Global warming anyone?

[Alice_K8]

I have been wondering about people's opinions on global warming lately. How well informed do you feel on the topic, and more importantly, how much do you care?

I would really like to know the sentiments of the members of this guild towards this topic.  

[ieatyourtclol]

I am quite informed regarding the topic. In all honesty, I couldn't care. I haven't noticed any change where I live, so it really doesn't affect/concern me. Of course, by the time I do feel/see the affects, then i'm screwed. In the end, I refuse to worry about anything I can't control. It only stresses me out to think that this is someone else problem and my future and futures to come may be completely dependant on the actions taken now. >>

 

[Corpse_Bride_131]

It's all Bush's fault. lol.  

[For the Madness]

Honestly, I love the environment. The world is my lover and my life, afterall.
But I'm not too well informed of it. For now, I focus on things I can stop; like the cutting of too many trees, the destruction of wildlife, the ever-so-popular- topic of unneccesary hunting.
But hey, global warming is going to hit us all someday. If I weren't so busy, I'd start something about it now.

 

[Threl Kaar]

Nay to that.  

[GilAskan]

Global warming could be a serious problem, but the media far overblows the issue.  

[lurichan]

Global warming is one of those topics that everyone has heard about, but most people just don't have the time or inclination to do the research because it doesn't directly effect them.
I find myself guilty of this general mind frame. It's not an imediate concern, so I haven't given it much thought. Depending on the scientist and the research team involved you tend to get very different results overall.

I saw one person on TV (who was obviously associated with a company that causes certain chemicals to be released in the air) try to claim that they thickening of the ozone layer would be a good thing. -_-* Obviously he has never heard of the "greenhouse effect" or how that could potentially be a very Bad thing in the longrun.

I remember when I was a kid it was hyped up quite a bit with a lot of activists supporting reducing the use of aresol products, ect. Now it feels more like the issue has fallen by the wayside in favor of more media friendly topics like the latest gossip, the war, and the incompitence of George W. Bush.

I think was bothers me the most about it though is how not much is really being done to change things for the better because too many people are offering too many contradictory theories. It's like everyone knows about it, but no one will really agree on how or when it will happen.  

[Alice_K8]

I'm not too well informed on the topic myself, but I deeply desire to be. It IS a matter that directly affects us all. I mean we all live on the planet. All I know is what I see. I visited a pond the other day that I used to skate on when I was a kid. It was at about this time of year too. I remember it being a popular place to go skating. Now the pond has only a pathetic thin sheet of ice, that probably wouldn't support a bug. That was less than ten years ago. I beleive that this is an immediate problem, and that if nothing is done, the earth may become uninhabitable before my lifetime would otherwise have ended.

Also, I'd like to point out that as the earth gets hotter and hotter, we won't see more sunny warm days, but rather less. We will see, and in fact are already seeing, an increased amount of rainy days. The rate of evaporation is speeding up because of the higher temperatures, so I guess, eventually, the whole surface of the earth will probably be covered in steam. And that's not very good for the lungs...

So should we care more? There are things that can be done. Some require money and reaserchers, for example, I know that there are people at Dalhousie university reaserching a way to take CO2 mix it with other stuff and put it back into the ground as rocks and other things that are harmless to the earth. Then there are things I don't know how to go about doing, like taking down the oil giants. We have many wonderful clean energy sources, but they are not thriving because our society and way of life are built on fossil fuels.  

[Veruniel]

Global warming disturbs me deeply, because I see more evidence of it every year.

Europe just keeps getting warmer and warmer. It's so mild now that for the first time in centuries, there are vineyards in the south of England. That's right, people are brewing English wine!

It may not seem sinister, but it spooks me for two reasons. First, I don't like heat. I'd rather have my glistening windy winters, thank you. Secondly, and far more importantly, the environmental balance that keeps the Gulf Stream flowing is a delicate one. If the world gets too hot, that supply of warm water that flows up from the tropics to the coast of England will stop... and Britain will start to get very, VERY cold. Ironically, global warming could make my home as cold as places like Denmark and southern Alaska (which are at the same latitude).

Global warming pisses me off. Europe is becoming very environmentally conscious and we're trying to do our part. But plenty of other countries are a lot bigger, are contributing to the problem a lot more than we ever could, and are refusing to do d**k all.  

[Athiel]

Veruniel

Global warming disturbs me deeply, because I see more evidence of it every year.

Europe just keeps getting warmer and warmer. It's so mild now that for the first time in centuries, there are vineyards in the south of England. That's right, people are brewing English wine!

It may not seem sinister, but it spooks me for two reasons. First, I don't like heat. I'd rather have my glistening windy winters, thank you. Secondly, and far more importantly, the environmental balance that keeps the Gulf Stream flowing is a delicate one. If the world gets too hot, that supply of warm water that flows up from the tropics to the coast of England will stop... and Britain will start to get very, VERY cold. Ironically, global warming could make my home as cold as places like Denmark and southern Alaska (which are at the same latitude).

