Do you believe global warming is man made & do you think it's catastrophic?

[Hercules]

If you get an opportunity, watch the BBC's 'The Power of the Planet ' series presented by Dr Iain Stewart to be scared.
here

Lots of things I didn't know.

There is undoubted global warming. Is it 100% man made: no
but we are contributing to global warming mightly.

Is it catastrophic? Well the earth will survive. Man?

[Jon Miller]

It is obvious that the earth will survive.

If there is any question, it is only with man's survival.

JM

[Geronimo]

I think the simplest explanation for the warming is that it's mostly anthropogenic by a wide margin but 100% would only be the case if all other forcing on the climate were towards a net global cooling.

I don't know yet if the effects of the warming will be really bad but I feel nearly certain it won't fit my expectations of "catastrophic". I assume there was nothing particularly benign or optimal about the preindustrial climate and most of the bad effects of a global warming will reflect the costs of adjusting to changes rather than some sort of worsening of the global climate.

I don't think any of your options are a good fit for my take on it so I'll probably endorse the banana approach.

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
It is obvious that the earth will survive.

If there is any question, it is only with man's survival.

JM

Are you envisioning a runaway feedback spiral towards a venus like earth as possible? that seems to be the only outcome that would preclude human survival.

The idea of anthropogenic warming somehow wiping out humanity as a species seems almost laughable. Even completely melting the icecaps and drowning all of the coasts would fail to wipe out humanity. Even a global nuclear war triggered by disruption related to climate change would leave human survivors to dominate the ruined world even if it would no longer be a densely populated civilized one.

[Asher]

GW = George W?

[Cort Haus]

:chuckle:

[Wezil]

What do the Chinese say to the question?

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Wezil
What do the Chinese say to the question?

They say it's 100% man made and other countries need to do something about it.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by CrONoS
@Zkrib:

Is there any possibility that global warming can, in fact, help humanity? By prolonging the period that we can grow food?

And can also help people who are living in cold region?

Maybe it can even reduce the number of hurricane?

(On a side note; I understand that there is no global climate; that global warming could lead to more extreme climate at different place)

This possible could help a few areas of the world, but not many. Los Angeles, for one, will get more rain because of El Nino. But the American Northwest won't, and the last time El Nino hit, the amount of power they generate fell because their reservoirs were low. The Great Plains will get less rain.

North Africa will get drier. The tropics will get hotter. So neither of them will be growing more food.

If the "Atlantic Conveyer" shuts down because of the influx of fresh water into the ocean, then the warm waters of the Gulf will remain in the south, and the winds blowing across the chilly North Atlantic will turn Europe into an ice box.

We'll probably be able to grow some extra crops in Greenland, Iceland, and maybe Scandinavia and Siberia.

The increased temperatures of the Carribean will increase the number and power of hurricanes the chew up our East and Gulf Coasts, as well as Mexico, and Central America.

[Hercules]

That's how it is looking to pan out.

It's the above 2% rise in temperature that triggers nastiness for all.

We still have time.

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by Zkribbler

If the "Atlantic Conveyer" shuts down because of the influx of fresh water into the ocean, then the warm waters of the Gulf will remain in the south, and the winds blowing across the chilly North Atlantic will turn Europe into an ice box.

Scaremonger

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162507&highlight=atlantic+conveyor

[OneFootInTheGrave]

GWB is man made, but he is not catastrophic, more like hilarious

GW on the other hand: well if you burn fossil fuel for more than a century and expect nothing to happen is a bit daft, cigarette smoking being healthy campaigns in 1960's & 70's made more sense than that...

What will the impact be exactly, noone knows, but that we can lessen the impact - that is clear, and that the cost of doing it early/now is much lower as opposed to "later" is clear too, so not sure what are we waiting for.

Oh yes, we are waiting for GWB to leave the office among other things...

[Berzerker]

no

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by OneFootInTheGrave
GWB is man made, but he is not catastrophic, more like hilarious

GW on the other hand: well if you burn fossil fuel for more than a century and expect nothing to happen is a bit daft, cigarette smoking being healthy campaigns in 1960's & 70's made more sense than that...

What will the impact be exactly, noone knows, but that we can lessen the impact - that is clear, and that the cost of doing it early/now is much lower as opposed to "later" is clear too, so not sure what are we waiting for.

Oh yes, we are waiting for GWB to leave the office among other things...

It might be more expensive to deal with now depending on technological developments. For instance if fusion power became practical in the future dealing with the warming would be much less expensive then than now.

[Will9]

What I believe,

Global Warming is happening. Is it completly man-made? No. There have been short (by I short I mean not Ice Age long, but from 100-500 years) periods in earth's past where the world has been warmer, colder, or in-between (the longest being the cold periodss and the shortest being the in-between periods). A combination of the beginning of a warm period and pollution is causing a worse than shift. How much of it is man-made and how much is natural? We can't know. Should we do something? Yes!!! Even if global is completly natural I think we should do something just to get rid of the smell.