Global Warming and its effects

I've been thinking about this. My SOSE teacher talks about an action causing another one. So if the O-zone layer keeps breaking up, then the world will get hotter. So the ocean will expand, with the ice in the Arctic and Antarctica melting, then most of it will be made into clouds with the effect of evaporation, so it will rain more. Yet it getting hotter means that in the summer it's perfect conditions for bush fires (in Australia). So, what do you think will happen?

(Sorry to the mods if this isn't serious enough for this section, if it belongs in General Chit Chat, can you please move it?)

I read somewhere that apparantly Global Warming might not happen with the heating up of Antartica. For example, If you put Ice in a drink and leave it to melt, Has the water risen? No. Wouldn't it be the same for the Oceans and Antarctica?

The water doesn't rise, if the glass is full, because it leaks out the side of the glass, good point though

The difference between the seas rising and a glass of water is that the block of ice is already floating in the water, and Antarctica is not floating in the sea. Water levels would rise in this situation.

Although another thing to consider is this: If temperatures rise due to global warming, then more water will evaporate from the oceans and other bodies of water. This will form clouds, and clouds block incoming heat from the sun. So the sudden rise in cloud density causes a drop in temperature - possibly an ice age? We don't know. Nor do we know which of the two possibilties will actually happen - we can't until one of them does.

Anyway. Just a summarisation of my views there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

Just thought I'd toss that in, so as to be educational and stuff.

many people think global warming's gonna make every place tropical. of course, in actuality, my winters get colder and colder because of it. but fortunately I live guilt free, and don't drive a car around.

Originally Posted by Power_Fan

I read somewhere that apparantly Global Warming might not happen with the heating up of Antartica. For example, If you put Ice in a drink and leave it to melt, Has the water risen? No. Wouldn't it be the same for the Oceans and Antarctica?

It's just not rising sea water. The carbons (or something with the chemicals that were trapped in the ice) would be released should Global Warming melt enough of it, hence, causing the temperature to be trapped by these gases and is unable to be released into space.

The general effect of Global warming will be much hotter summers, and much colder winters. Atleast in places like America and Russia that should be the case.

I heard that the North Atlantic Current will begin to slow down and eventually stop. If that happens than Britain will be plunged into a mini ice-age.

Originally Posted by T-Nemesis

I heard that the North Atlantic Current will begin to slow down and eventually stop. If that happens than Britain will be plunged into a mini ice-age.

No, our weather would just revert to being about the same as the weather in Scandinavia. Not quite ice-age material.

And I think you've been watching the Day After Tomorrow too much.

Originally Posted by Lone Wolf

It's just not rising sea water. The carbons (or something with the chemicals that were trapped in the ice) would be released should Global Warming melt enough of it, hence, causing the temperature to be trapped by these gases and is unable to be released into space.

Do you mean carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trapped in the ice? Entirely possible. Personally, though, I want to know whether the Earth's weather patterns would be able to regulate themselves away from extremes in such a situation. My example above is one way it could.

I've heard from a couple of sources (sorry, don't have them with me right now) that the Earth's climate has been zigzagging up and down for a LOOOONG time. We're merely riding on a high spike right now. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I sure hope so.

unfortunately, while the global temperatures do zig zag a little over long periods of time following a sort of sine wave, this time it's not caused by that. the current temperature increase doesn't follow that trend. global temperature - following along perfectly with industrial growth - has been rising since the beginning of the 20th century, along with CO2 levels. our current increase does not follow the sine curve that temperature levels usually follow.

so unfortunately, we're gonna have to drastically cut down on emissions if we want any sort of sustainability.

30,000 years ago, North America and Europe were completely covered in ice. Now they are not.

The world changing temperatures is nothing new.

Whether or not emissions are responsible for global warming we MUST learn to curb our pollution as much as we can and switch to renewable sources of energy like wind, solar and hydro. We must also find an alternative fuel for automobile transport (this is probably the most important one, globally, cars produce 10 times the emissions of power stations.) and implement it as soon as we can. In the mean time, as many able-bodied people as possible need to really consider switching to alternative forms of travel, like public transport or cycling.

