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Re: Human vs. natural influences on the environment



A lot of environmental posters have the nasty tendency of 
only worrying about the variables that "prove" their point. 
If these guys started attempting to worry about all of the 
variables that they can identify, they will find many 
negative feedback loops that they haven't thought about.  At 
this point, I am tempted to believe that many of these guys 
cannot conceptualize of more than two or three variables at 
a time.  Too bad.  A full understanding of the subject 
material may require an understanding of dozens or perhaps 
hundreds of simultaneous variables.  Do you guys really 
think that you are up to this task?

In article <32073e01.247176594@nntp.st.usm.edu>,
   brshears@whale.st.usm.edu (Harold Brashears) wrote:
>af329@james.freenet.hamilton.on.ca (Scott Nudds) wrote for 
all to see:
>
>>jwas@ix.netcom.com(jw) wrote:
>>: it just *might* turn out that climate is just 
approaching a
>>: situation where positive feedback was present - for a 
while;
>>
>>  Warmer oceans can hold less CO2.
>
>Warmer oceans release more water, forming cloud cover, 
blockin some
>light, and incidently trapping some IR.
>
>>  Melted tundra rots and moves more CO2 into the 
atmosphere.
>
>Why would it rot?  Higher CO2 stimulates plant growth.
>
>>  More forest fires, more CO2 released into the 
atmoshpere.
>
>Warmer oceans mean more water evaporated into the 
atmosphere,
>resulting in more rain.  
>
>>  Higher temperatures, higher demand for air conditioning, 
more energy
>>  used, more fossil fuels consumed.
>
>Very true.
>>
>>  It would appear that there are a host of positive 
feedback mechanisms,
>>many of which are certain.
>
>It would appear that there are a host of feedback 
mecanisms, many of
>which you failed to mention.  Is that because you did not 
know about
>them?
>
>[edited]
>
>Regards, Harold
>-----
>"If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in 
doubts, but if he 
>will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in 
certainties."
>	---Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning, ch. 5 
(1605).


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