If we all agree that our climate is dynamic , which is better for human populations: Warmer or Colder?

Question

Assumtions:

Dynamic Climate - has to get colder or warmer, cannot be static

Rate of change- no greater than current

Extent of temp range - no warmer or colder than any period in the last 70 million years

Answer 1

Warmer is better if you want to consider that it will be easier for humans to thrive.

But this will include all life forms, too - especially many that make life more difficult: insects, vermin.

Nevertheless, they are easier to control than an advancing glacier...

I'll take slightly warmer.

Answer 2

Warmer is better than cooler. I would rather live in an age with no polar ice than in an age with glaciers covering all of Canada and the northern half of the United Stares.

I see some of the stupid alarmist 900 degree "stuff" in other answers. Anybody who thinks we could cause such a thing is not aware of the facts. No scientist is saying that can happen.

Answer 3

In the last 70 million years there were some climactic extremes that we would not weather very well. Warmer climates are better because of their abundance of food. The rate of change is cumulative. If it keeps getting hotter and hotter, even at a modest rate, then obviously at some point it will be too darn hot.

Answer 4

Stability is best
so we can adjust either way.
warmer produces more food but the fluctuations are very small
1 degree rise in temperature can mean 10% crop loss in the already warm places
different areas will produce differently.
it is instability that causes the most damage
one cannot change agriculture overnight or even in a few years
that has to be a gradual process taking at least 10 year or so with a definate single change
a continues change is impossible to run along with .

One of the most worrying facts is water shortage for irrigation and to drink.and that gets worse when it gets warmer
the way things are going now

Answer 5

Millions of years ago the coastlines and ecology were very different.

Modern man can't just pick up and move. Dealing with coastal flooding and damage to agriculture will be hugely expensive. Details here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL052735320070407
http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM6avr07.pdf

Many scientists believe humans advanced because the climate was relatively stable over the last 2000 years. Our actions are threatening that stability.

Answer 6

Well, Global Warming leads to a surface temperature of about 900 degrees, pretty quickly once you hit the "runaway" stage of the reaction. I think that's ideal for Jello.

Answer 7

Colder, we seem to become languid in the heat.