 15. Or simply wait for proof, since science isn’t settled on consensus or computer models.
If the warming thing is really true, buy land in Siberia, Greenland, or Northern Canada, maybe even Antartica. Greenland will be green again! Don’t buy land in Florida or Netherlands.
Apart from the changing real estate market, global warming is a good thing. I’m more worried about the increasing acidity of the ocean killing corals and other life dependent on calcium carbonate. That is the real damage from CO₂. Ironically, the entire annual human contribution of CO₂ would have been absorbed by the rain forests we have cut down. Chop a tree – kill a coral.
As to the warming, global average temperatures as measured by satellite have been constant since 1998. However, local minimum and maximum temperatures have been diverging. This is both worrisome in itself, and feeds politicized science. Depending on where you look, you can find a warming trend, or a cooling trend. Or you can stick to the global average and say nothing is changing. All three approaches are misleading.
@Stuart Gathman@Judson Fredrickson@James Maxwell@GuiltyBystanderFor a nuanced analysis and deconstruction of the argument posited by Sens. Cruz, Inhofe, et al, see one of these two links. Or both, if you’re feeling ambitious!
You are absolutely right! If cars, heavy industry and coal-fired power plants didn’t affect the climate 14000 years ago, how could they possibly affect it today?
Thanks for mentioning the deforestation. Whole states once covered with forest now have much fewer trees. Pavement, houses, buildings and other items have replaced them and do not convert CO2 to O2 and collect heat during the day and radiates the heat at night.
Humans have already significantly affected the biosphere — local and “entire” — in ways having nothing to do with CO2 or climate..And the fact that a change can occur from natural (“natural”?) causes doesn’t mean that it cannot be affected — or even “happen” — as a result of human action. E.g., I’ve known a number of persons who died of “natural causes”, but I’ve known others who died as a result of being struck by automobiles and one who was murdered by a club-swinging human.
I’m guessing that unlike our world, their planet’s axis of rotation isn’t tilted from the perpendicular of its orbital plane, so no seasons. Hmm…I wonder what it would be like on a planet of eternal spring.
“Humans are the only species that can an have changed the Earth.”.Single species… maybe. But organisms have repeatedly caused major changes. After all, before the rise of plant life, the atmosphere contained little oxygen, and modern animal life couldn’t have survived. Petroleum apparently wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for ancient animal life. The ant family — though not identifiably any individual species — is said to have caused more change to the global environment than all of man’s work so far. It does seem, though, that we’re trying hard to catch up to them.
No, Al Gore doesn’t speak “for the scientists”. They speak for themselves. He does, however, claim to base his speech on the results of their research.
The rivers, lakes and the oceans around the Americas are reverting back(slowly) to be more acidic like they were before the Europeans came and used the slash and burn techniques to clear the land. Mother nature will overcome, even if it is with acid rain.
“…we have people called scientists who spend their lives studying such things.”
We have people called “scientists” who spend their lives chasing the next grant dollar," who will whore themselves out, say whatever Uncle Sam Moneybags wants them to say, facts (and science) be damned. So much of their faulty models and predictions have been disproved, yet they keep right on regurgitating their half digested hyperbaloney so the powers that be, those with the political agenda, will keep paying them.
1. Yes—but it’s the rate of warming that matters also. If it warms a degree in 1000 years, species have time to evolve to cope. If it warms a degree in 20-30 years, many don’t, and the ecology is stressed.
2. 7 Billion humans in every corner of the biosphere pouring 92 billion tons of CO2—and other greenhouse gasses, which are more potent pound for pound—while not removing any—does affect the self-management of the earth, even if it is under 20% of the natural flow of CO2.
Vgrift85 over 8 years ago
seriously though, I love the double image of the second panel. Genius….
Ravenswing over 8 years ago
Hey, the aliens reneged on the deal!
