Quote:
Originally Posted by Aquila
I believe that climate change (if not the wrath of God) is primarily natural in origin. Climates do change naturally. However, I also believe that the earth has a delicate natural balance. I think climate change is happening more drastically than in past climate shifts. This is most evident in the polar regions and other regions where the balance in the local environment is more sensitive. While man's CO2 emissions aren't significant in comparison to natural phenomena, man's CO2 emissions may prove to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
I remember hearing about a 400 year old Redwood that was very very tall. Apparently some rot had set in and it was dying. One day it fell. It didn't fall from strong winds, it wasn't hit by lightening. It would appear that perhaps it had become so weakened that under it's emense weight a point of critical balance was reached. All it may have taken was a tiny sparrow gentley landing on a Northern branch to bring the tree crashing down.
I think that the earth's environment may be like this to some degree. Man's impact may be miniscule when compared to nautral geological events such as volcanos etc... but it may be the tiny sparrow that sets the entire system off balance.
|
Exactly how do you know this about the polar regions?
were there any scientists around to see what happened the last time we had a serious warming?
in 1350 was there any stalites around to see if the Arctic sea ice was melting?
this is the point Aquila, there is no scientific data that suggests our climate is some delicate thing that can be tipped by minute action.
by the way, the annual input of CO2 by man is equal to .00001% of the atomosphere.
Seconndly on the subject, IPCC has rightly identified the amount of CO2 being produced anthropogenically. however, they have predicted the rise in Atmosphereic CO2 to be about 850 PPMby 2100, however, the observed record shows that the current trend will only be about 560 PPM by 2100.
That is because as more CO2 is produced, the earth seems to be able to absorbe more of it. This "curve bending" is proof that the Earth is self correcting.
it isnt easily tipped.