Do you recall the early 1970's threat of global cooling?

Answer 1

i've heard about it, which is why i stopped caring, i'll just do the best i can for the environment, but there is no way that we as humans can "save the planet", but i will do my best to keep it nice

Answer 2

"Threat" of global cooling? No, I don't remember anything like that. I do know there was a cooling trend from about 1940 until about 1970, but no scientist actually thought it was serious. The cause, an increase in aerosols (sulfates used as refrigerants, volcanic ash, etc.) in the air, was fairly well understood.

I also know the media blew the whole thing out of proportion (as they seem wont to do), claiming that scientists had predicted an imminent "Ice Age", when in reality they had done no such thing. The idea that Earth was about to plunge into a glacial received very, very little support from the mainstream scientific community, and to my knowledge there weren't any peer reviewed publications written on the subject.

Answer 3

No, I recall that there was a period of global cooling which ended in the '70s:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Climate_Change_Attribution.png

and there's now circulating a myth that at the time climate scientists predicted that this short-term cooling would result in an ice age. In reality most scientists knew better than to make a long-term prediction based on the short-term cooling. A good discussion of the myth here:

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006/11/23/18534/222

Answer 4

Just an idea from a few guys, not a data based theory with any real substance or acceptance in the scientific community.

Global cooling was just an idea of a few guys. They had little data, and no backing from any major scientific organizations. They closely resemble the global warming skeptics of today. More here:

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=94

Answer 5

Another point was identified in movie Day After Tomorrow. The theory there was that melting of the polar caps will impact oceanic currents from brining warm water from the equator to northern latitudes. So, a warmer earth could actually result in a premature ice age.

Answer 6

Oh yeah. I was living in SOUTH Florida at the time and it SNOWED -- very very tiny flurries, but still people freaked out, saying an ice age was coming.

I still think "global warming" will actually lead to global COOLING.

Answer 7

Ha, ha yea. Remember Y2K, Avian Flu, SARS, Smallpox revival, Eugenics?

Answer 8

I wasn't born yet, so i don't recall, but it didn't appear to be much of a threat at all:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_cooling

Answer 9

Yes I do actually. Scientist thought that there was a very high risk of a "New ice age". How very wrong were they.

Answer 10

I do... New York is being covered with Glaciers as we speak.... Oh wait.... they were wrong that time too....