whats this global waarming thing then?

[Rog]

true ........or just another ploy to get money out of us?

i .............................am not sure and i would like to see your comments if you don't mind.....

[Deckard]

If you mean whether global warming is down to human activity, I'm also undecided - I've never got round to examining even the most basic evidence closely enough. Even then, there's bound to be a limit to what a layperson such as myself can grasp.

It's curious that, lately, there seem to be those who now doubt even the premise of the question - that the ice caps are melting and the sea-levels are rising at all (or that it's that unusual if they are). I always assumed we could at least safely agree on that much, and the only question was over mankind's contribution to it all?

I often read that the vast majority of the world's climate scientists are largely in agreement, not only on the question of overall warming, but also the likely correlation between it and rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Scientists can be wrong of course, they're not fool-proof, but when I consider that apparent level of scientific expertise and consensus alongside the political and corporate vested interests of the anti-camp (which is unquestionably more ignorant of the scientific data, but some of whose members have very deep pockets) – I'm inclined to side rather more with the former than the latter.

There are of course vested interests and a few deep pockets in the climate change "movement" too, and I don't doubt that the environmental movement has its fair share of tree-huggers marching without much of a clue as to the evidence. But surely not to the same degree.

So in summary - if I had to step off the fence right now, it would NOT be to the side currently screeching "it's all a sham". For now, I will sit tight and hope that those more in-the-know will prevail. (I suppose we shouldn't count on it though)

[Strangelet]

I'm not a big fan of what's happening in Copenhagen, and I'm looking more and more dimly at the role politicians are playing in this issue. At some point, the politicizing of climate change research will cause only further damage to the environmental cause and its objectives if things continue down this path.

[Deckard]

Tomorrow: Fifty-six papers, one editorial

The editorial: 'Fourteen days to seal history's judgment on this generation'

[Strangelet]

western countries developed the nuclear weapon, spurred on by a race with Germany.

western countries landed on the moon, spurred on by a race with the soviets.

i don't see any solutions being spurred on in copenhagen, just overly expensive suits, private jets and free blow jobs.

[bryantm3]

the way i view it is that whether climate change is due to our own doing or it is a fact of nature, it is a good incentive to get us to start taking care of our environment. i live in the atlanta area, where we have code orange smog alerts for nearly half the year, and during august it's difficult to breathe outside. the fact of the matter is that we have a duty to take care of the creation God has made for us, and we need to start now whether or not we're going to get kicked in the butt by mother nature. the big debate is how to deal with it. what i propose is tax breaks for auto companies that convert at least 50% of their product to electric, hydrogen, solar, and water powered vehicles. this is just an idea, and could use much more research. this and the cap and trade tax i think would be very good, but i also think we need more efforts on the individual in society: possibly making recycling easier by making recycle delivery service available in many more areas, etc.

[Deckard]

"The "Climategate" row took centre stage on the opening day of the Copenhagen climate summit today as the world's leading oil exporter intervened to question the scientific consensus on man-made global warming."

Saudis leap on 'Climategate' to question warming

The Saudis, eh? No shit...

[Sean]

It just sounds to me like the fundamental issue of climate change is still in full effect, but that there are some scientists out there who have undermined the known facts by withholding or lying about some of the details. This is the same reason I get on the case of people like Michael Moore and the like. You can be out promoting the noblest of causes, but when your methods include dishonesty like this, your cause becomes secondary to the scandal.

That being said, it's just a basic fact that we as a species need to start finding a way for our existence on this planet to be balanced with our environment and global ecosystems. Regardless of whether or not climate change specifically is man-made, we're simply ravaging the entire earth to the extent that in the neighborhood of 3 species go completely extinct every hour of every day. That's around 72 species per day, and over 26,000 per year. This inevitably wreaks havoc with the ecosystems these species played a role in - ecosystems that often include us - and creates a domino effect that we have to stop. Like the recent, alarmingly sharp drop in bee populations - an insect that literally provides human beings with one out of every three bites of food we ever eat! And at the same time, we're draining the planet of it's finite supply of natural resources. So even if climate change isn't our fault (though it likely is, at least in part), we still need to start making environmentally conscious changes to how we live. If we don't, then the planet will be destroyed by us through climate change, or deforestation, or overfishing, or overfarming, or pollution that poisons all the other life we depend on to survive.

I mean for crying out loud, mankind has evolved with the ability to conceptualize on a level that no other species can even come close to matching. Why the hell do the bulk of us refuse to use this unique trait to our fullest advantage?

[Deckard]

Originally Posted by Sean

If we don't....

I've pretty much concluded: we won't!

We've shown enormous ingenuity on all manner of things in our history, but I honestly don't think humanity yet possesses the collective will to solve problems on this (apparent) scale. Managing ozone layer depletion was about our limit.

And you're right to broaden the topic, and highlight all the species being destroyed. Ultimately, we'll bag the big one: our own.

Still, mustn't grumble. On the positive side, the earth will probably survive for another 4-5 billion years after we're gone, with or without new species evolving to our level of intelligence.

Actually, that may not be such a good thing after all...

[Rog]

some good posts! i agree with Sean in the main.
One thing i reckon for sure, it will be us who pay the price while the rich, politicians, bono, sting and the like crusade by 1st class air travel or private jet.......