UN Panel Gives Dire Warming Forecast

(AP) -- The Earth is hurtling toward a warmer climate at a quickening pace, a Nobel-winning U.N. scientific panel said in a landmark report released Saturday, warning of inevitable human suffering and the threat of extinction for some species.

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p1ll

3.3 / 5 (8) Nov 17, 2007

climate change is normal, we can only influence it minutely. If the earth was headed towards an ice age, I assume our influence over the climate would be enough to reverse it, right? Does anyone really believe we could counter an iceage by our contribution to CO2? Life will adapt to the changing climate. There's nothing we can do to change it.

2.8 / 5 (9) Nov 17, 2007

quote from the article, "Unless action is taken, human activity could lead to "abrupt and irreversible changes" that would make the planet unrecognizable." Oh please! What doomsday nonsense! These "scientists" will be proven the fools they are in 10-20 years. If they are correct, I think we'll adapt just fine. I'm really tired of all this "end of the world-its our fault" crap.

jcummins

2.6 / 5 (10) Nov 17, 2007

I agree with the previous 2 comments.

It makes me wonder why the entire media including hollowood movies is hyping the CO2 theatrics. Could it be that those who fund all those greens have something to gain?

Why would the benevolent govts be participants to this classic Sun Tzu adventure unless these masters of the world are behind this divide and conquer scheme?

Hopefully, the majority of the people can still think for themselves and recognize a rube-goldberg scam.

the_answer_is_42

3.1 / 5 (8) Nov 17, 2007

It's unfortunate that the alarmist stance taken by a vocal minority has desensitized us to possible dangers of air pollution. That humanity can have a significant impact on the ecosystem is not a new or argued concept. The Peppered Moth has been used as an example of Natural Selection due to a change in the industrial English countryside for a century.

I think humanity will survive the climatic changes, even if they are as catastrophic as some believe, but it won't be without a price. Heat waves are uncomfortable and expensive in the best case scenario, deadly for a small percentage of the population in the worst. Some U.S. cities are already out of water. This isn't new, but we no longer have the ability to simply abandon a town and move on like the pioneers did.

It would be helful, and refreshing, if Gore and the enviromentalists would stick to verifiable facts. In any case, it certainly wouldn't hurt the U.S. and world at large to start thinking about the future and controlling pollution.

3.4 / 5 (8) Nov 17, 2007

I agree. What bothers me most is that what the alarmists are implying we should do is to hault our economic development which has given mankind the best most prosperous lives in history. Does anyone really want to go back to the 18th century? Also, what about developing nations in africa, for example? Are they to hault any economic progress because they arent using hydrogen based or solar based energy to grow their economies and better their societies?

the human race is on a forward moving direction that can't be stopped. Petrolium will run out and we will move to alternatives naturally. Just think, we live in the best times of any in history and we are told that the world is screwed, we're at fault, and the end is near.

I live in Europe right now, and it's a given fact here that we are destroying the earth's climate and we're headed for disaster. There is no opposing voice to the rhetoric. It's in vogue now to be anti capitalist, anti american, etc, yet perople love their cars, their ipods, their McDonalds and all the things that are supposedly destroying the planet. Ok, my rant is done, hehehe, by the way I am open to the idea we are at fault, but not to the idea we should stop humanity's forward progress which has given us the best of times. We are all very lucky to live in the 21st century.

Zarky

2.6 / 5 (7) Nov 17, 2007

yes, they all agree Global Climate Change is happening but have they the right cause and therefore a possible correct solution ?????

If they have the wrong cause then a solution is impossible

and it is the fate of LIFE that is the stake.

A hot-house Earth would need a roof, and a hot-house Earth would be lush and green with plenty of rain, warm and humid with "tropical weather".

A drying, "The Death of Clouds" type planet can only be attributed to a disruption in the Hydrological Equilibrium on the Earth, determined by the water-atmosphere interface.

The rising Carbon Dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is a sign of the changes in the water-atmosphere interface.

The hydrological equilibrium constant of the water-atmosphere interface is readjusting to the altered sea/fresh water-atmospheric/heat water vapour diffusion rate, which has been lowered by the oil-sea water-atmosphere membrane ,,,, referred to as The Armageddon Factor.

Human Beings are bringing LIFE to its knees, and still comments such as

>> I am open to the idea we are at fault, but not to the idea we should stop humanity's forward progress which has given us the best of times >>>

show that the extreme seriousness of the situation is not widely realised.

The Cult of The Dinosaur

NotParker

According to some, the earth is actually cooling.

http://www.cru.ue.../g17.htm

No year has been warmer than 1998.

The claims of this panel are the desperate cries of a bunch of con artists who hope to steal a bunch of money before any figures out the con.

earls

2.5 / 5 (8) Nov 17, 2007

How about that 2007 killer hurricane season?

Hunabku

2.4 / 5 (8) Nov 17, 2007

Thankless... That would be how i sum up the mentality of those that see Global Warming as "no problem." Funny thing is, i would think people on physorg would have more respect for climatologists. Nearly all climatologists, over the past few years, have significantly increased the pace of global warming.

Yes the majority of climatologists and related scientists agree, and yes they would be vocal on the area of their expertise. But that doesn't stop many of us, who might claim respect for scientists, to discredit or dramatically understate the magnitude of their predictions.

Why? Because we're human. We don't want think about big consequences or responsibilities. We don't want to consider big change and will justify whatever we need to feel comfortably numb.

Also we are political by nature - and lets face it - there has been an awful lot of spin and pundits speaking contrary to the scientists - and that should be no surprise since there ARE many vested interests in downplaying global warming.

The reality that seems so hard for many of us to accept is the same reality that is difficult for young children to accept - ie that we are mortal and that our actions have consequences. GROW UP - our lives on this planet are held in a tenuous balance. It is time we show our gratitude for the fragile and complex interactions that bless us with life.

Our we that thankless to allow the widespread decimation of so many species on this planet. - destroying the very web of life that allows for us to live. The earth (though the universal laws) is up to something - its called life and the generative process - if we don't get with it, she will continue without us. Sad thing is we are taking so many of our relatives (plants, animals and ecosystems) with us in our self-absorbed short-sightedness.

2.9 / 5 (13) Nov 17, 2007

The amount of solar energy reaching the earth is at an 8,000 year high in terms of duration and intensity.

Blaming a small amount of warming on CO2 is a con game.

Its the Sun.

Large parts of the UK are receiving 20% more sunlight than they did in 1929.

Its the Sun.

1.9 / 5 (8) Nov 18, 2007

>>> According to some, the earth is actually cooling. >>>

Indeed it will cool, and an Ice Age like none before will envelope the Earth.

The Ice Clouds are already forming

fleem

2.7 / 5 (7) Nov 18, 2007

People don't seem to understand that no matter how many years a really smart person goes to school, that person will not be able to create an even remotely accurate computer simulation when it lacks several orders of magnitude in the precision of its inputs.

A ratings-hungry media, publish-hungry and grant-hungry "scientists", and an organization of 3rd-world power and money-hungry dictators called "the U.N" don't seem to realize this, either. I wonder why.

90% of the GM alarmist articles I see are riddled with fluff and junk science. For example, there is not one drop of evidence, and much to the contrary, that the Earth's climate has metastable states, yet most GM alarmist say it does. For another example, we do have accurate measurements of sea level rise, especially for the last 150 years, and the rise is not accelerating AT ALL.

Not only is there evidence of probable solar increase, I'm also starting to look at changes in magma flow--check out the acceleration in the rising surface of yellowstone.

mikiwud

1 / 5 (2) Nov 18, 2007

Forget climate change,bring back global warming!
We've got heavy snow in the English midlands,
heavy enough to kill the Sky signal.
I cannot remember snow in november for a long time.

roguetrekker

2 / 5 (5) Nov 18, 2007

Posted by Hunabku:
"Also we are political by nature - and lets face it - there has been an awful lot of spin and pundits speaking contrary to the scientists - and that should be no surprise since there ARE many vested interests in downplaying global warming."

There ARE also many vested interests in playing-up global warming. "Vote for me or it will be YOUR fault the world is heating up and all life will die." Gee, I wonder who would benefit from that idea...

CWFlink

1 / 5 (1) Nov 26, 2007

It is telling that the aim of much of the hype is to penalize burning of coal and oil while increasing the spread of nuclear power. This is precisely the objective of the politically power-hungry of the 3rd world who want to justify obtaining nuclear technology while punishing the countries with the most coal and oil reserves.

If the goal was to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, then primary goal of Kyoto would be to reduce travel (especially air travel) and increase the use of the Internet as an alternative to tourism and commerce.

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