Most people will not adjust because it's not popular enough for them to believe in it.
* By the time scientists can tell us with scientific certainty that an abrupt climate change is "imminent", it may very well be too late for large scale adaptive responses.
** In fact, a recently released report from the Pentagon on the likely effects of modestly abrupt global decreases in temperatures offer exactly that scenario, with frightening results. (The Pentagon is no wacko, liberal group, generally speaking it is conservative.)
*** Stephen Hawking says he's afraid that Earth "might end up like Venus, at 250 degrees centigrade and raining sulfuric acid."
I disagree with him because there's way too much water on Earth for that to happen. Once our planet heats up to the saturation point that no more water can evaporate, immense cloud cover will reflect virtually all solar heating back into outer space. The cloud insulated Earth will use up it's ground and ocean warmth - sustaining the cloud cover even when the air temperature becomes cooler. Cool air over warm water also creates more steam, evaporation and cloud cover. This is the mechanics of global warming leading to an ice age that abruptly follows.
Right before and during an ice age, planet Earth is not a "big blue marble in space", but a big white marble in space.
2007-06-23 03:52:18
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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First off...this cannot be true because a previous poster said there are NO articles or papers disputing the ongoing buildup of Global Warming!! *grin*
Must be some wild-eyed hippie conservative on drugs raving in the press!
Actually, how did we adjust to the Global Cooling in the 1950-1970 period? Sensibly, in part at least.
Probably now though by blindly following the lead of the same folks who bring us Global Warming curves and politics today...they will figure out something to keep the same basic control policies going. And blame it on the conservatives and the US.
We will have to buy new gasguzzler gasoline-powered cars, burn the solar panels for heat, fuel up with coal, and basically retrace to get back to where we are now...and then see how often the cycle repeats until we go too far and slide down into the 90,000 year deepfreeze.
The charts of the history I have seen show several peaks and valleys naturally occurring in each warm segment, so we have lots of ups and downs to look foreward to before that final slide into the next long ice age.
Provided, of course, we do not take a hit from an asteroid while we are too concerned about adjusting the earth to look around in the heavens and see if anything is coming our way.
I think we should put our money to going into space and sending clean power back to the earth, and getting enough people out there so when, not if, that asteroid does hit, humanity will survive to pick up the pieces!
2007-06-23 22:03:05
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answer #2
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answered by looey323 4
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Trevor you are beginning to sound a little desperate...
We do NOT know all there is to know about the Sun's heat. I would like to blame ignorance, but you should know better.
It is intellectual dishonesty for anyone of science to claim that we know "all about" something. This especially applies to global climate. As a culture, we are egotistical and BELIEVE that we know all there is to know about the world around us. Almost without fail, we are proven wrong with each passage in time.
I find great humor in science fiction portrayals of the future from decades ago. How many of our technologies have so far surpassed "future" Earth civilizations by centuries? Believing that we know all there is to know only shows a lack of imagination. A "denial" as one might say...
But as for the original question asked, I think there will be some people that would overreact to a global cooling. All the speculators buying vacation property in Canada may be in for a rude awakening.
2007-06-23 14:14:15
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answer #3
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answered by 3DM 5
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I would tend to agree with the general consensus on this question's posters. Additionally, Add this to your thoughts. Sunspots are areas n the sun's surface that radiate LESS energy, not MORE energy. So if the sunspot activity were to decrease then the average solar radiation would INCREASE, not decrease. Sunspots are darker areas on the sun not because it IS darker but rather the light emitted is of a COOLER "reddish" wavelength (Less energy in that spectral color of light. So the sun is COOLER when sunspots are at their highest and warmer when sunpsots are at a minimum.
2007-06-23 17:44:17
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answer #4
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answered by Raji the Green Witch 7
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One thing at the time lets first see if we survive 2012 before we start thinking about 2020
2007-06-23 21:17:00
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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The last year of global warming we should all have one mutha of a beach paaaaaaaartaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!!
THE SKY IS FALLING!!!
12/20/2012 is the end anyway!!! Ha!
"Kick your government in your balls!"
VI VA LA ANTI_INTERNET
Mooab Silentio
2007-06-26 21:16:57
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answer #6
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answered by www.anti_internet 1
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The only global cooling that could occur in 2020 is that following a massive volcanic eruption. The article that you linked to is complete nonsense.
It's premise is that sunspots are the primary driver of climate change. That being the case then our climate would warm for 5.5 years then cool for 5.5 years - sunspots occur over an 11 year cycle. Quite obviously this does not happen.
The article is a work of fiction and has no credible scientific basis to it at all. We know all about solar cycles, we have been measuring them for hundreds of years, for the past 30 years we have precise satellite telemetry readings.
To suggest the world will cool in 2020 is a deliberate attempt to fool gullible people.
I won't go in to details (it would take too long to explain) but it's a physical impossibility for Earth to start cooling by 2020 unless we deliberately interfere with the climate or there's a cataclysmic event such as an massive asteroid impact, or there's a full scale nuclear conflict leading to a nuclear winter or there's some massive geological event that releases huge quantities of sulphur dioxide.
We know about the different solar cycles, we can accurately state where we are within these cycles at any point in time - past, present or future.
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EDIT: To 3DM (below).
You're right and I apologise, we don't know all about solar cycles. There may indeed by some cycles that we have not yet detected. I'm not at work so can't look it up but I believe we've documented the solar cycles that have a cyclical period of 430,000 years or less. There may be cycles with a shorter period but their influence is so small that we haven't been able to detect it despite having extremely sensitive equipment. We know that the difference between maxima and minima insolation is a variation from the mean of less than one thousandth and we can account for approx 99.9% of the factors involved in this variation. That means that unknown factors could account for a variation of up to one millionth of the mean. Considering that a variation of a thousandth can only cause significant climate changes over millenia then a variation of a millionth would cause significant changes over myrs. As we're talking about a time scale of 13 years the effects of something that could manifest itself over millions of years is of little significance.
2007-06-23 12:13:38
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answer #7
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answered by Trevor 7
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In case that happens,
- People will start wearing winter clothing.
- Some people will start moving nearer the equator, where it warmer.
- Many more.
2007-06-23 14:10:36
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answer #8
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answered by BMW M5 3
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Fur coats and and animal hides like ALL of our distant ancestors did.
2007-06-26 22:30:49
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answer #9
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answered by deenerzz 3
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it is not gonna happen. global warming will still be going on.
2007-06-27 07:10:55
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answer #10
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answered by ben d 2
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