Did you know there were polar bears in Iceland? (Global warming question, read on)?

Question

Large masses of ice are appearing in Iceland that haven't been seen in over 40 years, providing a way for polar bears to reach iceland.

How does this article make you feel about "global warming"? I thought all the ice was melting?

http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/6564/Ice_packs_(and_polar_bears)_thwart_Iceland_fishing.html

I'm just trying to push the idea of "global climate change" over "global warming"...the latter just seems inaccurate.

Too many great answers - can't pick. I'm glad someone mentioned the global cooling scare of the 70's.

Answer 1

One of the forecasts of the impact of global warming is that it *may* cause the Gulf Stream to weaken or stop flowing altogether. If that happened, it would cause the water temperatures off western Europe to drop, even though the global temperatures were rising.

By the way, I'm still keeping an open mind on whether or not global warming is happening, but this single data point has no impact on my opinions one way or another.

Answer 2

warming is only a part of the change.

according to scientists who agree that our climate is changing, ('climate' is a different thing entirely from 'weather', which refers to the short term variations our friend in indiana is experiencing today.) some places will undergo increases in their average temperature or precipitation, while others will undergo decreases. it's short-sighted to think that climate change will affect all parts of earth similarly.

one of the most striking things taking place is not that our days are getting warmer in the usa, but that our nights are now less cold than they were even 20 years ago. average ice-out dates on northern lakes have been steadily coming earlier in the year. species such as red oak that have never thrived in northern minnesota are now becoming more commonplace. robins are now wintering there as well. polar bears in iceland? okay then. how about the loss of permafrost in alaska, causing the collapse of native housing in the northern parts of the state? the loss of glaciers in montana will leave glacier national park a misnomer by the end of the century, by some accounts. and these are the things we can readily observe. what about the things we can't? future rising sea levels? anyone for more drought in australia? missing pacific islands during high tides? another katrina?

what benefits one part of the world may be a crusing blow to another... and some political entities may stand to benefit from the changes ahead. agriculture, health, and
tourism all stand to be affected.

'global warming' is a popular phrase in the media, and it catches people's attention because it makes it easy to visualize upcoming disasters. 'global change' is far more accurate, yet far less immediate, making it easier to pass the buck onto the next generations. throwing money at a catastrophe is easy, but spending it to prevent vague 'change' is a little harder to rationalize.

oh, and that polar bear? if he knew what was coming, he'd be paddling pretty fast by now.

Answer 3

Global warming is at the fore front because politicians found how to use a new platform to get re-elected. The world leaders use it because they found ways to make money at it. This is a made up problem just like Global Cooling in the 1970's. Wake up people. I agree we need to be more efficient with our resources, and we should fine and jail companies who are dumping into our rivers maliciously. I want to stop the raiforest destruction, but to say that global warming is a serious man made issue and we need to destroy the American economy and bow down to the rest of the world certainly does not float my boat. Follow the money on this one and you will see that it is all for political gain and grant money for those scientists who profit off of the government if global warming stays at the front of the issues. Look deep into the Keoto (sp?) Treaty, first of all they took jets to a non-central resort location. Not very environmentally concious. THen in the parameters of the treaty they have a clause that makes it so you can buy or sell polution credits. This is all about shifting wealth and breaking down the United States. This is painfully obvious, just look at peoples agenda. The earth's mean temperature has risen .6 degrees C in the past 125 years. Greenland's icecaps have gotten colder in the past 10 years. The Scientists who do not gain anything on their posisition will tell you that the earth has a natural progression and this is what we are seeing. The UN report is made up of POLITICIANS not a good spread of scientists. THere are as many or more scientists who believe that man in NOT the reason and it is over hyped, but their voice is not heard in the LIberal Mainstream Media. This issue is 99% political, and an attempt to make the USA a socialist nation, and eventually communisim. WAKE UP AMERICA, IT IS TIME TO BE AMERICANS. FOR THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE. STOP THE LIES

Answer 4

Here's how I feel about global warming.

It's 7 degrees outside and this is as warm as it's been in two weeks. I have three feet of snow in my yard and 8 to 10 foot drifts along my drive. I live in Indiana and we are pretty far from the Arctic Circle. As far as I see it "warming" is not my biggest problem right now.

As far as the ozone and the ice caps, I'm not worried. The earth has had large fluctuating levels of ozone and glacier ice since time began. Life has carried on. The sun still shines and the world still turns. It's arrogance of the highest variety to think that we have had this effect on the planet.

As an example: When Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980 it spewed out more "pollutants" into the atmosphere than man had done since the beginning of the industrial age.

Another example: 99.5% of every life form that has ever lived on earth is now extinct. In other words, animals have always, and will always, continue to go extinct whether we are here to see it or not.

I'm not for just blindly polluting or indiscriminate destruction of our environment by any means. But, I think we are being fed a lot of exaggerated information. You can figure out why by just looking at the two sides of this dispute. Neither is telling the entire truth, nor will they admit any validity in the other's perspective.

Answer 5

Polar Bears are doing quite well almost everywhere. The places that they find it harder to survive is where it is getting colder.

The Earth has gone through many periods of warming and cooling. There has been several Ice Ages. We are now in a general warming trend which after several hundred years will tirn into a cooling trend. Gore and others like him are trying to scare people so they will look to them for help by using voodoo science.

It's all for political gain. It has nothing to do with true science.

Answer 6

If you'll note at the end, it says "forecasters think it may just be a climatic aberration."

It's not "all the ice" that's melting; it's the glaciers and ice packs. Global warming is real, glaciers are melting.