What do you believe the consequences of Global Warming will be?

Question

I don't want reports from scientists (I can find those myself). I want you to think about all of what you have learned about the Global Warming theory and tell me personally what you think will happen if our climate warms up more.

Try to push what the media is telling you aside and give this some real thought, because I'll know if you are giving me rhetoric or telling me what you truely believe will happen.

Samantha - do you know what Rhetoric is sweety? Do you want to try again? Since your answer sounds like what is being fed to you by the media and the websites you read about Global Warming. I want you to give me an answer from you not the media and internet. And if you truely believe what you wrote, I feel sorry for you.

Dana - I can tell both your answer and Samantha's answer are biased by rhetoric. You may think I'm being condescending in my answer to Samantha, but others could tell her comment was all rhetoric too. Especially when she stated the oceans would rise 300 feet. Isn't that in Al Gore's farce of a movie?

Claude, I don't know if Global Warming is true or not, but I'm not one of those people that believe everything someoneelse tells me without questioning them about it. And since they think they are all unquestionable Iand won't debate it. They are the ones that closed off the debate not me and others like me.

Dana: So you can cut people down, but no one say a word about what you say? When did you get declared God? I sure don't remember it.

Also people can claim anything about themselves on the internet, but it doesn't make those things facts. I can't even prove to you that I'm a writer, even if I give you my Blog address. Until I actually get a book published I can claim it all I want, but unless you new me in person, I wouldn't expect you to believe it.

And to say none of my answers have no Scientific Merit at all is incredibly condescending of you. All your stuff comes straight from what you read on the internet. Not from your mind. That's why it makes me wonder what kids are being taught in science classes these days.

Dana - So you are telling me that when I talk about our symbyotic state with the plants around us, that has nothing to do with science. That my teachers lied to me in earth science? That someone we no longer exhale CO2 and that plants soak up CO2?

Or that I'm blind when I read a comment about the oceans rising 300 feet and comment that that's a bunch of rhetoric taken from Al Gore's farce of a movie?

Linlyons - I'm not fishing for answers from people that think the way I do, like I know AGW Believers do, but for peoples honest opinions of what they think the consequences of GW would be. The thing is we really don't know what those changes will be. We really don't know what the future as a whole will be.

If we keep using resources like we do today and don't develop alternatives we may go back to horse and buggy days. And the days of the sailing ship. There are times I wish I could have lived during that era. Life seemed so much less complicated back then. But we humans want to keep moving forward. Who knows maybe someday we truely will have to take a few steps backward.

Mike - I can't seem to help it. It's in my blood, and my father and I had discussed many an issue. He also told me he always would take the opposite side of any issue, so we could have a good conversation about it and learn from the other point of view, but Dana truely only believes in his (Could a her) point of view and stubbornly believes he's right, because the scientists he follows says so.

Maybe if he/she had done research him/her self I may find what he says is credible, instead of rhetoric.

Dana - I'm beginning to think you like me, since you are picking on me so much.

Rhetoric:

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/rhetoric

Look at this one in particular:

b.) Language that is elaborate, pretentious, insincere, or intellectually vacuous: "His offers of compromise were mere rhetoric."

Maybe I should have used: Rhetorical

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/rhetorical;_ylt=Ah2Fcr73R9s4gqz2rCdVBYaugMMF

They say most politicians speeches are mere rhetoric. So why wouldn't scientist spout rhetoric when they are trying to presuade people to believe the worst about a Global Climate Change?

I've had a lot of good answers, but so far my front runner is: IngelaD. I felt other people spoke from there hearts also, but what Ingela said sparked a chord in me.

I can't see America closing her doors to anyone, because (And I'm talking about all of the American continents and not just the USA.) we have never turned anyone that was in need away. If you check our track record you'll see the US and her other fellow America's (Cause yes Canada and Mexico are also American if you get down to the nitty gritty of it.) And I hope if it came down to it that we never do.

That last is my only comment to what IngelaD wrote.

Thank You Ingela for responding and stating how you feel about the possibility of a major Global Climate change.

