Al Gore

[30A Skunkape]

Because if the Catholic Church is against it, it can't be scientific fact :roll:.

These would be the same people who had someone burned at the stake for the crazy idea that the Earth rotated around the Sun.

Scooter, I think the statute of limitations has expired on the burning people at the stake stuff. Fast forward about 400 years and you might be interested to know that the Church accepts the big bang and evolution as facts.

 

[elgordoboy]

Scooter, I think the statute of limitations has expired on the burning people at the stake stuff. Fast forward about 400 years and you might be interested to know that the Church accepts the big bang and evolution as facts.

The Church accepting the big bang and evolution as facts rather than a workable theory that fits present data doesn't put It in a much better light. Perhaps that is more what you meant but I don't want to put words in your mouth.

 

[seaside2]

Scooter, I think the statute of limitations has expired on the burning people at the stake stuff. Fast forward about 400 years and you might be interested to know that the Church accepts the big bang and evolution as facts.

And which Church would that be?

I assume you mean the Catholic Church. Don't mean to pick a fight or anything like that, but no one Church speaks for all churches.

 

[elgordoboy]

Church of the SubGenius? :shock:

 

[scooterbug44]

I'm just saying that when it's the Catholic Church and George dumbarse Bush versus a large group of scientists and a Nobel Prize I know which horse I'm backing!

 

[Bob]

What possible reason could the Pope have to speak out against the theory of Global Warming?????

 

[30A Skunkape]

The Church accepting the big bang and evolution as facts rather than a workable theory that fits present data doesn't put It in a much better light. Perhaps that is more what you meant but I don't want to put words in your mouth.

You did, and that is fine

And which Church would that be?

I assume you mean the Catholic Church. Don't mean to pick a fight or anything like that, but no one Church speaks for all churches.

Relax, I didn't capitalize the 'p' in pope.

I'm just saying that when it's the Catholic Church and George dumbarse Bush versus a large group of scientists and a Nobel Prize I know which horse I'm backing!

'Back' who you choose, but maybe you ought to listen harder to the Nobel prize winners and sell your SOWAL property ASAP as the Nobel winners seem to think you will be engulfed in the near future. Or do as the pope is encouraging you and don't take a bunch of scaremongers too seriously.

 

[30A Skunkape]

What possible reason could the Pope have to speak out against the theory of Global Warming?????

Exxon paid him off. Duh.


Actually, I am speculating that he can forsee more calls for government sanctioned population 'control' if you know what I mean. Some crackpots are already advocating this as a means to combat global warming. Abortion and birth control are two areas the church will never waver on, rightly or wrongly.

 

[scooterbug44]

'Back' who you choose, but maybe you ought to listen harder to the Nobel prize winners and sell your SOWAL property ASAP as the Nobel winners seem to think you will be engulfed in the near future. Or do as the pope is encouraging you and don't take a bunch of scaremongers too seriously.

Those so called scaremongers are making a lot of sense - major changes in our environment can have major effects so we should reduce our impact on the planet to reduce those consequences. Jibes with all of my life experiences.

Don't own any Sowal property yet, but flood zone is one of my criteria as I'm shopping ;-). You'll note that this area is already predicted to be less severely affected than other (lower) portions of the Florida & Gulf Coast on the sea change maps. Trust in Allah, but tether your camel has always been my motto!

 

[NotDeadYet]

And my question to those who speculate that the northern ice is melting as a result of global increases in temperature, why is the southern hemisphere ice intact? Seems to me that if the whole world was turning into a hothouse we would see similar melts down south as well. It is global warming, right?

Well, for starters, it isn't intact:

BALI, Indonesia, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The population of Antarctica's penguin is in danger of global warming, World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) said on Tuesday at the ongoing UN climate change conference held in Bali, a resort island of Indonesia.
Global warming is taking a way precious ground on which penguins raise their young. Food has become increasingly scarce because of warming in the conjunction with over fishing, WWF said in a press release quoting its latest research report.
The report, "Antarctic Penguins and Climate Change," said the four species of penguins that breed on the Antarctic continent are under escalating pressure. The Antarctic peninsula is warming five times faster than the average rate of global warming. The vast Southern Ocean has warmed all the way down to a depth of 3,000 meters, it said.
The report said sea ice covered 40 percent less area than it did 26 years ago off the West Antarctic Peninsula. This decrease led to reduced numbers of krill, the main source of food for the chinstrap and penguins.
Warmer temperatures and stronger winds mean the penguins had to raise their chicks on increasingly thinner sea ice. For many years, sea ice has broken off early and many eggs and chick have been blown away before they were ready to survive on their own.
"The Antarctic penguins already have a long march behind them," Anna Reynolds, deputy director of WWF's Global Climate Change Program, said in a statement at the Bali UN climate talks.
"Now it seems these icons of the Antarctic will have to face an extremely tough battle to adapt to the unprecedented rate of climate change," he said.
The number of chinstraps decreased by 30 to 66 percent in some colonies, as less food made it more difficult for the young to survive. It's the same story for Gentoo penguins, who are increasingly dependent on the declining krill stocks as overfishing kills off their usual food source, according to WWF.
The emperor penguin, the largest and the grandest in the world, has seen some of its colonies halved in size over the past half century.
In the northwestern coast of the Antarctic peninsula, where warming has been the most dramatic, populations of Adelie penguins have dropped by 65 percent over the past 25 years, WWF said.
"The food web of Antarctica, and thus the survival of penguins and many other species, is bound up in the future of the sea ice," said James P. Leape, director general of WWF International.
"After such a long march to Bali, ministers must now commit to sharp reductions in carbon emissions for industrialized countries, to protect Antarctica and safeguard the health of the planet," he said.
The two-week U.N. climate change conference is tasked with drawing up a "roadmap" for negotiations on a new climate deal in the next two years before the current phase of the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.


As to why Antarctica is warming more slowly, it is a lot colder than the Arctic. Here's why: (From Woods Hole Oceanographic)


"Why is Antarctica colder than the Arctic?
There are two key reasons why Antarctica is colder than the Arctic.
First, since Antarctica is a giant landmass, it receives very little heat from the ocean. In comparison, the Arctic's icy cover is relatively thin and it has an entire ocean underneath it. While the water is anything but warm, it usually stays around 30? F, which is often significantly warmer than the air above the ice. Some of this heat makes its way through the ice to the air, moderating temperatures somewhat. Also, even in winter areas of open water are present in the pack ice, allowing more ocean heat to escape into the air.
The second reason is elevation. As you go up in altitude, the air temperature decreases (by 6.5C for each 1 km). Since the average elevation of Antarctica is 2.3 km, the air is much colder compared to the Arctic Ocean, which is at sea level. "

You may remember back in 2002 when the Larsen ice shelf collapsed. Antarctica is losing sea ice too, just at a different rate and in a different configuration from the Arctic. They are two different places, one is an ocean, the other is a continent.

Here's a link for some climate change FAQ. http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=12457&tid=282&cid=13366#14

And that is probably all I have to say about it. I've been staying away from this thread because it seems to me most people have made up their minds.