Unfortunately in the west we have a HUGE car culture which is focused on youngsters from all sides, parents, peers and the media. They are such a drain on society. Where do you think most of the smog in cities comes from?

In western society, convenience is king and the cheapest route is always the one most travelled. This will have ramifications. We all have a personal responsibility to minimise our wasteful consumption and choose greener ways to live. Picking the easy way has invaded practically every sector of our lives, from commuting to the very food we eat. The consequences of this lifestyle is are never immediately apparent but the damage done over a number of years is near impossible to reverse.

Damn sorry for this rant. I'm just sick of all my fat friends going "Oh I'm so fat!" then me replying "you should ride a bike like me to get around, you'll be fit in no time" and then them mumbling and shirking off the responsibility for themselves. Damn people are weak! WEAK!

I am seriously concerned about Golobal Warming so I do everything I can, i.e. I hardly ever have the lights on, I recycle everything etc. It's true that if everyone did this there would not be such a problem. Much of the problem is reluctence on the corporations part to launch new efficiant problems. America is also quite the thorn in the worlds side, reluctant to even contemplate Global Warming exits. It's just irrataiting. They seem reluctant to accept many things, I probably shouldn't go into it now. I'll start a new thread.

Originally Posted by Shadowhand

I am seriously concerned about Golobal Warming so I do everything I can, i.e. I hardly ever have the lights on, I recycle everything etc. It's true that if everyone did this there would not be such a problem. Much of the problem is reluctence on the corporations part to launch new efficiant problems. America is also quite the thorn in the worlds side, reluctant to even contemplate Global Warming exits. It's just irrataiting. They seem reluctant to accept many things, I probably shouldn't go into it now. I'll start a new thread.

Well, the problem is that when America has made efforts to do just this, it's hurt the U.S. economy, while other countries like China are not restrained by laws about factory smog and stuff like that, so their economy just grows. It would not be a problem if ALL the countries in the world decided to do the smart thing, but if only the U.S. made decisions like this, it would seriously lower the international trade value of the dollar.

Unfortunately, this is not merely a national problem. I'm in an economics class right now, and one of the first things you learn is that when citizens say "I want this! I want that!" they're really saying "Tax me! Tax me!" If taxes are not raised, then the economy goes down. And if the U.S. is the only country to make efforts to keep global warming down, it'll get a thousand times worse.

It's odd, but what Tiroth said is true, that global warming is the cause of an ice age. I don't belive in evelution, but I know that there was an ice age. And it's been proven that the coast were the coldest areas, but the inland was tropical? (someone correct me is this is inacurrate) It's an odd thing, but it's not the end of the world. It happend once.

~Ganon not gannon

Originally Posted by Nightwing726

Well, the problem is that when America has made efforts to do just this, it's hurt the U.S. economy, while other countries like China are not restrained by laws about factory smog and stuff like that, so their economy just grows. It would not be a problem if ALL the countries in the world decided to do the smart thing, but if only the U.S. made decisions like this, it would seriously lower the international trade value of the dollar.

Unfortunately, this is not merely a national problem. I'm in an economics class right now, and one of the first things you learn is that when citizens say "I want this! I want that!" they're really saying "Tax me! Tax me!" If taxes are not raised, then the economy goes down. And if the U.S. is the only country to make efforts to keep global warming down, it'll get a thousand times worse.

I think we need to tax CO2 emissions. this can lower taxes in other areas, such as labour. this would promote more employment and also would decrease consumption. it would also give companies a reason to develop alternative technologies. if we decrease the need to burn fuels, we decrease the amount of resources we need to import, and therefore improve the economy. the CO2 tax would be on most machine/industries that emit CO2. this means cars and factories. (it would be kind of hard to tax breathing).

there's no reason to be so dependent on these fuels anyway. we have perfectly good alternatives and we're taking no interest in them. it may not be immediately profitable for companies, but is that our number one priority?