What do you think needs to happen to reverse Global Warming?

Question

I'm just wondering about other people's opinions. The way that the situation is going, we may not have a world to live in in a couple hundred years.
If this generation is having problems with it, how can we educate future generations so that they listen to us?
Can we really REVERSE Global Warming, or is it irreversible? Can we save our planet from flooding and possibly killing millions of people?
Will there be such animals as polar bears, penguins, arctic wolves, etc. in the future? What will happen to them if they're still around?
How would we get everyone evacuated from coastal areas in the event the world floods?
Should we make it the law to make America more energy efficient?
I just want to know other people's opinions.

Thanks to the first answer, here's another thought:
Maybe we shouldn't do anything? Maybe this is just a phase in the world's "life".
Or, maybe not...

Answer 1

According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) we must reduce world wide output of Carbon Dioxide to less than one tenth of what it is today if we are to have any chance at all of stopping Global Warming.


To accomplish that we would have to persuade every country on this planet to reduce its Carbon Dioxide output to less than one tenth of what it is today.


The Developing Nations in particular see this as a huge threat to their economies.


Unfortunately if the developing countries are exempted, it is physically impossible to get sufficient reductions in Carbon Dioxide output even if all of the developed countries reduce their outputs of Carbon Dioxide to zero.


This has created an enormous dilemma. If we are to stop Global Warming we not only have to reduce our Carbon Dioxide emissions to less than one tenth of what they are today, but we also must persuade (or force ) the developing countries to do likewise.


This could result in war between the developed countries and developing countries. This is an extremely unattractive prospect.


Also, even in the United States we cannot achieve reductions in Carbon Dioxide emissions by conservation or recycling to get us anywhere close to the reduction to less than one tenth of today's output of Carbon Dioxide.


The only way that we can even get close to the target of less than one tenth of today's output of Carbon Dioxide is to make a drastic change in the way that we produce and use energy.


Essentially we must stop the use of fossil fuels for all energy production.


That means we must not use coal, oil or natural gas for any energy production.


Our sources of energy production must be sources that do not produce Carbon Dioxide emissions.


Also, for people to accept these new sources of energy the cost must be equal to or less than what people currently pay for energy from fossil fuels.


The cost factor dramatically limits the possible sources of energy that do not produce Carbon Dioxide emissions.


Currently, the only commercialy available renewable source of energy that does not produce Carbon Dioxide emissions and is cost competitive with fossil fuels is wind power that is used to generate electricity.


The cost of production per kilowatt hour for electricity produced by wind power is currently approximately 4 cents per kilowatt hour(1)


Once batteries for electric cars are developed that are much safer and have much more capacity than the original batteries that were produced, it will be possible to replace gasoline and diesel powered cars with electric cars.

This alone will result in a very large reduction in the Carbon Dioxide emissions in The United States.


The next big reduction will be to replace our electrical generating capacity that uses fossil fuel with electricity generated by wind power.


Currently over 50% of the electricity generated in the United States is generated by the use of fossil fuel.


If this generating capacity is replaced by wind power, the result will be another very large reduction in Carbon Dioxide emissions.


The next step will be to persuade developing countries to replace their energy derived from fossil fuels with electricity generated by wind power.


With these two large changes we will be able to get quite close to the target of reducing world wide Carbon Dioxide emissions to less than one tenth of what they are today.


If we cannot or will not make these changes, then it will not be possible for us to stop Global Warming.


All of the conservation programs in the world will not get us anywhere close to where we need to be.


I recommend that you commit yourself to persuading our politicians that we must replace all use of fossil fuels (that is coal, oil or natural gas) with sources of energy that do not produce Carbon Dioxide emissions and are cost competitive with fossil fuels.


(Edit to Eric J)

You should also consider the fact that coal is contaminated with radioactive Uranium and Thorium. The Radioactive Uranium and Thorium that does not go up the smokestack with the flyash is concentrated in the coal ash which is stored on the ground in huge piles.

The wind blows the contaminated ash all over the place and contaminates the vicinity around a coal fired power plant with radioactive Uranium and Thorium(2)


Another very good reason to ban the use of coal as a source of energy is the amount of contamination of radioactive Uranium and Thorium.


With respect to the use of oil: The use of imported oil puts enormous amounts of financial resources at the disposal of some of the most vicious, antisocial, homicidal maniacs on the face of this earth.


We must stop the use of oil world wide, if for no other reason than that it puts hundreds of billions of dollars at the disposal of homicidal maniacs who would rather destroy the world because they believe that "Allah" has commanded them to do so, rather than live in peace with their neighbors in this world.


Muslims, financed by the money from imported oil are responsible for virtually all of the current wars that are going on in the world today.


That alone is an excellent reason to stop the use of oil and to blockade the Muslim Middle Eastern oil exporting countries if necessary.

Answer 2

We give ourselves way too much credit by blaming this recent global warming trend on ourselves. I stress "trend" because if you did your homework, you would find this trend is one of many our Earth goes through. Fight poverty, war, or scream for universal healthcare (a.k.a. socialism)...all things that you can control as an informed voter. Should you recycle, reuse, etc...of course you should. It makes good business sense and it keeps the park clean. Don't do it because Al Gore's movie opened up your eyes to the so called truth. Seek your own truth...read and research and reach your own conclusions. Finally, for those of you still blaming your grandparents for Global Warming, consider this: Mean global temperature appears to have warmed by about one degree Fahrenheit during the 20th Century. About half that warming occurred prior to 1940, while most of the century’s manmade greenhouse gas emissions occurred after 1940. The global cooling that occurred from 1940 to 1970 – which led some worriers to sound alarms during the mid-1970s about a looming ice age – actually occurred simultaneously with increasing manmade greenhouse gas emissions.

Answer 3

Global warming will change when the sun starts to cool off. If you want to end "global warming" stop reading the newspapers.

Answer 4

Nothing needs to be, can be, or should be done to reverse global warming. The Earth has been warming and cooling for millions of years.

Answer 5

The planet earth will take care of itself. It has been much warmer in the past. It has been much colder in the past. Nothing man can do will change the earth's temperature. It is a non-issue.

Answer 6

you will locate it problematic to coach that international warming aint genuine. come to component of it of the volcanic eruptions, tsunamis in indonesia, crusts in Germany, earthquake, typhoons contained in the Philippines, extreme upward push of seawater stages and abrupt substitute of temperature. those might define climate substitute.