Report: Global Warming at Critical Point

[wxcrazy]

Whether or not you want to say something is going other than oscillations and weather patterns. Can we stop it now?


Report: Global Warming at Critical Point

29 minutes ago Science - AP


By ED JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

LONDON - Global warming (news - web sites) is approaching the point of no return, after which widespread drought, crop failure and rising sea levels will be irreversible, an international climate change task force warned Monday.


It called on the Group of 8 leading industrial nations to cut carbon emissions, double their research spending on technology and work with India and China to build on the Kyoto Protocol (news - web sites) for cuttings emissions of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases" blamed for global warming.


The independent report was made by the Institute for Public Policy Research in Britain, the Center for American Progress in the United States and the Australia Institute.


"An ecological time bomb is ticking away," said Stephen Byers, who was co-chairman of the task force with U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe (news, bio, voting record), R-Maine. "World leaders need to recognize that climate change is the single most important long-term issue that the planet faces."


Byers is a close confidant of British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites), and the report was timed to coincide with Blair's commitment to advance international climate change policy during Britain's presidency of the G-8 this year.


Byers said it is vital that Blair secure U.S. cooperation in tackling climate change. President Bush (news - web sites) has rejected the Kyoto accord, arguing that the carbon emission cuts it demands would damage the U.S. economy and that it leaves out emerging polluters like China and India.


"What we have got to do then is get the Americans as part of the G-8 to engage in international concerted effort to tackle global warming," said Byers. "If they refuse to do that then other countries will be reluctant to take any steps."


According to the report, urgent action is needed to stop the global average temperature rising by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above the level of 1750 — the approximate start of the Industrial Revolution when mankind first started significantly adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.


Beyond such a rise, "the risks to human societies and ecosystems grow significantly," the report said, adding that there would be a danger of "abrupt, accelerated, or runaway climate change." It warned of "climatic tipping points" such as the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets melting and the Gulf Stream shutting down.


No accurate temperature readings were available for 1750, the report said, but since 1860 the global average temperature has risen by 0.8 percent to 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit).


The report said a 2-degree Celsius rise in the average temperature could be avoided by keeping the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere below 400 parts per million. Current concentrations of 379 parts per million "are likely to rise above 400 parts per million in coming decades and could rise far higher under a business-as-usual scenario," it said.


The task force urged G-8 countries to agree to generate a quarter of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025 and shift agricultural subsidies from food crops to biofuels.


The task force of senior politicians, scientists and business figures was formed last March. Its chief scientific adviser was Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the United Nations (news - web sites)' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.


The British government welcomed the report, which mirrors many of the suggestions already floated by Blair in the leadup to Britain's G-8 presidency.


Blair has acknowledged the importance of U.S. cooperation, but concedes Washington is unlikely to sign on for the Kyoto Protocol and is instead pursuing international commitment to developing new environmentally friendly technology.

[Guest]

A Bunch of hyped up media bull is what this is.

[Lindaloo]

[wxcrazy]

Okay, watch. When things start happening don't cry weather patterns.

[Lindaloo]

And I assume you think Day After Tomorrow is a true event?

[wxcrazy]

And I assume you think Day After Tomorrow is a true event?

No, that is far fetched, but I do think greenhouse gases do play a significant role in global warmth. Gosh, what planet had runaway gases and now its environment is Co2 and hot? I'll be back with the answer.

[MGC]

If you are so concerned wxcrazy about global warming then I'm sure you either walk or ride a bike and don't have a car. How do you heat you house? Do you use electricity? I hope you don't exhale cause you are spewing CO2, a greenhouse gas every time you blow more hot air.......MGC

[coriolis]

It was -1F here this morning. Turn up the heat, please.

[tomboudreau]

Coriolis, I had -4 at my house this morning. Ill agree fully to have the heat turned up. Our poor pup doesnt even like to walk on days like this, and if he doesn't get at least 1 walk per day, he is pasted to my wifes butt all night long because he is bored.

