One interesting point which I am surprised is not often mentioned in this polarized debate:
Blow up the third chart on Michael's cited reference, and contemplate the full implication of the "Maunder Minimum" and the so-called "little ice age" ... ... and the likelihood that we could be on the brink of a repeat of this in 2008... If it turns out that what humans are doing to the environment is in fact - on the bottom line, and after all is said and done - NOT harmful in itself due to these unusual circumstance - and that wanton CO2 release is simply forestalling another "little ice age" then - YES - that can seen by most of us non-specialists as a *good thing*, at least in the short term. However, it does not follow that what Algore is promoting is itself unscientific. Quite the contrary. Like it or not, he IS the spokesperson for the majority of specialists in the field - although admittedly there exists a strong and vocal minority of specialists who do not go along with most of it and especially the way it has been politicized. The bigger question for the rest of us - what is the true situation? -- and the true unpoliticized risk of this situation? -- i.e. IF both Algore AND also his critics are partly correct in that yes, humans are rapidly changing the normal course of environmental change in a way which could have been harmful, BUT that change, as it turns out is not harmful at all, and in fact the short-term benefit is poised to have the (unforeseen by the polluters) effect of forestalling another "little ice age" .... Interesting moral dilemma, if nothing else ... wrong for the right reason, or right for the wrong reason? Jones --- Michael Foster <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Could a significant global cooling effect be taking > place.? I notice there is a deafening silence from > Pope Algore and his Church of Global Warming on this > subject. It would be very inconvenient for the > selling of carbon indulgences, oops... that's > offsets. Nothing is made of the fact that 2007 saw > the largest one year drop in average global > temperature in recorded history. Didn't hear about > that did you? Almost everyone who lives on the real > earth, rather that the computer climate model earth, > has noticed that it's been a lot cooler lately. > Where I live in southern California, winter before > last winter was the coldest since 1948, but of > course nothing was made of that in the news. I lost > 500 feet of ficus hedge because it froze to death. > There was a massive die-out of native plant species > in the canyons near my home as well, all frozen. > > The fast dancing and circumlocutory nonsense spewing > forth from the Global Warming Priesthood grasping > for some explanation are becoming both shrill and > comical. The real reason for climate changes, solar > activity, is showing us something quite the opposite > of Algore's dreamworld. You know, that's the one > where all of us ride bicycles and starve to death, > while Algore flies about in his Gulfstream and has a > special lane on the road for his fleet of SUVs while > he grows ever fatter. Anyone else notice he's begun > to resemble a fat Bela Lugosi? > > There has been a total lack of sunspots for a month. > This is not good news, either for real people or > Algore. This normally indicates a significant colder > period on the earth, or even an ice age. We need to > get really serious about energy supplies, both > conventional and new, especially the new ones. We > also need to quit whining about genetically modified > crops. If there is a long term colder climate, > agricultural output will plummet. More energy and > higher crop yields in a shorter growing season will > be essential to prevent the starvation of millions > or even billions. > > Here is a link to the observations about the lack of > sunspots: > > http://www.dailytech.com/Sun+Makes+History+First+Spotless+Month+in+a+Century/article12823.htm > > http://tinyurl.com/562srq > > M. > > > > >
