Lately JLM, going by our local papers and then googling same, it appears there are as many people stating we are in a phase of global "cooling" rather than global warming. Going by our own temps. I am more inclined to believe in the "cooling" rather than warming. If you just google mini iceage you will see quite the article about global cooling. IF they are right, we could be entering a mini iceage which would really suck. Either way it sucks. I guess I would rather it is just a temporary climate change.
It's neither.
Global climate change, which is partly due to nature, and exacerbated by human activity/industry is the accepted scientific argument. The whole 'warming' vs. 'cooling' BS is an argument that is propped up by interest groups (from both sides of the fence) that rely on a little science and a lot of moxie (either that or it comes from jaded ex-president elects and rock stars that feel they need to be taken more seriously). Temps. have increased over the years in places, and reduced in others. Climate change effects different areas of the world differently. In one part of the world you might have increased flooding and temps. due to increases in rain water due to evaporation from another part of the world, in other places those same forces that cause more evaporation cause massive droughts, and in yet another place the same conditions increase the amount of snow you get in the winter months, (heavey snow only falls when the temp. is in a certain range that is 0 to -10C, if it gets too cold the process stops).
The fact is, the global weather system is globally linked. When I read in the news of massive ice shelfs falling off the Antarctic, mean temps in the tundra way over norm, growing seasons that have grown longer and longer and talk of the North-West passage being transversable year round, I begin to think that yeah, something is changing.
Will it be warmer or colder? More dry or wet? I suppose, yes and no, depending on where you are.
We do know now (by icecore research) when the last ice-age came to an end it happend much faster than was traditionally thought (less than a few decades). We also know that there is a link between human industry and the local environment (be it from increases in smog, erosion of the land, poisioning of water, desertification, increases in temp. etc) and it would be foolish to think that what happens on a local level has no effect on the larger environment.
All I know is that the future is happening a lot faster than we thought, and it will be my children and I, within my lifetime, that will have to deal with the economic, ecological, political and social ramifications of the previous generations who would rather have argued and fought over our natural resources and padded their wallets instead of deal with the situation.
Sorry, for the rant but I've followed this 'theory' of climate change for nearly 18 years (before it bacame a fashion statement) and have seen much of what was predicted when I was yonger come true. It scares me to think that it's just to damn late in the game to really avoid it anymore.
:angry3:
See your 15 degrees and raise ya ten.
