Abandoned Forum

[Insanity test]

I watched newsnight here on the BBC earlier and there was an item about global warming.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/n ... 362407.stm

Someone has published a book claiming that global warming is in fact due to a combination of solar radiation, cosmic rays given off from exploding stars and micro particals in our atmosphere being bombarded with ions affecting their ability to produce clouds, or something like that. Less clouds, less heat deflection, warmer planet.

I'm not really sure what to think about this, it's not a new theory, it was first posited decades ago, but it has recently been revived with 'proof' (I wont go into details here, I havn't actually read the book and I might get them wrong!)

But anyway, it got me thinking, and I sortof came to the conclusion that global warming is due to no one, or even small group of factors.

The planet does indeed go through cycles of heat and cold as part of it's natrual cycle - in fact humans burning trees and such over the past few thousand years has staved off the worst of the ice ages - but there is significant evidence that we are if not causing, certainly encouraging climate change.

I saw a news report a couple of years back which might have been slightly scaremongerig, but it showed a picture of the world with the polar ice-caps melted. Sea levels had risen 4 metres and thousands upon thousands of square miles of previously dry land was now under water. However I don't believe this will happen, because as the earth's temperatures rise, the whole balance is thrown and the actual result will be a global cooling - at least in the Northern hemi-sphere for the main.

This is due to the gulf stream being dsrupted preventing it from carrying warm water up around the Atlantic and other such disruptions across the globe.

But what do you think??

Aaand... Discuss!!

[nil]

There are million of things that contribute to global warming: climate cycle, deforestation, the monitor you use to read this message etc... they all warm up the earth more or less, some neglitable, some minor... Those are all facts.

The question is what's the main cause?

The fact that modern industries produce a massive amount of green house gases, and green house gases trapped heat within our planet and increase the overall temperature of our planet, is an undeniable fact. It's like saying water freeze to ice at zero degree.

The only thing that scientists debating on is how fast that process is and how major is the influence. The general consens is that the effect on our generation is minor (that of course depends on where you live, if you happen to be in one of the "minor" area that got influenced, it might be pretty major to you). But the fate of the generation beyond looks pretty grim.

In regarding to the book, haven't read it so don't know about it.

[Insanity test]

Well in the debate he [the author] had on newsnight, when asked whether he would advocate the controling of greenhouse gas emmissions, he responded as if they were of little consequence, saying something like you can if you like, but it wont affect climate change.