And The Point of Live Earth Was?

[Ardesco]

What sort of furry animals are you thinking of in London? The ones at the Zoo? How many people are growing more than a row of cabbages and some tomatoes?

Well I don't live in london so I really don't know, however I hear they have a lot of foxes, and rat is always a good staple diet!!

You are also missing the point. people may not be growing much now but if food reserves start dipping they will, look at what happened during WWII!! Everybody dug up thier gardens and started growing thier own food, it can and will happen again if we need it to, but you are missing a bit point here. If the world warms up it makes it easier to grow things so we are extrememly unlikely to ever have a problem producing food.

How is adding a few degrees to the average temperate going to kill off all of our food supplies? It is pointless scaremongering like this that makes everybody sceptical in the first place.

But denying that it's happening, or that it's going to have a big impact on us, is bizarre. It's like claiming that the earth is flat, or claiming that the universe and everything in it was created in 7 days.

Who is denying that temperatures are changing? Not me, all i'm saying is that it is perfectly natural and expected

There's scientific consensus that climate change is happening, and it's happening a lot faster than was predicted even five years ago. That's not scaremongering or being a conspiracy theorist or a heretic, it's scientific consensus. It's bizarre that people with such a high opinion of their own mental abilities are on here saying that this is all nonsense. Where do you get that idea from? It's simply not true.

There was a scientific consesus that the world was flat and that the earth was the centre of the universe and that everything revolved around the earth a few centuries back. Thankfully some clever individuals didn't blindly accept the scientific consensus back then and look at what we know now....

This being said I have already stated that I agree climate change is happening, I disagree that it is all our fault and that we have sped it up. I also disagree with the carbon footprint CO2 arguments. Google effects of water vapour on climate change and have a nice read, you can then come back and rant about the use of kettles and how we should ban them for the good of the environment

[The Lone Gunman]

How about looking at the way the New Scientist sums up climate change and its impact.

I don't think it's true that there's little that individuals can do. Maybe not to reverse climate change, but we can certainly prepare for the changes as individuals. That's what I'll be doing anyway. Not really bothered if people think I'm over-reacting or being paranoid. I can still live in the modern world, I'll just be prepared for that world to change. Entirely up to you what you do, but arguing about whether climate change is down to human activity or not seems like a bit of a red herring to me.

The problem is that there are too mnay vested interests pedling "the truth". Governments across the planet are using GW as an excuse for tax to fund thier pensions, which in turn is causing the sceptics to point this out which proves GW is a sham.
There are a whole bunch of greens with lots of agendas telling us it is man made and if we love the planet we can stop GW.

This Canute mentality will be the disaster.

What nobody seems to be doing is making a plan for when disaster strikes.
So much of our infrastructure and accomadation is built at (or just above) sea level. What happens if the sea rises by a couple of feet?

[DodgyAgent]

This is different because some (many) people feel the need to justify their lifestyle and will do almost anything a) not to change it and b) not to be perceived as a selfish jerk for living it.

They will argue black is white if it means they can carry on wasting and polluting with a 'clear conscience' and not looking like a selfish, self-centered lout.

The earth being flat or round does not mean one having to change one's lifestyle, so rationality can be let into the argument. Give them an argument where ones self-centered interests are challenged and rationality goes out of the window and the scientific consensus is suddenly the work of loonies and sinister conspirators.

I think that's how it works.

This climate change argument has little to do with scienctific fact, it is about two groups of people twisting a theme to suit their own personal agendas. On the one side we have those who have a vested interest in propogating the scare elements of global warming (pop stars the BBC and control freaks such as religious leaders and politicians) and those who just want to be left alone and not told what to do by the other group.

In the middle is a tiny group of people who are looking at evidence and taking an objective look at what is happening to our climate, and this tiny group is being exploited and manipuilated by the other two groups.

[Causus Deli]

To perpetuate the myth, make Dole feel great and give free adverts for musicians. Liked the music but hated the sanctimony. The very people who organised the concert, because of their misguided beliefs, are being criticised by some even more sanctimonious losers. Those who analyse how much CO2 is being generated in the cause. Look CO2 is not an important greenhouse gas, but I guess anything can be used in the promotion of the new religion.

[Contract-Tester]

Hysteria versus Preparation

Why do you class this as hysteria, rather than awareness and preparation? Using a word like "hysteria" is complete hyperbole. Having fire extinguishers fitted in trains isn't hysteria. Having an ambulance on standby next to a Formula 1 race track isn't hysteria. Doing repairs to your house ready for winter isn't hysteria. It's just being aware of what's likely to happen and being prepared. I'd've thought that people who one would expect to have had a university education and to be able to think things through logically would understand that.

Having a fire extinguisher on a train is sensible preparation. If a fire starts on the train it is possible to put it out. That is a proven fact.

