And The Point of Live Earth Was?

[EternalOptimist]

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

HTH

It doesnt help. Sea levels are currently rising at about half a millimetre a year, this is due to thermal expansion which is by far the biggest factor in sea levels. There just is not enough water locked up on land to meet your doom scenario. Most ice is not on land, so, as I explained, it is not a problem in terms of sea level.

[DimPrawn]

Errm... THERMAL EXPANSION ?

I don't think so.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...ndicemelt.html

1 deg C rise in temp (that's a lot) gives about 8cm rise in global sea levels.

Watch out, here comes an 8 cm rise in sea levels!

[EternalOptimist]

Errm... THERMAL EXPANSION ?

Ice is the one substance on earth that expands as it freezes. So there is no thermal expansion, there is thermal contraction. The volume of glass with ice cube = volume of glass without ice cube

[gingerjedi]

I always thought it was a good idea to buy a house on a hill though strangely I live in an area that according to insurance companies is at risk of flooding, a quick fag packet calculation using 1 deg C=8cm concludes that I and everything around me would melt before the Atlantic is lapping at my doors!

[Ardesco]

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 mean i'm making you question your belif and you are finding my arguments persuasive?

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.

Where do you get this from? Why is all food going to suddenly dissapear because the temperature changes a bit? We have had colder and warmer periods in the world before and plants have survived. Absolute worst case we adapt and grow different plants, there is no basis in this myth that you are creating that climate change/global warming will suddenly ause all food stocks to dissapear. Where do you get this idea from???

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.

The main problem we have in this country is a totally useless drainage system, it would take some moeny and time to sort out our drainage system but it is completely viable. look at places like Cypres and India. much more rainfall than we have but generally speaking the problem is dealt with due to their much better drainage systems. yes floods occur sometimes but that is life, floods have and will allways occured. natural disasters will not suddenly dissapear if we find a magical way to prevent climate change.

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.

Yet more speculation, it could be a drop in temperature, it could be an increase in temperature, it could make no difference at all. Nobody really knows the answer so instead we make some hysterical ramblings about how the world is going to die unless we do something to sto it happening right now. If the temperature drops we will survive, people have survuved in cold countries for thousands of years, the same if temperatures increase.

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.

If it is entirely natural and expected are you suggesting we should stop nature from taking its course? I am suggesting that as nature takes it's course we will adapt and survive the way we always have. you may not like that idea but it is the reality of the situation.

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?

I think you will find that scientists were arguing the same thing, not just religous leaders. I am not saying that I am cleverer than all the scientists out there, however I do refute the suggestion that all scientists agree. The simple fact of the matter is the scientists that don't agree are generally speaking ignored because thier views don't fit in with the people in powers views. Why have a reasoned debate about it when we can just cut off funding for dissenting voices and ignore them and use climate change as a stick to beat the populace with?

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?

This is where you are most confused. I am saying that if it happens it will happen and we will adapt. You are saying OH MY GOD NOOO it's going to happen we must stop it now or we are all going to die!!!!!

Which one sounds like the more reasoned argument?

[andy]

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.

Please make up your mind. Will it get hot or cold ??

[dang65]

Please make up your mind. Will it get hot or cold ??

Well, there's one explanation here. As a result of it getting hot, it then gets cold. So the answer to your question is: both.

[Ardesco]

Well, there's one explanation here. As a result of it getting hot, it then gets cold. So the answer to your question is: both.

So that would be the natural cycle where we go into ice age and then out of ice age and then back into ice age etc..

So how are us humans affecting this again??

[andy]

Well, there's one explanation here. As a result of it getting hot, it then gets cold. So the answer to your question is: both.

so what's the problem ? The heat from GW will cancel out cold from stopping gulf stream. Win win situation

[dang65]

This is where you are most confused. I am saying that if it happens it will happen and we will adapt. You are saying OH MY GOD NOOO it's going to happen we must stop it now or we are all going to die!!!!!

Uh, no. If you read through my posts throughout this entire thread you will find that I haven't once said that we must stop. All the way through I've been saying that we should be getting prepared. That's kind of in between what you think I've been saying and what you think will happen (i.e. that we will adapt some time in the future). I'm just proposing that we make things a bit easier for ourselves by cutting out the need to adapt in the future by getting prepared now while we've still got a fully working infrastructure, cheap goods, global transport. Why wait for even a minor disaster? Why not get on with preparing?

So that would be the natural cycle where we go into ice age and then out of ice age and then back into ice age etc..

So how are us humans affecting this again??

Again, as I've said many times, even if you completely discount the idea that human activity has accelerated climate change, it's still happening - as you've already agreed. Why spend thousands of words arguing over details? It's time to get on with a plan for reacting to the changes which are coming, not to argue endlessly about whose fault it is.