2009 Dec 22 - Tue
Global Warming: Should I Be Concerned?
For years, I've heard reports that the Earth is warming up, and as a consequence, something should be done about it.
Primary symptoms of warming have been through reports of that Antartica's Ice Cap is reducing in size.
A primary contributing factor which has been suggested as a primary contributor has been the combustion of various
fossil fuels which added carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, which in turns traps reflected sunlight, which in
turn warms the Earth/Atmosphere. Among other things.
I've been lead to believe that that global warming is a bad thing, and should be stopped, or even possibly reversed.
A fellow by the name of Mann recently presented a chart, now known as the 'hockey stick' chart, which shows a significant increase in
average global temperatures. Popular media has become enamoured with this chart, particularily recently, what with all
the latest brouhaha during the Copenhagen Climate talks.
From what I hear, developing nations want developed nations to give them billions of dollars in either cash or technology
cut emissions. If developed nations can't even commit to cutting their own emissions, what is the point in giving some one
else money in the illusion that they might also cut emissions.
Would it not be better to just put the hundreds of billions of dollars directly into alternate energy research? Obviously,
there will be expensive gaffs along the way, but at least something direct may come of it to assist the developed as well
as developing countries.
But then comes along some data that indicates that this may all be a moot point. A number of different scientific
observers have put together data from many different sources, with the data indicating that we are by no means currently
at a historically high global temperature. The middle ages (around 1000AD) saw higher temperatures than what we are
currently experiencing. The time around 0 AD saw even higher temperatures. And 1000 years before that were even higher temperatures.
And over the course of history, substantial temperature swings have been noted.
Mann's 'Hockey Stick' may be significant in recent history, but is it significant in the grand scheme of things? Is global warming an
event which would have arrived regardless of human meddling?
One way or another, the climate is going to give us some interesting action over the next little while, for some value of little.
It looks like I should be concerned, but due to completely different reasons.
For more climate oriented pointers, visit
Watts Up With That?.
|