Vgrift85 over 8 years ago
yeah, sorry for my rampage there…..
the aliens are backkkkkkk
Bilan over 8 years ago
Sorry guy, you gave me a bad collection of leaves, so the warranty is null and void.
Kind&Kinder over 8 years ago
Buyer’s remorse. Well, caveat emptor!
Rufus The naked mole rat over 8 years ago
So you people are saying the warmth we’re getting in December now may turn out to be a permanent thing? In the words of Bruce of “Family Guy” fame: Ohhhhhhhhh, noooooooo!
Dour Scotsman over 8 years ago
“Oh Brother! You do realize that the atmosphere has been warming for 14000 years, right? Since the last Ice age? And it wasn’t human caused either. The earth manages itself and only human arrogance causes the mania that humans can actually affect the entire biosphere.”
No it hasn’t been warming for the last 14000 years, yese there was an ice age, in fact there have been several so yes indeed there is a cycle of warming and cooling, we have people called scientists who spend their lives studying such things. So they can tell if what we are seeing now fits into that pattern, It doesn’t. The earth doesnt manage anything, it doesn’t give a %^&$ if its an iceball or all desert, only we sentient beings care that it stays pretty stable. Now there are 7.125 Billion of us……busy burning fossil fuels (trapped carbon from millions of years of life on earth) and cutting down forests and its only Human complete arrogance to imagine we can do so without affecting the entire biosphere, we already have done so by creating the biggest mass extinction since the Dinosaurs.
Carl R over 8 years ago
Take the aliens sledding, Calvin. I bet they will like it.
trut009 over 8 years ago
@Judson Fredrickson@Everyone Else Who Reads This StripI just signed up for an account, after reading for years, to once again, as many have done before me, implore you all, toPLEASE…STOP…HIJACKING…COMMENTS
@Herrweh made a great piggyback about the pretenses of selling the planet, while giving it a spin with today’s issues. He/She did NOT ask for a debate about climate science.
I read these comments because most of you regulars, like@Bilan and @LeadingEdge have lots of funny “piggyback” jokes and quips relevant to the daily strip.And we ALL appreciate input from @Hobbes.
The rest of you goodhearted souls who have tried to respond, believe me, it takes all my strength to avoid jumping in. But it only encourages people to keep starting these conversations on websites and forums that have nothing to do with it. Fight the good fight on the right battlefields, and try to help keep these threads relevant.
“We turn to comics to laugh about our issues, not to wallow in them.” – Me
See you in the funny papers.
eccolibri60 Premium Member over 8 years ago
Oh my gosh, I’m glad I wasn’t drinking anything when I saw that last frame!
Guilty Bystander over 8 years ago
Guess I’ll have to put the sled away and start using SPF 20 instead of SPF 15. Or simply wait for proof, since science isn’t settled on consensus or computer models.
neverenoughgold over 8 years ago
Is Al Gore still around? Maybe he was recycled…
stuart over 8 years ago
If the warming thing is really true, buy land in Siberia, Greenland, or Northern Canada, maybe even Antartica. Greenland will be green again! Don’t buy land in Florida or Netherlands.
Apart from the changing real estate market, global warming is a good thing. I’m more worried about the increasing acidity of the ocean killing corals and other life dependent on calcium carbonate. That is the real damage from CO₂. Ironically, the entire annual human contribution of CO₂ would have been absorbed by the rain forests we have cut down. Chop a tree – kill a coral.
As to the warming, global average temperatures as measured by satellite have been constant since 1998. However, local minimum and maximum temperatures have been diverging. This is both worrisome in itself, and feeds politicized science. Depending on where you look, you can find a warming trend, or a cooling trend. Or you can stick to the global average and say nothing is changing. All three approaches are misleading.
Liverlips McCracken Premium Member over 8 years ago
@Stuart Gathman@Judson Fredrickson@James Maxwell@GuiltyBystanderFor a nuanced analysis and deconstruction of the argument posited by Sens. Cruz, Inhofe, et al, see one of these two links. Or both, if you’re feeling ambitious!
http://www.factcheck.org/2015/11/smith-misfires-on-climate-science/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/mar/20/ted-cruz/ted-cruzs-worlds-fire-not-last-17-years/
Marty241 over 8 years ago
Just another hysteria.
