Global tempereatures are changing
We've talked a lot about the policies that create restrictions on pollution and are supposedly making the air cleaner, the water clearer and overall the environment better. Are these policies creating more problems than solutions. According to Dr. S. Fred Singer they are. He wrote an article in the Earth Times about the environmental policy getting lost in the politics. It is a short piece that brings up some interesting ideas but what I found most interesting about the article is that Dr. Singer is an expert in many fields of environmental science.
I started digging into some of the issues Dr. Singer has addressed and I found one interview that particularly interested me. Air quality has been a big issue and global warming has not really been talked about in class. There is a lot about global warming under debate, such as are humans causing it? Its been scientifically proven that throughout time earth has warming and cooling cycles, so yes, global warming is natural. Dr. Singer brings up the point that a large amount of recent temperature data is taken in cities where temperatures naturally increase due to the energy used in cities, so unless we're ready to give up energy and live without it city temperatures are going to increase.
posted by Morgan @ 11:23 AM
5 Comments:
Another interesting item in the interview is Dr. Singer's assessment of Kyoto Protocol. He says, "We're being asked to buy an insurance policy against a risk that is very small, if at all, and pay a very heavy premium".
He sums it up by saying that the data (published by the UN Science Advisory Group) estimate the global temperature dropping by only .05 centigrade by 2050, IF all Kyoto participants fully comply with CO2 reduction. He says that's too insignificant of a temperature change to justify the negative economic inpact to humans.
While I appreciate the healthy skepticism Dr. Singer has for the volumes of scientific data re: global warming, I think he looses credibility when he quickly accepts the projected data for 50 years from now. It seems like he bashes data he doesn't like, then cites data he does like, without explaining why it's any more reliable.
What I have failed to see ever on global warming is the inherent risk. At the rate it is climbing it is negligible in my opinion, and maybe oceans levels will rise a few inches. Doesnt sound like alot to me, and historically warmer temperatures and better for the enviroment. The Kyoto protocol is just an action to show the people that something is being done about this potentila hazard, that the governments are unified to stop this. As with most things it is politicized and a doomsday movie are what most people know about it.
Casey, I'm glad you asked. I just learned about this: The oceans are connected with a continuous flow or circuit of water. It's movement is driven by both temperature (colder water=denser) and salinity (more saline=denser), and the continuous movement is essential to maintaining the relatively stable global climate. See the diagram 1/2way down this article for a good visual explanation.
If glaciers melt, the freshwater dilutes the seawater, which is then not dense enough to sink as far as it should, and won't take as much cold with it to circulate to warmer waters where the cold dissipates. The key area to look at on the diagram is the N. Atlantic, which is where water chills and sinks.
One interesting thing that I noticed in the original article is the role that journalism has. So many of the opinions that the general public has on issues are formed and fed from journalism. Dr. Singer pointed out that many times the journalists are "unabashed advocates of environmental regulation rather than objective reporters of the issues." This biasness can be extended to practically every aspect that we learn about. Yes, there are trials and problems in this world, but how many of them continue to remain so because of the firm and unalterable stand that is presented to the public, or "begin to outrun scientific facts and assume a momentum of their own." There are sides to the global warming issue, and I really have no set opinion because I have not been able to assimilate enough information, but I do believe that there are things happening now that require work. I do not think that alot of the issues can be simplified into miniscule blips, or enormous problems that could destroy the world. If that does happen, I would tend to believe that there is some of the hard advocacy happening. We need to be able to assimilate and process the information to be able to recognize what we need to. This has already occured as has been pointed out many times in class how biased the Sierra club often is.
Yeah global temperatures are changing. Just look out side. Some suggest we are going to experience global warming. Well I can't wait, I'm sick of snow and being cold and heat would be a new and welcomed sensation!
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