[Aslkahuna]

The runaway greenhouse on the Planet Venus came about under circumstances not likely to occur on Earth until the Sun gets sufficiently more luminous to raise our temperatures to the pont of triggering global runaway greenhouse (in about 500 million years). Venus is some 26 million miles closer to the Sun and so reached that point early in its development. Additionally, the Planet developed a different system of Global Tectonics than the Earth which may be a consequence of the impact that resulted in the formation of our Moon which also tilted our axis and may also have initiated the global tectonic process that exists here which is different from the other terrestrial Planets in the Solar Sysytem. Finally, our Earth has been both far warmer and far colder than it currently is (and we are currently in a cold Epoch) and likely to get anytime in the lifetime of of the Human Race (which is both finite and likely to be shorter than we think). Just remember that since Life first appeared on this Planet some 3 billion years ago that well over 90% of all species have become extinct and that the most successful species to date have been cockroaches and dinosaurs.

Steve

[Aslkahuna]

Don't forget flatulence which puts Methane into the air-a far more efficient greenhouse gase than CO2.

Steve

[wxcrazy]

The runaway greenhouse on the Planet Venus came about under circumstances not likely to occur on Earth until the Sun gets sufficiently more luminous to raise our temperatures to the pont of triggering global runaway greenhouse (in about 500 million years). Venus is some 26 million miles closer to the Sun and so reached that point early in its development. Additionally, the Planet developed a different system of Global Tectonics than the Earth which may be a consequence of the impact that resulted in the formation of our Moon which also tilted our axis and may also have initiated the global tectonic process that exists here which is different from the other terrestrial Planets in the Solar Sysytem. Finally, our Earth has been both far warmer and far colder than it currently is (and we are currently in a cold Epoch) and likely to get anytime in the lifetime of of the Human Race (which is both finite and likely to be shorter than we think). Just remember that since Life first appeared on this Planet some 3 billion years ago that well over 90% of all species have become extinct and that the most successful species to date have been cockroaches and dinosaurs.

Steve

I knew you had the answer aslkahuna

[wxcrazy]

Don't forget flatulence which puts Methane into the air-a far more efficient greenhouse gase than CO2.

Steve

you are correct on that one.

[kmanWX]

Okay, watch. When things start happening don't cry weather patterns.

Please Look at your history before beleive in crazy drawn up thoeries

[wxcrazy]

Okay, watch. When things start happening don't cry weather patterns.

Please Look at your history before beleive in crazy drawn up thoeries

I did, why do you think I posted it. Global warming has happened before.

[SEAZSky]

Steve -

Is that why they call us "Old F--TS" ?

[From one OF to another....]

Stan
Oro Valley, AZ

Don't forget flatulence which puts Methane into the air-a far more efficient greenhouse gase than CO2.

Steve

[Aslkahuna]

Of Course

Steve

[kmanWX]

It's not GW at least accorded to the Temp charts over the last 125 years does not support a GW of any sort. Here is a Temp map of Philadelphia over the last 125years during the winter time. If GW were to exist you would see the temps gradually in climb.

However none of the Weather charts I viewed at Both Temps and Precipitation Does not indicated a GW. It indicates it is just Weather Pattern.


Here is a Image that I compile of the Philadelphia Winter Seasonal Temp average for over the last 125years.




Here is something show me any temp map that shows that GW is in effact or atleast the begins of it.

I know the Long Term forecast models does have the earth to heat up about 4-5 degrees in the next 100 years. However you know how computers models are they flip flop around and sometimes they have warm bias.

Need any other proof? If you do all of the avg it will just be balanced out anyways. An equilibria of sorts..

[wlfpack81]

As wxcrazy has stated Global Warming and Ice Ages have occurred naturally in the past and will occur again in the future. So I do think it's wrong to say GW won't happen. I think what needs to be asked is whether or not we as humans have maybe accelerated this procees by our practices since the beginning of the industrial revolution. And honestly if you ask me I'd have to say that all this pollution we're throwing up into the environment has to have some kind of effect on it even if it is small. Of course there's another side behind this issue and it's a political one but I won't go there here.

[Scorpion]

I think anyone who doesn't believe in global warming needs to get their mind checked. Just what comes out of cars and powerplants? CO2. Obviously, its gotta have an effect since we are pouring billions of tons of it in our atmsosphere. Feel the exhaust of your car. It is hot, right? Well guess where all that heat goes, into the atmosphere. There is no basis on doubting global warming. Why are the polar ice caps melting? Why are the summers and winters both getting more extreme? Why are there more powerful hurricanes? Global warming. Eventually, the rain forests will turn to desert and civilization will perish. It must be stopped soon.