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Re: fHuman vs. natural influences on the environment
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Subject: Re: fHuman vs. natural influences on the environment
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From: charliew@hal-pc.org (charliew)
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Date: Sat, 24 Aug 96 20:22:10 GMT
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Article: 14428 of alt.sustainable.agriculture
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Newsgroups: alt.energy.renewable, alt.save.the.earth, alt.sustainable.agriculture, talk.environment, sci.environment, sci.energy, bionet.agroforestry
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Organization: Houston Area League of PC Users
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References: <4u665e$6r0_005@pm3-135.hal-pc.org> <4ubisq$a30_001@watstar.uwaterloo.ca> <4ug4l9$qee@igc.apc.org> <4ugjl8$6sc_002@pm5-42.hal-pc.org> <4ui4v9$k7n@igc.apc.org> <4um1hj$6s4_002@pm6-81.hal-pc.org> <jscanlon-1308962149360001@sp63.linex.com> <4utmb9$6sc_004@pm3-146.hal-pc.org> <4vn20n$9h3@igc.apc.org>
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Xref: newz.oit.unc.edu alt.energy.renewable:17403 alt.save.the.earth:22341 alt.sustainable.agriculture:14428 talk.environment:67575 sci.environment:103900 sci.energy:53920 bionet.agroforestry:3502
In article <4vn20n$9h3@igc.apc.org>, tomgray
<tomgray@igc.apc.org> wrote:
>- Ocean current circulation may shift until the climate in
Europe
>is like that in Canada. This would be an economic disaster.
I've
>mentioned this before, and you haven't gone on and on about
it
>like you have about species extinction. Why?
Hey,
I have a compulsive personality type, and you "caught my eye"
with the comments about climate change and species
extinction. I'll take a valium and settle myself down so we
can get back to other issues.
>
>- Floods and droughts resulting from changes in evaporation
and
>rainfall patterns could seriously disrupt global
agriculture.
>
>- Tropical diseases appear very likely to spread (the World
Health
>Organization and World Meteorological Organization have
already
>issued a report warning about the consequences).
>
>- Temperate and boreal forests could be damaged by
temperature
>changes, accelerating natural CO2 production and increasing
warming
>beyond the levels predicted. (It's worth remembering, the
IPCC
>prediction is as likely to be wrong on the low end as on the
>high. What if we wind up with a 3.5 degree C (6.3 degree F)
>average warming by 2100? Do you seriously think this is not
>something we should alter our course to avoid?)
You will get more agreement here than you expect. I
absolutely agree that we should avoid a 6 deg F increase in
global temperatures. However, we currently have no data to
suggest that this is going to happen. Until we get a better
idea of how much effect our carbon dioxide emissions are
having, I am advocating an approach where we keep observing
and working on the computer models. Since the effect is
taking so long to develop, and since the entire public is now
aware of the "problem", I can assure you that there is time
to act if the problem is anywhere close to bad. Relax a bit.
The end is not near at this point in time.
References: