Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Tomorrows Climate, Todays Challenge



At least the UK is making any effort to spread the word about climate change, I wish I could say the same for our government.

5 comments:

  1. The trouble is 1green, that our government only highlight this now because it is favourable in the public view. Green issues are the latest thing our government has hitched onto, as they recognise it as a vote winner.
    They are not really bothered about the climate changes, and the environment, because if they were they would earmark a lot more money for them than they do now.

    Sadly once they get the votes, the green issue is taken off the top of the agend, until the next time.

    What the US needs is a President that has shares in wind farms, or tidal energy parks, or any other green fuels, raher than the if you'll pardon me for saying so, the incompetant baffoon with oil interests that you have now!

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  2. Global warming taking earth back to dinosaur era By Jeremy Lovell
    Thu Sep 7, 10:23 AM ET



    Global warming over the coming century could mean a return of temperatures last seen in the age of the dinosaur and lead to the extinction of up to half of all species, a scientist said on Thursday.

    Not only will carbon dioxide levels be at the highest levels for 24 million years, but global average temperatures will be higher than for up to 10 million years, said Chris Thomas of the University of York.

    Between 10 and 99 percent of species will be faced with atmospheric conditions that last existed before they evolved, and as a result from 10-50 percent of them could disappear.

    "We may very well already be on the breaking edge of a wave of mass extinctions," Thomas told the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.

    Scientists predict average global temperatures will rise by between two and six degrees centigrade by 2100, mainly as a result of the heat-trapping carbon dioxide being pumped into the air from burning fossil fuels for transport and power.

    "If the most extreme warming predicted takes place we will be going back to global temperatures not seen since the age of the dinosaur," Thomas said.

    "We are starting to put these things into a historical perspective. These are conditions not seen for millions of years, so none of the species will have been subjected to them before," he added.

    Thomas said scientific observations had already found that -- as predicted by the climate models -- 80 percent of species had already begun moving their traditional territorial ranges in response to the changing climatic conditions.

    "That is an amazingly high correlation. It is a clear signature of climate change," he said.

    Not only had the animals, birds and insects started to react, but there was evidence vegetation was also on the move.

    For example, climate-triggered fungal pathogen outbreaks had already led to the extinction of more than one percent of the planet's amphibian species, Thomas said.

    Not only would some species simply find no suitable space to live anymore, but there would be confrontations with invasive species being forced to move their territory. This would produce not just wipe-outs but species' mixtures never seen before.

    And the changes would all happen at a faster rate than ever before in evolution.

    "In geological terms 100 years is effectively instantaneous," Thomas noted.

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  3. Anonymous12:44 AM

    The US also needs people who support government and get active instead of just spouting off all the time.

    Have you noticed we have heat records and such in the US from the 1800's? Was it hotter then and what about global warming? How come we reached record heats then and then cooled off?

    Maybe do research on history before claiming such theories like global warming which are quite urban legend at the moment.

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  4. In the past few years numerous studies have come on proving that climate change is in fact happening. I think Kit, is one of the few that is not convinced yet. (perhaps the oil compaines are lining his pocket) Kit here is a link you should check out

    http://yosemite.epa.gov/OAR/globalwarming.nsf/content/Climate.html

    It is from the EPA which I would think would have a little knowledge of climate change.

    Here is another link for you

    http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/GlobalWarming/

    This one is from nasa, again a great sorce for creditable info. Let me know what you come up with or if you need a little more proof.

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  5. Hmmm, I'm sorry Kit doesn't seem convinced. I've been following your site since you started. Great posts, please keep it up.

    I found an older article about San Francisco starting a program to use the methane from dog poop and turn it into electricity and heating for local San Francisco homes. You can view the National Geographic News link here.

    You can also visit my blog for the link. Cheers.

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