32 replies to this topic

[platypus]

Personally, I think the likelihood of the earth getting warmer is high, however, the sun activity is a wildcard. It is loosely correlated with other cooling periods, Unfortunately, it is difficult to discuss without being labeled as a "stupid denialist".

 

As I mentioned earlier, I have heard "the earth is going to be destroyed" (very literally) for 30 years. I have to tune it out. Better to focus on positive methods of lowering our impact, instead of "we are all doomed!!!!".

Well, people have been predicting that the cooling will start soon due to The Sun since the early 2000s and still the warming has continued. Also, I haven't heard people saying that "the Earth is going to get destroyed". Sure, if the average temperature goes up enough the old weather patterns will get fucked up and it will probably not be possible to feed 9 billion people. But that's the future that people who plan to be dead do not care about that much...

[platypus]

Here's a nice commentary on the original scientific paper. Author predicts 3.3C of warming by 2100 that would take us to a situation warmer than the Eemian when sea-levels were ~6m higher than today. That could be enough to push us into the even warmer "hothouse-scenario". 

 

https://www.wundergr...arth-our-Future

[maxwatt]

Nothing is free of bias but 95%+ of science has no trouble recognising humans are warming up the planet. I get it that born-again creationists cannot accept this, but why is it so hard for the rest of the US right-wing to face reality?...

 

It couldn't be because of a massive and well documented disinformation campaign funded by the Koch brothers, Exxon Mobile and other oil industry corporations?

 

Naw, that's too paranoid.  But it is curious that denialism is largely limited to English speaking countries (except New Zealand, too tiny to bother with?) because the campaigns were largely the product of American Tobacco industry lobyists (parochial Americans who only spoke English?) after it was game over for tobacco when State AGs began to take on lawsuits with equally deep pockets to the Tobacco Companies and won massive settlements.

 

Could that happen with the oil industry?  Could be.  The federal government is too thoroughly bought, as are some states (mostly red ones) but it could happen, force the oil companies to pay for some of the damage and pay to reverse it.  Wishful thinking no doubt.