JP Steve Premium Member over 8 years ago
You are absolutely right! If cars, heavy industry and coal-fired power plants didn’t affect the climate 14000 years ago, how could they possibly affect it today?
Scoutmaster77 over 8 years ago
Where’s my leaves!
eugene57 over 8 years ago
Thanks for mentioning the deforestation. Whole states once covered with forest now have much fewer trees. Pavement, houses, buildings and other items have replaced them and do not convert CO2 to O2 and collect heat during the day and radiates the heat at night.
cheap_day_return over 8 years ago
Thank you!
Number Three over 8 years ago
Calvin looks a little bit like an alien himself in the 2nd panel.
Clever!
xxx
gammaguy over 8 years ago
Humans have already significantly affected the biosphere — local and “entire” — in ways having nothing to do with CO2 or climate..And the fact that a change can occur from natural (“natural”?) causes doesn’t mean that it cannot be affected — or even “happen” — as a result of human action. E.g., I’ve known a number of persons who died of “natural causes”, but I’ve known others who died as a result of being struck by automobiles and one who was murdered by a club-swinging human.
Godfather Vito over 8 years ago
Uh Oh I’d forgot that Calvin sold the Earth
yangeldf over 8 years ago
I’m guessing that unlike our world, their planet’s axis of rotation isn’t tilted from the perpendicular of its orbital plane, so no seasons. Hmm…I wonder what it would be like on a planet of eternal spring.
gammaguy over 8 years ago
“Humans are the only species that can an have changed the Earth.”.Single species… maybe. But organisms have repeatedly caused major changes. After all, before the rise of plant life, the atmosphere contained little oxygen, and modern animal life couldn’t have survived. Petroleum apparently wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for ancient animal life. The ant family — though not identifiably any individual species — is said to have caused more change to the global environment than all of man’s work so far. It does seem, though, that we’re trying hard to catch up to them.
gammaguy over 8 years ago
No, Al Gore doesn’t speak “for the scientists”. They speak for themselves. He does, however, claim to base his speech on the results of their research.
gammaguy over 8 years ago
Hey Calvin, those aliens look like cones with snow on them. Would a bit of syrup make them proper snow cones?
Susie Derkins :D over 8 years ago
Well, well, well. If it isn’t the same 2 aliens who helped you with your leaf collection.
route66paul over 8 years ago
The rivers, lakes and the oceans around the Americas are reverting back(slowly) to be more acidic like they were before the Europeans came and used the slash and burn techniques to clear the land. Mother nature will overcome, even if it is with acid rain.
neverenoughgold over 8 years ago
Al Gore just speaks for the scientists, he isn’t one nor ever claimed to be one.
I never said he is or was…
johnmanjaybee over 8 years ago
“…we have people called scientists who spend their lives studying such things.”
We have people called “scientists” who spend their lives chasing the next grant dollar," who will whore themselves out, say whatever Uncle Sam Moneybags wants them to say, facts (and science) be damned. So much of their faulty models and predictions have been disproved, yet they keep right on regurgitating their half digested hyperbaloney so the powers that be, those with the political agenda, will keep paying them.
rocketranger2 over 8 years ago
Global Cooling, one hemisphere at a time!
bmonk over 8 years ago
1. Yes—but it’s the rate of warming that matters also. If it warms a degree in 1000 years, species have time to evolve to cope. If it warms a degree in 20-30 years, many don’t, and the ecology is stressed.
2. 7 Billion humans in every corner of the biosphere pouring 92 billion tons of CO2—and other greenhouse gasses, which are more potent pound for pound—while not removing any—does affect the self-management of the earth, even if it is under 20% of the natural flow of CO2.