How long will it take to reverse the effects of global change?

Answer 1

I dont think you can reverse the effects of global change, but by addressing the issue you can slow it down...

Answer 2

The earth is an enormous array of ecosystems, each having some impact on the others. The greatest addition of mankind has been in more recent years has been in the area of heat. We have added billions of people to the planet, each with his or her own natural combustion engine of a body, and each requiring the production of heat through manufacturing to meet the ever growing needs. The stark truth is that the production of heat grows proportionately with the population, and nothing is likely to curb this trend in the very near future, nor are arbitrary measures to use more efficient fuel sources sufficient enough to curb a trend that has been escalating for hundreds of years. Though I do not believe the earth to be as fragile as many global warming sensationalists would have us believe, I do believe that reversing the current global climate is not something that we will see in the next century. At the place we are, even a massive war or worldwide plague bringing unprecedented death and destruction would only release, through decomposition, even more of the harmful gasses that affect the upper atmosphere. The question is not really how long it will take to reverse the effects, but how long can a planet so heavily populated endure the changes that will certainly follow the most recent course.

Don S.

Answer 3

Xpert -- you're crazy, global warming is a very real phenomenon and just because you, personally, are "too small" to have a great effect doesn't mean that mankind as a whole cannot do such a thing...just look at the shuttle launch today, or the moon landings 30 years ago -- none of these could've been done by one man.

as for how long it will take to reverse the effects...forever.

you cannot reverse this. the earth has been locking carbon out of the atmospheric equasion for millions of years, only to have the industrial revolution come along and add it right back in. it took the earth millions of years to store away all the carbon we've used over the last century. this cannot be reversed, it will only serve to alter the cycle and it's very nature.

Answer 4

Some of you are pretty harsh in your answers. Some of you are uninformed. Some of you are just down right mean and stupid.. The damage we have caused this planet is irreversible.. The only thing we can do is learn from the mistakes we have made and make a positive change in the way we do things. It is going to take more than recycling, however, if we all work together, we can slow down the effects of the damage and possibly reverse SOME of the damage. We owe it to future generations to try.. Instead of saying it can't be done, we should be trying to come up with alternative fuels that are clean and abundant.. (Solar??) Stop polluting the natural environment. Start taking responsibility for our own actions rather than blaming everything on everyone else. If Global Warming isn't YOUR problem, Then whose is it??

Answer 5

Global change will occur no matter what, even if you erased all the humans from existence. Global change is an ongoing process that occurs naturally but since we are here, we do have a natural and unnatural effect on that change. Do you really believe if we were to disappear the dinosaurs would come back? Any way you can't reverse what has happened; you can only move forward and hope it changes back to some point and time of your own liking, heck maybe it will move forward to the 80's when the music was good.

Answer 6

Global Climate change is a part of the balance of the world. It is a false assumption to think that without humans, the world would balance. Humans are a part of the world system. The things humans do may contribute to imbalance in environment, but no environment is ever perfectly balanced. That being said, the world is out of balance. Global climate change is part of nature changing. It is not to be reversed, but adjusted to, in order to survive. The world is constantly changing, that is part of the beauty of it. It is futile to try to keep it the same. The United States was the first on record to attempt to keep land untouched for people to enjoy. What they found was that the land changed and adapted and went crazy at times without anyone messing with it. Also, Native Americans knew that their actions when hunting and harvesting contributed to a balance in nature. In other words, if some buffalo weren't killed off and eaten, their would be way too many buffalo the next year and extreme changes would occur affecting grasslands, small vermin, and eventually predators. I'm from New Mexico, I know that is the truth. The world of balance doesn't exist.

Concerning CO2 and sulfides, I would say that you have to be careful about scientific data. The U.S. is the healthiest, wealthiest nation the world has ever known. But, the media and scientists use fear as a tool to obtain money for research, causes, colleges, seminars, and is also used as a hook to watch the news. Some scientists find data that opposes global warming and abrupt climate change as even existing. Those scientists are just as credible as the one's who support global warming. These things aren't facts. While some claim to be destroyed by an increase in the world's temperature, I know farmer's who have yielded greater crops and larger growing seasons when the weather is generally warmer. Point being, not everyone suffers when it is hotter. Yet, you don't hear that in the media. Ask yourself why and search for answers like I did.

