Global Warming Theory / Climate Change?

Question

I heard a NASA scientist on NPR this morning discussing global warming. He agrees in the reality of global warming, and that it is caused by human action, he just questions if it is truly a bad thing. He said that working to stop climate change is saying that the climate as it is right now is optimal. He brings up the fact that the climate has changed numerous times throughout the world's history (dinosaurs time, ice ages, etc.) and thinks it is rather arrogant for us to decide that we should not allow it to happen any more.

I personally thought his idea was crazy, but I'm curious to hear what others think.

Answer 1

It's true that the earth has had many different climate changes. During the Jurassic Antarctica was kind of like Alaska or Siberia. The question is wether the change is what man would want. If you had beachfront property in Miami or lived in the Netherlands or Bangladesh you might have a different idea. But potentially it would expand the ability for species to penetrate into what was once tundra. Inevitably some areas would be desertifed. On the otherhand the climate could change to what it was during the Permian period when it was something like 90% desert. That would be calamatous for almost all of the current species on Earth. Including mankind. But the Earth will continue to live on dispite what we do to it. But will it be a world we'd want to live in?

Answer 2

It's disturbing that the Administrator of NASA would make such comments. It's arrogant to decide we should try to limit human-caused changes to the global climate? That's an incredibly stupid statement.

Not only is the human race adapted to the current climate, but so are all the other species on Earth. And many of them are less adaptable than our species. At least he doesn't deny that global warming is caused by humans.

He sounds suspiciously like Bush on this issue. One has to wonder if the Bush Administration has pressured him to make these comments. NASA is a government agency, after all, and this wouldn't be the first time the Bush Administration has meddled with them.

Answer 3

I was stunned when I heard that this morning. His opinion that climate change could be a good thing and working to stop it is arrogant is quite remarkably foolish from a person who really ought to know better. The man runs our space program. How can he be so foolish?

The plants, animals, people, our world culture, our technology, and most importantly our food growing technology are optimized for our current climate. Any change in this climate is therefore necessarily bad. It's not that our current climate is in any sense the best. That is just a silly notion. It is that it is the climate that we know how to deal with.

Any change in climate in any direction will for sure disrupt civilization, our food supply, and the rest of the existing ecosystem. There is no way it can be good on balance across the earth. Sure a few places are likely to be better off but the vast majority are likely to be worse off, because anything different than what our technology is tuned for is bad.

Answer 4

The cost of doing nothing is enormous. It will take a rise of about 3° or 4° C to melt the Antarctic ice sheets. When that happens, the sea level rises 80 meters. How many cities are lost? How many refugees around the world? How much capital expenditure is down the drain? How much cost to rebuild and rehouse a third of the word's population?

Compared to that, the current climate sounds pretty damn optimal to me.

Answer 5

The NASA scientist made a very good and courageous point this morning.

I know some of the NASA scientists involved in the research on Global Warming.

Global Warming research has been a bonanza for NASA scientists. There have been a number of cutbacks in the space progarams, and many of the scientists that I knew at NASA lost their jobs.

This was a disaster for them because most of their skills are very specific to space and atmosphere issues.


Even though we have a large bioscience community here in the silicon valley, most of the skills of NASA scientists are not readily transferable to the bioscience companies. Essentially the bioscience companies do not need NASA scientists who lost their jobs due to budget cuts.


When the NASA scientists lose their jobs they have a very difficult time getting other jobs that are in their field or that pay anywhere near the amount of money that they were making at NASA.


Global warming research has been a lifesaver for many of those scientists. They do their best to create the most alarming computer models to frighten the rest of the population and keep the global research money flowing so they can keep their jobs.

The other scientists at NASA are furious that this scientist spoke out and said that the Global Warming problem is not as serious as the other NASA scientists say it is. The reason the other scientists are angry is because that threatens the funding for global warming research and the jobs of the NASA scientists who are doing the global warming research.


Unfortunately the scientist who spoke out will probably lose his job because his statement threatens the fundiing for Global Warming research and his fellow scientists are furious with him.

Answer 6

Climate change ~ load of rubbish. Just have to read the Bible to know that the Earth has been heating & cooling for thousands of years. The Earth won't float away because all the ice in Antarctica is meant to melt because the earth is getting hotter ~ God gave his sign of the rainbow after Noah's Ark so we'd all remember His promise that He would never flood the earth again. It's a great marketing ploy ~ certainly making someone/organisations a lot of money. Scientists will try to sell us anything. xxx God Bless

Answer 7

He's crazy. Many would say ignorant. By the way he's not a practicing scientist, he's the Administrator.

Our modern society is very vulnerable to climate change; with massive coastal development and intensive agriculture.

It's not like we can migrate like primitive people did when the climate changed.

Expect a "clarification" in the near future.

More here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL052735320070407

Answer 8

All of humanity working in collaboration can do little to counter act the enormous power of Nature

He is right about that ,

But there are several issues interrelated here
Man has caused widespread destruction to our Environment ,and we need It to supply us with the conditions necessary for our existane and qualkity of life
So we need to keep it functioning for our own survival

Global warming is another big fly that has got into the ointment

Answer 9

Basicaly, what he is saying that global warming is happening, and it is our fault. He says it is not a bad thing, but thats only because saying that is good for NASA. What does he care if the world is miserable or destroyed in 50 years? hes old, so he'll be dead anyway by then. Why should he care if life is mserable for his children and grandchildren. He isnt them, and he is too self-centered to care about anyone but himself. He is saying that, yes, we are causing global warming and yes, it will kill lots of people, but we should let everyone die because it has happened before. Let us base our decisons on what is best for our children and grandchildren, instead of what is best for us, like this guy is doing.

Answer 10

Crazy?? What is crazy.. we are not gods or are we? Are their among us people who have these capabilities, to change climate??
Will it be the cause of global warming to bring all races of humans together in Peace..
Will we do something to change?