If thine Data offends thee, throw it out....

[Bill-SOCAL]

I truly wish people could somehow separate their disdain for Gore from the actual science of the matter. I was involved as early as 1981 in some of the research projects from which the idea of global warming/climate change was developed. We were looking at the stable isotope ratios of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide in vacuoles contained in ice cores from Antarctica. This was long before Al Gore wrote his book and became a target of the right.

Global warming was not dreamed up by Al to take away your SUV of make himself rich and to think it so is simplistic at best.

[Diegoboy]

Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, so before I exit this thread, please allow me to express mine...



Over & Out!

[Rumdog]

Do you really think that exhaust fumes from cars are the only type of pollution caused by automobiles?

[Bill-SOCAL]

Do you really think that exhaust fumes from cars are the only type of pollution caused by automobiles?

Absolutely not. Cars (trucks, etc.) are responsible for all kinds of crap. Rubber dust from tires, asbestos (in older cars), oil and fuel releases, heavy metals and acids from batteries etc. Cars are a nightmare environmentally speaking. But until we figure out how to teletransport we are sort of stuck with them. But I see no reason not to make them as clean as economically possible.

[Rumdog]

You mean like the EV1? Oh, wait......

[AndyKunz]

As far as the concern for data, all I can say Jay is that the (false) alarm is more the result of not understanding how scientists work ...

That must be a difference between us engineers and you scientists. Engineers hold onto all the data (often long after the project is ancient history) because, if there's ever a problem, there might be data in it that gives a clue as to what went wrong.

I take it from your comment that throwing away inconvenient data is OK as long as you have massaged data available to prove how the engineers must be wrong...

...than it is some nefarious plot to take your SUV away from you.

Of course not! Most of the left wing folks that I know are driving their kids 1/2 mile to school in the Navigator or Expedition or Hummer. (Slight exaggeration - it might be as much as a whole mile they have to drive, since the school bus only picks up kids > 1 mile away).

Andy

[Rumdog]

Pollution is not a left/right problem. People need to grow up and accept responsibility for the way our lifestyles are ruining the earth. Keep pointing your finger and see where it gets you.

[Diegoboy]

It's a bold theory to think we (human) have such an impact on the global level. I guess you'd believe that if all of humanity flatulated at the exact same time in the exact same direction, we'd alter the earth axis or something. Please. Mother earth can do more in one hour than all of mankind can do in a million years.

[Rumdog]

OK You're right. We cannot affect our enviroment. Now THAT is a bold theory.

[Diegoboy]

...some people can't get a grip on how insignificant they really are in this world.

[Rumdog]

Well, do you really believe this? That humans cannot have negative effect on the earth's enviroment? Or is this just anotherpolitically charged statement?

[Diegoboy]

We as humans Can in fact have an affect, be it positive or negative. But before you throw your hands up and shout "I told you so", My point is that the affect we have over the coarse of human existence is minuscule in comparison to natural occurrences. More pollutants were dumped into our atmosphere during one volcanic eruption than in all the pollutants humans have since the discovery of fire.

[domwilson]

Ok...I've been reading this thread and somehow, as it is becoming more often than not, that this took a political turn. No U.S. political party controls the world, the climate, the way fish swim, which stars twinkle at night, etc. Here's my take. Say that we do everything that we can to prevent climate change. But these scientists were wrong. At least we'd have cleaner air to breathe and a reduction in many illnesses. Respiratory illnesses for starters. But let's just say these guys are right and we do nothing. Do you really want to take that kind of a gamble for future generations? What's it worth? The crap that we dump into our atmosphere is staggering. For me the jury is still deliberating on the issue. But you can't ignore one fact. That one of the largest ice sheets has broken away from the poles. Why? The size of both poles is decreasing. Why?

[Jeff Wohlt]

I do not see it as a left or right even though many of you want to take that cheap approach. Republican or Dems...it has been going on for some time.

As I said, the world is not going to end next Saturday or the next or the next.

Just because Al Gore is an idiot does not make this any less important.

Just the steps taken by the repulicans and the dems over the last 20 years to stop some of the emissions coming from plants, coal burners, etc has made a difference. It would have to....the crap the companies have been puking out of the stacks for 75 years is enough. The industrial age contributed to this long ago.

Come on...don't down the fact that we are really harming our earth by the crap we are doing.

It is time to be responsible...oh and the Indian crying from trash and littler was just a gimmick when I was a kid but people took notice and don't littler near as much any more. Most of you won't remember that but as a kid I sure do. This is what we have to get our kids to realize so there is a future....and they are well on their way....thank God! My 10 year old knows more about this crap than I do because they are teaching it...and I agree with them.

[RMZDADDY]

What I find interesting is that there are studies that seem to back both sides of the global warming argument. According to what I've read, the co2 in the atmosphere has increased about 100ppm since the pre-industrial era. What I can't seem to find is a clear answer to is whether we are directly responsible for the change, and whether that change will cause a long term warming trend.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/07/03/uah-global-temperature-anomaly-for-june-09-zero/

I've also read that deforestation is responsible for more increase in co2 levels than all the worlds autos combined, yet that doesn't seem to be a topic of discussion as far as I can tell.

I do believe in climate change for sure, it has been going on since long before we came on the scene.