Science me DU

[nilesobek]

Global warming has never been an issue for me mainly because I spent a large amount of my life homeless and cold. I dropped out of middle school in the early 70s and global warming was never mentioned.


Is it real and if it is, what are the consequences?

[Xipe Totec]

1. Yes it's real. But you have other things to worry about like starving

So go work on that, and finding a home.

[nilesobek]

3. I have a home now thanks to

a lot of hard work and sacrifice but its a struggle to keep and maintain my rectangle.

There has been really unusually warm weather hear in the inland Pacific region this year and when I was colder and starving more, I never thought about these weather patterns. The patterns are different and warmer then when I grew up here.

[elleng]

4. The patterns are different due to 'climate change,'

unfortunately 'named' global warming.

GOOD that you have a home now.

[immoderate]

5. Why is that an unfortunate name? I mean I wouldn't want to be named that, but...

... then, I'm not a(n un)natural phenomenon. 'Global warming' is correct as a label. The proliferation of CO2 in the atmosphere forces a higher equilibrium temperature globally. I know this leads to some confusion when describing some local conditions, but that's the way it works.

--imm

[elleng]

6. 'Global warming' may be correct

but the name itself leads to confusion among many, and gives 'deniers' additional opportunities to latch on and deny. It's a 'p.r.'
thing, like 'pro-life,' and 'right to work.' 'Framing.'

[immoderate]

8. You're right about p.r. But this guy's on our side.

--imm

[NuclearDem]

2. Yes it is, and the end of human life as we know it.

[joshcryer]

7. The biggest issue is that the sea levels will rise.

And because most people live by the sea, that will cause significant relocation of people, which will cause territorial disputes. This is a long term trend, however. It could be 50 years before it's realized that people are relocating en mass to get away from the ever encroaching seas. This will cause not only a demographic and economic issue but will be seen as probably the largest migrations of humans that we've ever seen. And it will come quietly, just people getting flooded from time to time and saying "screw this," and moving on.

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/future.html#sealevel

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1127&pid=9886

And to be clear, sea levels will rise if we cut off the CO2 tomorrow. There's a lot of built up heat in the oceans. It's where all the heat has been "hiding" so long.

Outside of that, there will be more extreme storms (we're seeing it now with the current big freeze), on a more regular basis, which will affect economies. More drought that is longer and more devastating (this will in particular impact the India/Asian countries which have the highest populations).

Not that you would necessarily live to see the worst effects, but it's a daunting problem and every year we're not looking for answers, it's going to come.

[nilesobek]

11. That first link answered a bunch of my questions, thanks.

[bhikkhu]

9. The impact of changing weather patterns on agriculture is another big thing

Modern industrialized agriculture produces much of our food, and we depend on its productivity and stability to sustain 7 billion + humans. Ordinary projections show a great number of challenges to continue feeding a growing number - aquifer depletion, salinization of irrigated croplands, encroachment of housing, desertification, etc. Add climate change to the equation and its an even bigger challenge. Some low lying areas (such as much of heavily-populated Bagledesh) are likely to loose a great deal due to ocean levels rising, but the global picture is likely to be nearly as difficult, and less predictable. Drought can be gotten around for a time by pumping aquifers and relying on snowmelt to irrigate reduced acreage, but neither of those last for very long if things are sustained.

[nilesobek]

10. Water has been realized as a finite resource and a sale item.

[newfie11]

12. Irrigation water was why we sold our Nebraska farm

We used the irrigation canals bring water from snow melt in the Wyoming mountains. These canals were built by the CCC back in the 30's.
Due to less snowfall our water allotment was cut back several times in the 8 years we owned it.
The ones with irrigation wells ( no new wells are allowed to be drilled) are pumping out of the Ogallala aquifer and it is not replenishing.
Yes food will be affected big time as climate change increases.

[DrDan]

13. yes it is real - and we have known about it's effect since 1895

unfortunately corporate greed has inhibited corrective actions.

Consequences . . . end of civilization as we know it