Re: Global Warming

Actually, there are many reasons why global warming is (or should be) of major concern to us all. First of all, our climate is an incredibly complex system that completely defies all our attempts thus far to understand and model it. Basically, fluid dynamics require far more computing power than we can even conceive of at this point. So, any slight changes in the system can result in severe climatic perturbations that we can't really predict. There are a few scenarios we can predict, such as the shutting down of the transoceanic conveyor current, which could indeed trigger a little ice age, by stopping the flow of warm water to the North Atlantic.

Other scenarios that are quite possible, and could have severe consequences for us are increased desertification of arable land (already happening), increased range of tropical diseases and pests (already happening), or currently fertile climates falling under a rain shadow, such as the US midwest, a huge provider of food for the world.

Don't just take my word on this, read the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports at http://www.ipcc.ch/. The IPCC, a collection of all the leading scientists of the world in the fields related to climate change, has determined, in it's 2001 report, that not only is our climate currently warming at a much faster pace than anything in the climate record, but that there is a discernable human fingerprint upon this warming.

Now, I'm not saying we should panic because, oh my God, the world is coming to an end, but it is foolish to think that nothing needs to be done, or that nothing can be done. We CAN adopt international treaties like Kyoto (perhaps not exactly Kyoto, it seems obvious we need a new one), and we can be more aware of how the activities of our daily lives burn fossil fuels.

Frankly, the continued opposition to climate change astounds me. The scientific evidence overwhelmingly suggests a human impact upon our climate. The argument that there is no absolute proof is nonsensical. Remember, science can NEVER prove any thing absolutely. Science can disprove, but never conclusively prove. When we have a theory that corroborates the facts, as the current theory on climate change DOES, then it seems only logical to adopt it until new evidence tells us otherwise.