Catastrophe, not apocalypse? Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love Global Warming.?

Question

The future of Global Warming is uncertain. Perhaps Richard Lindzen is right, and natural sequestration processes will prevent significant warming. Phew!

Or perhaps the maximally pessimistic scenario is right: humans will continue to burn fossil fuels until they're all gone. In response, fast-acting positive feedback mechanisms will raise CO2 levels to 800 ppm over the next 500 years, raising average global temperatures by 35 C. Fortunately, there is not enough carbon on the Earth to turn us into Venus. The habitable zone will shrink to the Arctic and Antarctic. There will be many wars, and a few nuclear wars. But a few humans will successfully move far from the equator, and be able to defend themselves. They'll have technology, and breeder reactors. They'll farm in the winter and hunker down with air conditioning in the summer. After 10,000 years, it will all be over and new civilizations will emerge into a new, fossil-fuel-free world, with whatever species they've saved.

I'm just going to leave this question for people to vote. I'm not happy with any answer.

IMHO, the two scenarios outllined above do represent the best and worst likely outcomes of our current dilemma. The good news is that some humans and some animals survive. What do we owe our distant descendants? Do we really care that they curse us when we're gone? Does it really matter how many humans survive, as long as some do? How important is civilization anyway? The world has seen mass extinctions and the collapse of civilizations many times in the past; they are a part of life.

One problem for those emerging from the global warming nightmare will be the absense of fossil fuels. When the Milankovitch catch up with them and start driving toward the next ice age, it would be a good thing to have some fossil fuel around to increase greenhouse gasses.

Answer 1

Hello, Dr. Strangelove anyone? Does no one remember this movie?

"Dr Strangelove or How I learned to stop worrying and love the Bomb." Go get it sometime, it ought to be available at your local Lackluster video store.

Answer 2

For decades, environmentalism has been the Left's best excuse for increasing government control over our actions in ways both large and small. It's for Mother Earth! It's for the children! It's for the whales! But until now, the doomsday-scenario environmental scares they've trumped up haven't been large enough to give the sinister prize they want most of all: total control of American politics, economic activity, and even individual behavior. With global warming, however, greenhouse gasbags can argue that auto emissions in Ohio threaten people in Paris, and that only global government can tackle such problems. National sovereignty? Democracy? Forget it: global warming has now brought the Left closer to global government, statism, and the eradication of individual rights than it has ever been before.

Answer 3

Global warming is for real it is not a con or a joke, I wonder how many people who are answering this Americans, I think we need to get real about it Do you relize that the whole world except us is preparing for global warming, Evacuting thier coasts, using cars that run on a different energy soarce, and many more things. Haven't you even noticed how animals have started to move and evolve forward at an alarming rate? I have been following it for a while now and wheather or not Americans are going to believe it... it is happening

Answer 4

Its really spelled wrong..Global warming is merely one of the horses that will take us to the Global One World Order (they can't say government that will give it away) that you've heard both parties speak about for the last 25 years... Our liberal leaders on both sides of the isle know the people won't support turning over our nations sovereignty so fast, not without political pressures and seemingly catastrophe unanswerable problems like: so they get bigger and BIGGER..
1. Terrorism.
2. Warming...such a hoax
3. Nuclear proliferation with dirty bombs and radioactive fallout if its will be used.
4. starvation and disease of poor nations and the rich nations to wage wars..what a waste...
5. clean potable water shortage
6.huge deficits and irresponsible government all around.
7.border control...who cares.....we are going to be a one world order anyway man....

There are more and more....could go on all day..
You say preposterous.. just hang on child..
if you don't trust the government on one side of its mouth..how can you trust it's scientists and lawyers and teachers on the other side to tell you the truth about anything..and you now trust them about global warming??? LOL just look just read my lips....and just think of all the money they are getting out of evolution researching and global warming...private enterprise can't carry all this forever..
all in HIS time..

Oh paaleezze ..Jessi K.. think for yourself for a change.

Answer 5

And new wars will begin.
The Arctic people vs the evil Antarctic people.
OR
The Antarctic people vs the evil Arctic people.

Either way, history will repeat. It always has and always will.

Answer 6

I guess you envisage yourself as a modern day Noah.

Where is the link to all this you have written?

This really seems a bit of a screwy forecast.

I'm quite sure that there is more than enough water on Earth to make Earth like Venus.

Answer 7

Evolution

Answer 8

Positive feedback is not logical. If it was, the Earth would have burnt to a cinder long ago.

Answer 9

People have been predicting catastrophic disaster for thousands of years and we're still here. Remember Y2K?

Answer 10

i would rather be in speedo's and enduring global warming rather than 15 layers of clothes in an ice age