However there are many other events that could happen to the train that its not really worth being aware of.

The train could be derailed, it could be blown up by a terrorist, it could be hit by a meteor, etc, etc. I think if you were on the train mulling over all those potential disasters and more, you would have a miserable journey and your awareness and worry would have no effect on the likelihood of any of those scenarios taking place.

If I sat next to a person on a train, and they were freaking out about all the unpleasant things that could happen to the train, and over which they had absolutely no control, I would accuse that person of being hysterical.

[wobbegong]

And The Point of Live Earth Was . . . .

Cheap publicity and a leg-up onto the moral bandwaggon for a dozen or so failing and/or struggling and/or third-rate acts.

[EternalOptimist]

What nobody seems to be doing is making a plan for when disaster strikes.
So much of our infrastructure and accomadation is built at (or just above) sea level. What happens if the sea rises by a couple of feet?

why is the sea level going to rise a couple of feet ? Most of the ice on the planet is floating, if it melts it will not affect sea level at all. If it would do so it would have happened already given all the doom stories about the inuit tongues melting et al.

Put an ice cube in a glass, then fill the glass to the brim, the ice cube will turn to water but the glass will not overflow. Check out the physics my friend

[King Cnvt]

why is the sea level going to rise a couple of feet ? Most of the ice on the planet is floating, if it melts it will not affect sea level at all. If it would do so it would have happened already given all the doom stories about the inuit tongues melting et al.

Put an ice cube in a glass, then fill the glass to the brim, the ice cube will turn to water but the glass will not overflow. Check out the physics my friend

Ice locked up in Glaciers melts into rivers, runs into sea adding to the volume of the Oceans.

HTH

[dang65]

Some of the people posting here are just having a laugh or aren't particularly concerned about climate change either way. Fair enough. Ardesco, on the other hand, worries me. He actually seems to believe his own arguments and puts them forward with this kind of weight of "authority" behind them which an ignorant person might actually be persuaded by.

You are also missing the point. People may not be growing much now but if food reserves start dipping they will, look at what happened during WWII!! Everybody dug up their gardens and started growing their own food, it can and will happen again if we need it to

It's true that many people grew supplementary food in their gardens during the war, but the country only survived because of constant supply convoys from the U.S. and other parts of the world. We didn't feed ourselves independently. This time round, the rest of the world will be in the same position as us.

but you are missing a big point here. If the world warms up it makes it easier to grow things so we are extrememly unlikely to ever have a problem producing food.

How is adding a few degrees to the average temperate going to kill off all of our food supplies? It is pointless scaremongering like this that makes everybody sceptical in the first place.

Well, for a start "warming" doesn't mean lovely and sunny. The main impact on the UK is predicted to be much heavier rainfall. Even the rains we've had these last few weeks have caused huge problems for food growers, destroying or badly damaging a lot of crops.

Also, an effect of climate change which some people are predicting is disruption to ocean currents. The Gulf Stream is what keeps the British Isles and much of Europe so mild and pleasant. If that disappears then the effect could well be a massive drop in temperature. Some of that's theories of course, but still, this comedian's view of "Global warming? Great! More sunny days!" might not actually be right.

Who is denying that temperatures are changing? Not me, all i'm saying is that it is perfectly natural and expected

Well, I've done that point before. Just because it's natural and expected doesn't make it less of a problem. In fact, nature can do destruction which Man only dreams of.

There was a scientific consensus that the world was flat and that the earth was the centre of the universe and that everything revolved around the earth a few centuries back. Thankfully some clever individuals didn't blindly accept the scientific consensus back then and look at what we know now...

Uh, I think you'll find that was religious consensus and that those in the know had to be very discrete about suggesting anything different. With climate change, it's the clever individuals who have slowly persuaded the rest of the scientific community that climate change is real. Are you saying that even cleverer individuals (i.e. the general public and posters on here) have actually discovered the truth and the scientists are in fact wrong?

This being said I have already stated that I agree climate change is happening, I disagree that it is all our fault and that we have sped it up. I also disagree with the carbon footprint CO2 arguments. Google effects of water vapour on climate change and have a nice read, you can then come back and rant about the use of kettles and how we should ban them for the good of the environment

OK, I'm glad you agree it's happening, whatever the major causes may be. But are you going to try and prepare for the changes to come, or are you just going to keep arguing that it's not your fault?

[bogeyman]

why is the sea level going to rise a couple of feet ? Most of the ice on the planet is floating, if it melts it will not affect sea level at all. If it would do so it would have happened already given all the doom stories about the inuit tongues melting et al.

Put an ice cube in a glass, then fill the glass to the brim, the ice cube will turn to water but the glass will not overflow. Check out the physics my friend

Errm... THERMAL EXPANSION ?