Great write up!
On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 18:10:42 -0500, Jim Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > One last thing on this: Global Warming is one of the few things that we can > actually, to at least some extent, control. Not to be pessimistic, but even > if we do control ourselves (and the likelihood of that is getting slimmer > and slimmer) our current society's existence is beset. > > The human effect of Global Warming could be dwarfed, for example, by a super > volcano (Yellowstone National Park is one such site that's actually over > due: an eruption there could wipe out the entire state and could blanket the > rest of the hemisphere with enough ash to cause an ice age). > > A sizable asteroid impact could do the same. Both events could trigger > massive seismic events that makes the recent tsunami seem positively > miniature. Mass volcanism could also cause a marked decline in atmospheric > oxygen making all but the lowest lying regions habitable (this is a current > theory for the mass "super extinction" of 250 million years ago). > > A star going super-nova within a few million light-years would sterilize the > planet with cosmic rays. For that matter our own sun might enter a flare > state and do the same thing. > > Even with our modern medical knowledge a tricky disease could fairly easily > wipe out large segments of the population. Our modern travel systems make > it all the more likely that such an event would cross oceans and borders > before it could be contained. > > In short if our culture survives it will be only by the skin of our teeth. > It would be a shame to dodge the cosmic odds and survive all those things > that we can't control only to screw ourselves over because we weren't > willing to take preventative steps with those things we could control. > > Personally I think that the case for human-influenced climate change is > strong, nearly indisputable. However the exact effects of this are still at > question. But the simple fact that our species has an effect on the > environment shouldn't be at question. > > It's up to us to consider that effect and, if at all possible, ensure that > it's a positive one. > > Jim Davis > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Discover CFTicket - The leading ColdFusion Help Desk and Trouble Ticket application http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=48 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:145312 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