Were the world to flood over, be destroyed by the Sun, or be hit by a meteor, there is nothing anyone could do about it. It is scientifically impossible for the life and the earth to exist, and yet it does. Why? Colossians 1:16,17.

Andrew, Engineer at LeTourneau University

Answer 7

Global Change Will Never Be Reversed

Answer 8

In spite of the silly answers so far, this question does have an answer that is fairly well understood. Fully reversing global warming will take at a minimum approximately twice as long as the slowest change takes to stabilize. The slowest change is that of sea level rise, which if we were to stop emitting CO2 today, would take about 1000 years to stabilize. To bring it back to today's level would take at a minimum another 1000 years, so the answer is over 2000 years.

However complete reversal is not really necessary. All we need is climatic stability or at least only small rates of change. Again if we were to stop emitting CO2 tomorrow it would take about 300 years for the climate rates of change to become small by historical standards. If we delay CO2 reduction for another 50 years or so as seems fairly likely it may take between 500 and 1000 years for climate change rates to become moderate again. Unfortunately, that period will be a rough time for humans. The important message to take away is that the longer we wait to do something the worse and longer will be the bad times.

I am finding myself shocked by how little people realize the degree of impact we have on the earth. There have been many assertions that we are too puny to affect the earth and its climate. That is so far from wrong that it is not even funny. People have been releasing more CO2 into the atmosphere than all natural sources combined for more than 100 years now and by doing that we have raised CO2 levels higher than they have been in the last 450,000 years. That is just one example of change that is having a very big impact on the planet. There are 6,000,000,000 of us now and we are changing the earth dramatically.

Answer 9

Easy, the global change your so worried about, is irreversible something not even man can stop. it's a natural occurring process just like earthquakes, rain, etc.
If you think you can reverse these changes, your just as stupid as Al Gore is.
it seems like this kind of movement will be used as some kind of justification for anyone to attack anyone because they feel they're contributing to these changes.
Sometime in the future it'll start getting colder and colder outside until it's like the Little Ice Age and what will happen, people will freak out and start blaming each other for what happened and no doubt wars will break out, and then you could all thank your savior like Al Gore for twisting facts and only telling you things he wants you to know. Maybe people should be learning how to adapt to the future conditions that there will be and we'll save ourselves alot of hardship which the people in the last ice age didn't have the luxury of. Preparation is what's needed now, not time being wasted trying to reverse something that can't be reversed. I can rest assured I'm on the right side here, but the followers of Al Gore will not think so.

Answer 10

There is nothing to reverse. Or change. Or affect. Global climate has been in flux for the history of the planet. Humans may have great impact their local temporary environment, and should act responsibly there, but the idea that we may cause the destruction of the planet by changing the composition of the atmosphere by .001% is ludicrous. Most every "fact" that supports global warming is either
a)completely anecdotal
b)explained by other means like urban warming, or sun fluctuation
c)on an infintesimally small time line that when expanded shows no change or opposite, or
d)counted by facts supporting alternate views.

For instance, during the last ice age, the CO2 levels that are supposedly going to cook us, were 10X what they are now.

Answer 11

Why would you ever want to? I believe in moving forward and continuing to change (preferably in a positive manner). If what you mean is how long will it take to clean up the negative impact modern society has had on the planet? the answer is we will never be able to completely fix that which we have broke. The first step is to stop breaking things.

I know the sicence/enviromental prefer to keep religion as a seperate subject but I see an application for a Christian principal.

We did not make the planet. We can not remake the planet. We are damaging the planet (lets call it sinning) First we must repent (turn away from that which is wrong) basically stop it. then we can seek forgivness by atonning (making right what we can) Finally we must live in the Grace of the Universe (GOD) to fix the rest so we can continue.