Scary business ! I'm still not convinced that these events are down to humanity rather than part of a natural cycle. However we may well be accelerating and worsening such effects. Whatever the truth, it can still only benefit us to reduce carbon out and energy consuption.
I don't think there's any proof of "natural cycles" when it comes to global temperature. With the exception of asteroid impacts, the earth is a fairly closed system. The sun exerts a pretty uniform influence thanks to our planet's magnetic shield - Northern lights are stunning evidence of the magnetic field at work.
When you consider that fossil fuels have been stored for millenia upon millenia as huge reserves of potential energy, which we're on the way to have completely converted into kinetic energy, then the question of whether we've been causing global warming is a no-brainer. That is, providing you know anything about thermodynamics.
Local events in the past have caused global temperature variation. The clashing of continental plates caused mountains to grow which in turn lead to an increase in erosion and the locking up of masses of carbon dioxide in sediments, and thus cooled the planet.
This process also occurs as dead animal and vegetable matter has been compressed into sediments.
Supervolcano activity and asteroid impacts hitting areas with carbon rich sediments caused these sediments to superheat turning the carbon into methane - a 5x more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Huge prehistorical impacts and supervolcanos have only shown to have caused extinctions in these carbon-rich sediment areas according to the carbon-dating of these events and the fossil record. To cut a long story short, evidence now suggests that dinosaurs died out because of global warming.
What man is doing with petrol, coal and gas, is similar to what these massive prehistoric events did, but just as they took a while to come into effect (the extinctions weren't sudden as once believed), its going to be a few years before we all recognise the extent of the problem.
The scientific work on this subject has been covered in an article in the latest issue of New Scientist magazine. It is a fascinating read, with theory born out of great latteral thinking - the clues about our planets history are spread far and wide.
I'm an entrepreneurial spirit who's been involved in sportswear design for the last 5 or more years. Apart from O&A, my other blog projects are currently on hold.
4 comments:
Certainly a worrying trend. I see Pen Haddow is off to measure the thickness of the polar ice cap...
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1655612007
more info at the expedition's website here (down as I type this)
http://www.vancoarcticsurvey.com/home.php
Scary business ! I'm still not convinced that these events are down to humanity rather than part of a natural cycle. However we may well be accelerating and worsening such effects. Whatever the truth, it can still only benefit us to reduce carbon out and energy consuption.
Oops ! Of course, last line of previous comment should read " carbon OUTPUT" - sorry
I don't think there's any proof of "natural cycles" when it comes to global temperature. With the exception of asteroid impacts, the earth is a fairly closed system. The sun exerts a pretty uniform influence thanks to our planet's magnetic shield - Northern lights are stunning evidence of the magnetic field at work.
When you consider that fossil fuels have been stored for millenia upon millenia as huge reserves of potential energy, which we're on the way to have completely converted into kinetic energy, then the question of whether we've been causing global warming is a no-brainer. That is, providing you know anything about thermodynamics.
Local events in the past have caused global temperature variation. The clashing of continental plates caused mountains to grow which in turn lead to an increase in erosion and the locking up of masses of carbon dioxide in sediments, and thus cooled the planet.
This process also occurs as dead animal and vegetable matter has been compressed into sediments.
Supervolcano activity and asteroid impacts hitting areas with carbon rich sediments caused these sediments to superheat turning the carbon into methane - a 5x more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Huge prehistorical impacts and supervolcanos have only shown to have caused extinctions in these carbon-rich sediment areas according to the carbon-dating of these events and the fossil record. To cut a long story short, evidence now suggests that dinosaurs died out because of global warming.
What man is doing with petrol, coal and gas, is similar to what these massive prehistoric events did, but just as they took a while to come into effect (the extinctions weren't sudden as once believed), its going to be a few years before we all recognise the extent of the problem.
The scientific work on this subject has been covered in an article in the latest issue of New Scientist magazine. It is a fascinating read, with theory born out of great latteral thinking - the clues about our planets history are spread far and wide.
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg19626330.400-mass-extinctions-the-armageddon-factor.html
Sadly these scientific arguements are too difficult to be appreciated by the extinct brains of George W and his friends the creationist cretins.
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