Answer 1

In the "short" term (some decades): Although the weather seems to become more unpredictable, rainy and stormy every year with winter times decreasing more than a month since the 60th, I'm glad to live in Sweden which is supposed to manage, and maybe even prosper from global warming, as long as average temperatures doesn't increase by more than about 1 degree Celsius above today. What I'm more worried about are the poor people in Africa and some Asian countries who don't have the money to adapt to water and crops shortages as well as sea level rises. I also think about how it will be when millions, or even billions, of climate refugees tries to find new homes and honestly, there's no way the rich world could shut their doors for them if we're the ones that's caused their problems in the first place. That would create huge conflicts and be the worst conditions for the development of terrorism e t c (On the other hand, rich nations can always invest their money in the defense industries and building walls instead of renewable energy, if that's the way they want to go, but I hope not...).

In the longer term: I don't know (nobody does), but I don't dare to think about the possible consequences if we don't take enough precautions in time to prevent a runaway climate change with melting methane hydrates in the arctic and in our oceans.

Answer 2

The first answer contained all you need, and most other comprehensive ones support it.

Are you looking for an answer ?

Another way of assessing Global Warming is to look at the weather patterns all over the world in the last 2-3 years.

For whatever reason, there seems to be a runaway global climate change. Even the thickest world leaders have given up denying it !

Some consequences are still kept hushed up by media under control. It takes 2 seasons for any country's farming to face unpredictable weather patterns to stop food supply.

Now, it is not as if we can go shopping elsewhere. All countries will face this shock, sooner or later !

Another alarming pattern is the statistics for earthquakes and eruption of volcanoes. Related to climate change or not, the number of earthquakes and volcanos eruptions are increasing logarithmically. It takes one super eruption, like the one 70,000 years ago to darken the planet and actually cause global freezing !

These indications do not mean the doomsday crap some people talk about. We have the technology and resources to try reversing climate change, as well as preparing for the consequences.

Read about Sustainability. If we believe in global peace, fair standard of living for all nations, and treatment of environment to sustain life on earth today and for future generations, then we can correct all ill treatments and surf with nature !

Ironically, our planet exhibits signs for a reset, maybe triggered by our greedy leaders ?

Answer 3

To begin with, I don't subscribe to the idea that we can do anything to change global climate. I've read the research.

So, what will happen? Depends on the degree of warming. Nothing much if the change is modest. A great deal if the change is dramatic. The Gulf Stream may change its flow. Methane hydrate may begin degrading. Oceans may rise. Weather patterns may change. Plant, animal and other living populations will largely decrease until they become evolved to handle new temperatures. Democrats will blame Republicans. Both will blame China and India. Wars will pop up between various factions who represent the beneficiaries and losers based on climate change. Nuclear exchanges are possible. Various sub-groups will blame other sub-groups (whites vs. negroes vs. hispanic vs. oriental, etc.). Economies will be altered dramatically. Water evaporation will increase, so battles will be fought over water sources. Religions will grow as people lose faith in government and become fearful. All Gore will receive another Nobel Peace Prize.

Answer 4

It's not just our globe that is warming. The polar caps on Mars are melting too. That can't be caused by anything we are doing on Earth.

It stands to reason that either the sun is heating up, or some other energy source out there in the galaxy is adding some heat - maybe both.

Archaeologists have known for many years that the Earth's climate seems to fluctuate. Fossils of tropical plants have been found in the arctic. A thousand years ago when the Vikings reached the shores of North America they found a semi-tropical environment where now is just grass and barren rock. They called Newfoundland "Vineland".

I think that this warming is cyclical and natural.

If it continues we will be back to what the Vikings discovered - semi-tropical climate where it is now cool-temperate.

Also the melting of icecaps and glaciers will probably raise the ocean levels - around 20 feet in the near future, possibly over 100 feet within the century. That would put many low lying areas - (coastal plains, small islands, Florida), under water.

The increase in energy will cause increased evaporation from the oceans, more rainfall, more violent storms. There will be migrations of people and animals, and extinctions of some species, and possible evolution of others.

Answer 5

There are always consequences of climate change. As for global warming? It's ranks up there with the sun rotating around the earth and the earth is flat. The majority of "scientists" back in the day agreed with those theories also.
How many species of animals died out during the last ice age? How many ecosystems were destroyed by that climate change?
Constant change is a force of nature that man cannot stop.
Who is to say that the earth has an ideal climate right now anyway? It is foolish to go off half ******. The best scientists in the world of climate research do not know enough to even make their computer climate models accurate enough to predict the weather one month out, what makes you believe that they can predict climate a decade from now?
They do not even know how much CO2 is in the atmosphere right now. Why? because the earth is not a Homogeneous system. The amount of CO2 can vary greatly from region to region on a constantly changing basis. These top climate scientists thought they had accurately predicted the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere for the current day climate. They were not even close, they attribute there flawed model to a "missing Carbon sink". They don't even know what is occuring with how CO2 is emitted and absorbed by the atmosphere. Their estimates were off by as much as 60%.
They expect the public to have confidence in their Global warming hyesteria? They rely upon the media and politicans to perpetuate this falsehood.

