Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Global Warming: Cold Facts or Hot Air?

Preface: Whether you believe that man-made global warming is real or that it is a hoax being hyped by the government as an excuse to consolidate power and take away our rights, read on . . . I guarantee you'll learn something.

Colder or Hotter?

When I recently told a friend that a new ice age might hit Europe, she responded, "but its been warmer than normal there recently!" Similarly, when a place has experienced a cold snap, people scoff that global warming might really be happening.

So what gives? The world can't be getting both hotter and colder, right? Actually, if it gets hot enough, then it might get colder.

Here's why. If global warming heats up the oceans enough, then the "great conveyor belt" of warm ocean water can shut down. Here's a drawing of the great temperature conveyor belt.

If that happens, then the climate can abruptly change, and a new ice age could begin.

Sound far-fetched? The Pentagon doesn't think so.

There are many signs that the Earth is in fact getting substantially warmer. As just two of many examples, polar sea ice has failed to re-form for the second year in a row. And carbon dioxide levels are soaring (carbon dioxide raises the Earth's temperature since it is a "greenhouse gas" -- that is, it traps heat in the planet's atmosphere in the same way that greenhouses trap sunlight and keep the plants warm).

In fact, there is evidence that the great conveyor belt is already starting to fail. See also this article; and this one; and this one.

Man Versus Nature

If you've read this far, you might assume that I am arguing that the planet's temperature changes are all due to man-made pollution. Wrong!

In fact, a recent study shows that increased output from the Sun might be to blame for 10 to 30 percent of the global warming that has been measured in the past 20 years.

Another study shows that solar activity variations have a "marked influence" on the Earth's climate.

And a third demonstrates that a dramatic thinning of the Earth's protective ozone layer above the Arctic last year was the result of intense upper-level winds and an extra dose of "space weather".

Scientists have also found that cosmic rays linked to global warming are increasing. The sun is simply getting hotter. Indeed, solar output has been increasing steadily ever since scientists have been able to measure it.

Not impressed yet? How about this: there is evidence of global warming on Pluto, on Mars, on Neptune's moon, and on Jupiter.

And guess what? The next "solar maximum" -- the 12-year peak of solar activity -- might be a really big one (see also this article).

So what does that mean? It means that our little planet is getting hit with both man-made and natural warming trends. Have you ever considered that? Have you heard any newspaper or climatologist say that?

Natural Variation

Some people argue that variation of earth's climate is natural, and has been occurring for millions of years, so we have nothing to worry about.

Well, of course that's true -- but its a dead-end argument. If a "natural variation" makes the Earth uninhabitable for humans, pets, or our favorite foods, then the fact that alot of it is caused by a "natural variation" is not very reassuring or helpful. It can be as natural as apple pie, but it may still be very deadly.

Moreover, arguing that variations in the Sun's output and other natural factors "disprove" man-made warming is like saying that studies showing smoking causes cancer disprove that car accidents can be fatal. If you smoke alot and drive recklessly, your chances of an early "retirement" quickly increase, don't they?

What Do You Think, Doctor?

If you smoked 5 packs of cigarettes and drank a fifth of scotch a day, were a couch potato who never exercised, ate only greasy fast food, worked at a highly stressful and thankless job, and had no friends or relationships, what would happen to your health?

I don't know. But if you went to your doctor, he would probably tell you that something would eventually break down, and you'd get sick.

The same thing is true of the weather. As much as we might like to think of the Earth as something we can control, it is a natural system, and if we assault it enough, we can say with pretty high confidence that it will destabilize.

As one example, if the Earth heats up enough through man-made greenhouse gasses and natural variations, the "great conveyor belt" might shut down, and the world's climate might destabilize.

Some temperate regions might be plunged into an ice age. Some warm areas might experience severe droughts and dust bowl conditions. All sorts of strange weather could occur all over the place.

This might sound strange and fantastical (at least until you've read the Pentagon report).

But I've been thinking about climate change for 20 years, and I would assert that this essay provides a more complete picture of the issue than you will hear from any climatologist in the world, since it takes into account more factors and includes more of the "big picture" than they are trained to analyze.

If your house is on fire, do you stand around arguing about whether the fire was started by "natural" lightning or by a dropped cigarette? No, you deal with the emergency. The same is true of climate change. Scientists might not understand the exact percentage due to man-made pollution versus natural variations, but they know that things are changing.

