Another study/global warming & rising seas

[cluemeister Member Find all posts View Profile Close cluemeister]

Angela said:

"We will all need to make some sacrafices."

Thanks for the response. Now a question for you. Angela, wouldn't it make sense that the first thing to be sacrificed should be unnecessary burning of fossil fuels? I think it's a no-brainer that jet flights for pure recreation should be one of the first things to be sacrificed if "we're all going to need to make sacrifices".

At the risk of sounding like a jerk , I'm trying to point out that people on this board can make a difference in greenhouse emissions by not taking so many vacations, or (gasp!) not taking any vacations. Vacations are purely for entertainment purposes, and they burn millions of gallons of fossil fuels. In essence, every time you get on a jet, you are adding to global warming. And when you go on vacation in the winter, you are still paying to heat your main home, and also paying to air condition your timeshare in its sunny locale. That is certainly a waste of fossil fuels!

I will continue to vacation, as I don't agree that we are destroying the environment and dooming the next generation.

So are those of you concerned about global warming going to stop vacationing and burning fossil fuels for pure pleasure?

Stepping down from soapbox.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Cluemeister

"So are those of you concerned about global warming going to stop vacationing and burning fossil fuels for pure pleasure?"

There are more realistic solutions to solving global warming than giving up one's vacations. Here a few that have been suggested by the Union of Concerned Scientist for EnviromentSolutions.

Global Warming Solutions:

We have the technology and ingenuity to reduce the threat of global warming today. Solutions are already available that will stimulate the American economy by creating jobs, saving consumers money, and protecting our national security. By investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and increasing the efficiency of the cars we drive, we can take essential steps toward reducing our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels that cause global warming.

Using energy more efficiently and moving to renewable energy (wind, solar, geothermal, and bioenergy) would significantly reduce our emissions of heat-trapping gases. The United States currently produces 70 percent of its electricity from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil, but only two percent from renewable sources. Since the burning of fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide—the leading cause of global warming—but renewable energy does not, increasing the share of our electricity generated from renewable resources is one of the most effective ways to reduce global warming emissions.

Cars and trucks are another significant source (25 percent) of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. A serious effort to address global warming must therefore reduce emissions from cars and trucks. Many technologies already exist that can do this, while also creating new jobs in the U.S. automotive sector and other industries throughout the country. In addition, American consumers would save billions of dollars on gasoline, and we would reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

By putting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and vehicle technology solutions in place at the federal level, we can reduce our contribution to global warming while creating a stronger, healthier, and more secure nation.

[Carol C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carol C]

So why are we trying to rebuild New Orleans???

Because it's one of the great cities of the USA. Of course Manhattan will be rebuilt quicker due to Wall Street and such being located there. Oh, and NYC has Trump who'll make gobs of $$$ after the floods hit.

[Oracle Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Oracle]

I have to laugh at the illogic of these two statements:

The rise in sea levels, driven by loss of ice from Greenland and West Antarctica, would occur over many centuries and be largely irreversible, but could be delayed by curbing emissions of the greenhouse gases, said Dr. Overpeck and his fellow lead author, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.

and:

One team, using computer models of climate and ice, found that by about 2100, average temperatures could be four degrees higher than today and that over the coming centuries, the oceans could rise 13 to 20 feet - conditions last seen 129,000 years ago, between the last two ice ages.

Obviously some mechanism reversed the warming 129,000 years ago or there would not have been another Ice Age. If the Earth was as fragile as some environmentalist want to believe we would not see the cycles of world temperatures over the millions of years in the past. Direct temperature measurements have only been available for about 150 years and are quite volatile. We have no idea of how these temperatures coordinate with sea floor samples which sediments hold fossil records of warm and cold water organisms that average the record of world temperatures greatly. It is like comparing a speedometer's value versus measuring speed based on taking the time to cover a known distance.

We like to regard the Earth as a static entity. The key to survival is based on being able to adjust to the change rather than depend on a constant state of conditions. Humans live in the coldest of regions as well as the hot dry savannahs of Africa.

Anybody who has a baby these days must be wondering if they're bringing a child into a world that will look like the movie "Road Warrior". Of course if they never saw that movie, they might not think about how ugly the future could get.

At some point, the super volcano in Yellowstone will erupt and will do more for creating your "Mad Max" scenario than global warming.

We have the technology and ingenuity to reduce the threat of global warming today. Solutions are already available that will stimulate the American economy by creating jobs, saving consumers money, and protecting our national security. By investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and increasing the efficiency of the cars we drive, we can take essential steps toward reducing our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels that cause global warming.

Right now fossil fuels provide the most economical source of energy. Any effort to move to renewable energy will not save consumers money.

In terms of a reliable dense energy source, you have neglected nuclear energy. While more expensive than current fossil fuels, nuclear is a dense scalable technology which is sufficiently mature. In addition to providing electricity, it can also provide hydrogen. Right now, the only economical method of creating hydrogen is by using petroleum as the source which produces carbon dioxide as a by-product. By placing nuclear plants in and around population dense areas, mass transit using electricity has economical feasability to replace automobiles for transportation within these population centers.

Bio-diesel is another alternative in which the growth of the crop to produce the oil acts as a carbon sink which makes bio-diesel greenhouse gas neutral. Ethanol is another renewable energy source which is also a carbon sink, but unlike the vegetable oil used to make bio-diesel, the fermentation step used to convert the starches and sugars to alcohol creates carbon dioxide as a by-product before it is used to create energy in an engine. There is also a humanitarian cost to these renewable energy sources. By converting our food surplus to energy sources, we will not have food to send to starving people around the world and people still die due to our "extravagance".