Global warming pisses me off. Europe is becoming very environmentally conscious and we're trying to do our part. But plenty of other countries are a lot bigger, are contributing to the problem a lot more than we ever could, and are refusing to do d**k all.

(Not that Denmark is much different from England, heat-wise)  

[Whisperer~Nightshade]

It isn't just the human race that is causing the world to grow warmer, its also the earth itself heating. I agree with all of you, I just thought that I would point this out.  

[Angel Bruja]

I learned a lot about it and how it's covered up, or processed in a way to confuse or disinterest people, in my enviromental sociology class. There are many ways that the government and common folk could use better knowledge to try and fix the enviroment instead of constantly fighting over the problem and it's source, but no one really takes the time to listen or get the actual facts. A shame since global warming affects everyone and everything but many don't seem to care and try to help out.  

[This Emo Bleeds Black]

you know how teachers are suposed to say or talk about global warming? well my teacher refuses to talk about it. same with all my friends or they say "who care?" this world is really going to hell now. hell isnt frezzing over its BURNING over..... im sad now... emo emo ....again crying  

[A Dark Knight]

ok to better inform all of you global warming isn't some theory or anything it is an observed and measured FACT. everyone should care about it even though it might not greatly affect you at this moment it will, and by that time you won't be able to do anything about it.

certain chemicals in the atmosphere aborb heat coming into the earth or let it pass and hit it. however the heat must go back out because we'd all burn up if it didn't. if the density of these types of chemicals in the atmosphere is a lot more (more molecules per square inch or something) then the heat will be absorbed and realeased until it reaches the space. which takes longer than it normally would. so it keeps more heat in the earth longer (which tends to happen in summer) and gets rid of it (beleive it or not winter) which means more extreme weather. hotter summers and colder winters.

ok now for some of the affects

1) there are lots of glaciers in and around Greenland. excuse me there WAS a lot of glaciers in Greenland. anyways, well, they're cold and they put cold water into the Atlantic. thats not a good thing. in the Atlantic Ocean there is like a river sort of that carries water from the tip of South America to up to Greenland and then down around Africa to circle the other oceans.
we call this The Great Conveyer Belt. the ocean absorbs heat from the sun and by the time it gets to Greenland it rises and then the heat and energy is carried by the jet stream into Europe, Africa and Asia.
but cold water is being dumped into this area disrupting the Conveyer
Belt, some scientists fear that it will affect it so much that it will completely alter its path and not even go into the north Atlantic at all. thus not carrying energy to the north. this is why Europe isn't as cold as it should be. no heat/energy=ice age starting with Europe.
think of the movie The Day After Tomorrow. of course it wont be that quick but it is happening alot quicker than predicted.
oh yeah and if i'm not mistaken, didn't Russia just have one of the coldest winters on record last year?

2) ocean levels rising of course. pretty important to those that live below sea level or near it. small islands, New Orleans (US), Miami (US), "The Low Countries" Belgium and The Netherlands. there are many more but i can't think of them right now.

3) warmer oceans feed hurricanes/typhoons and make them stronger and last longer. Atlantic absorbs heat from the sun. you may've noticed this from hurricane Katrina and the other above average storms. not good for America and Latin America.

4) coral reef are VERY sensitive to the slightest change it temperature. when they stress out they bleach or something i'm not really sure about that process but too much of it poisons fish. very important to countries and islands that who's main diet consists of sea food.

im sorry if i didnt mention effects on the part of the world that you live in i'm not really sure about the Pacifc and Indian Ocean areas.

ok i'm tired of writing and can't think of many more things but if i do i'll add them later.

oh yeah and if you don't care about the planet you LIVE and DEPEND on the you're an idiot! you might not see drastic affects while your alive but your children definetely will, and if you are young now you probably will.

i'm sorry, ignorance annoys me but, stupidity just pisses me off.  

[zz1000zz]

I find it interesting how certain people are of their position, when most know little of the subject. For example, proponents of global warming like to show video of glaciers melting. The problem is the Antarctic ice mass is increasing. The most known source about global warming is An Inconvienent Truth, yet a good deal of it can be easily disproven.

Is global warming real? Perhaps, but it is certainly not proven. To be proven, a theory must have evidence supporting it. Next it must be defended when alternative theories and/or evidence are offered. Supporters of the global warming theory have not done this. Not because they lack the evidence, but because a debate on global warming has not happened.

People let their personal and political viewpoints interfere with the scientific process. This type of thing has caused millions of deaths in the past (the DDT bans). The simple truth is you are not qualified to determine the validity of the global warming theory. You do not have the training or the knowledge to justify picking a side.

I can argue either side of this issue, but ultimately it would be pointless. We simply do not have any way to determine which side is correct.