They might not even know exactly what will go wrong, just like the doctor might not be able to tell the patient who lives the extreme lifestyle whether he'll get liver cancer, lung cancer, have a heart attack or a stroke (but he can tell him he will eventually get very sick).

Should We Give Our Power Over to Big Brother?

No. Most modern governments have shown themselves as not having the best interests of the people in mind. Just look at all of the false flag operations they've pulled off recently. Indeed, the powers-that-be will do just about anything to maintain power and control and to prevent real empowerment of the people of the world. Should we trust these guys? No.

Indeed, the military is now starting to say that global warming is a national security matter. That means that the government can use global warming to suspend Constitutional liberties and rights guaranteed by law, and to exercise "emergency" or "police powers".

Indeed, well-known liberal Noam Chomsky has said that he would submit to fascism if it would help combat global warming:

"Suppose it was discovered tomorrow that the greenhouse effects has been way understimated, and that the catastrophic effects are actually going to set in 10 years from now, and not 100 years from now or something.

Well, given the state of the popular movements we have today, we'd probably have a fascist takeover-with everybody agreeing to it, because that would be the only method for survival that anyone could think of. I'd even agree to it, because there's just no other alternatives right now."
(page 388).

So the risk of an increase in fascist consolidation of power based on global warming is real. While we have to confront global warming, giving up our rights or power to do it is dangerous. We should not give into the military or Chomsky and the neoliberals' idea of letting Big Brother take care of it. Alex Jones, Michael Rivero and other conservative writers who warn against a power grab by the neoliberals based on global warming are right: we've got to protect our liberties and individual rights from those who want to use global warming as an excuse to implement totalitarian controls.

The trick is to battle global warming while maintaining our personal liberties and freedom. The task is to protect the livability of our climate in a way which does not strengthen the ruthless, dysfunctional governmental elements which are desperately looking for any excuse to consolidate their power.




8 Comments:

Blogger Wadard said...

Good on you!

12:14 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks for the synopsis - spread the word


Variations in the output of the sun?

Sounds like Exxon-Mobil propaganda
to me

The amount of solar radiation received at the outer surface of Earth's atmosphere does not change much from an average value of 1366 W/m² The variations in total solar output are so slight that they remained at or below the threshold of detectability until the satellite era, although the small fraction in ultra-violet wavelengths varies by a few percent. Total solar output is now measured to vary (over the last two 11-year sunspot cycles) by less than 0.1%

10:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you. I did learn at least one thing I didn't know before, so I guess you don't need to give me my money back.

3:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Perhaps you are unaware that the polar ice in the Antartic is increasing not decreasing.

Hmmmm...guess I too learned something from reading all this bafflegab - that you like all the rest have no evidence and instead have an agenda. I remember in about 1970 Chicken Little said we were entering a new ice age.

What incredible human hubris - we will decree how much and how fast the earth will warm or cool. Get a life!

DT

7:38 PM  
Blogger jph wacheski said...

"What incredible human hubris - we will decree how much and how fast the earth will warm or cool. Get a life!"

there is no cause and effect,. ? you can sht in your bed and then go to sleep and wake up sht free? You get a life! human hubris? How about observation, experimentation, and intelegence,. How could the current levels of human activity NOT have effects? you think all those entire species of life that are killed off to the point of extinction every single day are not done so through human activities? go back to jesus camp,. hubris,. . lol

8:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's the oil! Peak Oil. The climate issue is a smokescreen - to get us to cut our use of energy. That energy, however, which we think we are cutting... simply ain't going to be there.

As for the world's climate, it is getting warmer; human beings have nothing to do with it, however.

7:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why is everyone worrying about global warming when the greatest danger we face is the possibility of another shift of the Earth's Crust. There is much evidence it shifted about 13,000 years ago. There are also ancient maps based upon even more ancient maps which show Greenland and Antarctica both with rivers and valleys and hills. Recent soundings through the ice caps have proved these maps to be true. It may happen that the Antarctic ice cap will cause an imbalance and initiate another shift of the Earth's Crust. That will really be a catastrophe first class.

11:23 PM  
Blogger Aditya said...

NewScientist presents the 26 most common climate change myths
Here


Check it out to clear up many of the most common obfuscations used by Exxon Mobil,BP, et al., i.e. cosmic rays, sun, etc.


Here
is more

11:34 AM  

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