Answer 6

I don't pay any attention to the media, other than to get a general sense of what is going on, and to make fun of it. Like George Carlin said, "The western world is a freak show, and in the US you get a front row seat." I study science, just as I have for over 30 years.

The models show everything temperate below 40N going dry, so I'm moving north.

Seriously though, first everything will get more expensive. Your middle class dreams will become the dream of staying warm in the winter, having enough water to drink and food to eat. Then the eco-wars will start as affluent countries use any and all means at their disposal to protect their interests.

Finally, the confluence of chemical pollution, biological pollution, (soon nano-pollution), alien species invasion, climate change, habitat destruction, water resource destruction and direct human harvesting of species, (which is currently using an estimated 40% of incident solar energy and 40% of land surface) will lead to a cascading series of ecosystem collapse.

After which, only the extremely well prepared will stand a chance.

E.O. Wilson has said "...we will look back from the end of the 21st century with a profound sense of loss and regret."

I'm already looking back from the end of the 20th century with a profound sense of loss and regret.

Answer 7

Some people buy this speculative horse dung, hook, line and sinker.

Crops yields have been good. We had some rain when it was time to harvest the wheat this year that prevented the combines from getting into the fields, but the crops were fine.

The recent hurricane seasons, including Katrina, have been unexceptional compared to the hurricane seasons that occurred in the 1700s, which was a cold climate.

http://www.co2science.org/scripts/CO2ScienceB2C/articles/V10/N27/C1.jsp

I have fished and hunted all my life and I have never seen as much wildlife as there is now and they are fat & healthy. This is true in Oklahoma, Kansas, & Alaska. I was in Alaska in 2001 and the rivers were full of salmon. There were bears everywhere. I saw moose, carribou, dall sheep and many others.

As far as increasing the range of mosquitoes, I have traveled to many locations in the USA, including the swamps of Louisiana, but I have never seen so many mosquitoes as I saw in Alaska. Mosquitoes thrive in cold climates as well as warm. You know that living in Minnisota.

linlyons, All I can do is tell my own experience. The rivers in Alaska that I went to were full of salmon. I have pictures and video.

My point on the mosquitoes is that they are not limited to warm climates.
"One might not expect a typically tropical disease such as malaria to be found during the LIA(Little Ice Age), but Reiter (2000) has shown that it was an important cause of illness and death in several parts of England."

By the way, all the speculation about what scientists expect to happen in the future makes me ill too. Especially when the schools are cramming it down the kids throats as if it were fact.

Answer 8

The head of the IPCC is an engineer who designs rail strategies, instead than any one who drives trains. If he majored in a mechanical engineering earlier than focusing on the layout of rail strategies, then he could have an excessively well information of thermodynamics. And he could be in a specific function to recognize how the granddaddy of all warmth engines, Earth's surroundings, works.

Answer 9

Samantha's answer is bang on..."sweety".

ajhidell1963, do you realize how long it would take to condition soils in order to push croplands north? But that isn’t the big problem in North America. We would be pushing those croplands into northern Canada, and a good portion of that country is covered by a massive sheet of granite nearly scrapped clean by the Laurentian ice sheet during the last ice age. It’s known as the Canadian shield and seeing ploughing granite isn’t advisable, that additional land would be totally useless for farming. What little land we will gain will be far offset by desertification and sea level rise. But not to worry, while we are waiting for the soils to be conditioned so that we can cultivate them, we can keep ourselves busy by watching half the world starve to death.

“When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.”--Cree prophecy

Answer 10

Massive tsunamis will wash away millions of people, hurricanes will devastate cities, crop yields will plummet, glaciers will melt, ice caps will crumble, species will disappear, droughts will run rampant...

Oh, wait...

It's already happening.

Well, I'm not that bothered, as long as life on Earth isn't wiped out (and it won't be) humanity can do whatever it likes to itself. Nature can take a lot more than anything we could throw at it.