An Inconvenient Truth

[OfficerImpersonator]

So Bush is the one responsible for all of the globes weather and climate....... Yeah right.

Not entirely, but being the Lobbyist In Chief for the coal and oil industry doesn't help matters.

 

[testinglogin]

Maybe now is the time for me to start perfecting my airhead E85 conversion kit. I'll be RICH!

Wait... airhead riders aren't going to spend that kind of money!

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

I lived in Seattle for awhile. If the oceans rise, move. Even a Harley could outrun that rising tide.

My house is at an elevation of 515', so as the sea rises, so will my property value.

But I'm not that selfish. I think the rich people who live at the water's edge deserve a chance to pay their property taxes, too. Since you've lived in Seattle, you know that the elevation of Lake Washington is 13 feet. If the sea rises 50 or 100 feet, so does Puget Sound. Once the salt water breaches the Ballard Locks, Lake Washington ceases being a freshwater lake and becomes an additional inlet of Puget Sound. As it continues to rise, towns such as Bellevue, Renton, Kirkland, Kenmore, the UW campus, etc. cease to exist. Some would say those would be good outcomes, but I think those who live in these areas might beg to differ.

 

[JUNKLE]

I find it kind of interesting that people are discussing this on a board filled with folks who routinely rides thousands of unneeded miles a year (there's even a contest).

Folks often complain about things (the weather, Wal-mart, Swing dancing) but usually fail to sacrifice anything in their lives to make the change they think needs made.

j

 

[RandyB]

How fast can we get a fence around UW?

I just talked to my bud in Colorado. You'll never convince him it's getting warmer.

22 years ago, I had a professor address this. His question was "Where are most of the weather stations?" No one had any idea.

"Airports," he said. "Right next to the jet engines and the concrete." May have something to do with it. Heat generators rolling down a heat sink.

Is it really getting warmer or are we getting better at measuring it?

 

[userw5]

Folks often complain about things (....................., Swing dancing).......................

I'm wait'n on the one!!

 

[testinglogin]

I find it kind of interesting that people are discussing this on a board filled with folks who routinely rides thousands of unneeded miles a year (there's even a contest).

Folks often complain about things (the weather, Wal-mart, Swing dancing) but usually fail to sacrifice anything in their lives to make the change they think needs made.

j

While some rid e"unneeded" miles, I don't think mine were. I rode to work, to the store, and on vacation. All places I normally would have driven to. I'm still using gas, but less than half of what I normally use in the cage. Now if I didn't go on vacation at all, that would be good, but I don't consider vacation "unneeded", as it's good for learning about different areas and people.. and it's good for sanity!

 

[RandyB]

I'm wait'n on the one!!

"Swin' dancin' iss from de debbil!"

 

[MOTOR31]

Not entirely, but being the Lobbyist In Chief for the coal and oil industry doesn't help matters.

If Bush is the root cause of the problems (if any are human caused and really exist as a human manipulative solution globally) all of that would have to be predicated that all the "damage" or problems with global warming has occured in the last 6 years. Again, yeah right.

If you want to simplfy everything to vilify one person, knock yourself out. Just don't expect me to take anything about it seriously.

 

[john1691]

It's funny that all the Hollywood types and politicians who are yelling the loudest about this ride around in Limo's that get worse mileage than my Quad cab, or hop from coast to coast in a jet airplane, (like they don't use fossil fuel) and live in 10.000 square foot homes, whose lights alone use more energy than my heating/cooling/lights combined. When I see Al, Bono, Opra and George Clooney riding around in Geo Metros, and down sizing to 1000 square foot homes, I'll know they must really believe what they are preaching! I wonder how much energy I burned letting my computer on while I wrote this........

john1691
2000 K1200RS

 

[rangepig]

I'm still trying to digest all the data, facts, and opinions from both camps when it comes to climate change,. I can see that it's possible we're measuring temperatures better etc. This is one of the thing Crichton mention in his "State of Fear" book. He also talks about the "heat island" effect of urban areas. But the one thing no one seems to be able to refute is that the polar ice is getting smaller. What other possible causes can there be for this than climate change?

 

[MOTOR31]

Jim,

I don't think there is much disagreement that there is some climate change going on. I think the question is are people directly responsible for it?

 

[darrylri]

If you're not going to believe that we humans are having an effect on the climate when some random joe like me says it, perhaps you'll believe it when the current administration says it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/science/10climate.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

A lot of government scientists have said it.

But until yesterday, it appeared that no news release on annual climate trends out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the Bush White House had said unequivocally that a buildup of greenhouse gases was helping warm the climate.

The statement came in a release that said 2006 was the warmest year for the 48 contiguous states since regular temperature records began in 1895. It surpassed the previous champion, 1998, a year heated up by a powerful episode of the periodic warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean by El Ni??o. Last year, another El Ni??o developed, but this time a long-term warming trend from human activities was said to be involved as well.

ÔÇ£A contributing factor to the unusually warm temperatures throughout 2006 also is the long-term warming trend, which has been linked to increases in greenhouse gases,ÔÇØ the release said, emphasizing that the relative contributions of El Ni??o and the human influence were not known.

A link between greenhouse gases and climate change was also made in a December news conference by Dirk Kempthorne, the secretary of the interior, as that agency proposed listing polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

(The emphasis is mine.)

 

[RIDERR1150GSADV]

Wow - someone lives in the Florida Keys and they pooh pooh global warming!

Won't you be surprised when 50% of the entire state of Florida goes under in 50 years! Serves you right for electing Bush in 2000

What does Bush have to do with this?? Please explain.
The oil industries were in place before he was born. If Americans feel the need to do something, they should get off their oversized lard-asses and quit driving big vehicles. Buying oversized crap from Detroit simply because it gets crammed down our throats is dumb. Consumers can demand smaller, less poluting cars for starters. But they don't, as it isn't 'cool'. The Jones's have the xxxxx , now we must keep up and get xxyz...
If you have a big gas guzzler is it because you NEED it or just WANT it?? Americans think they have the right to buy whatever and that is fine, but don't blame Bush for moronic choices in vehicles and other overpoluting consumer products.
I.E Sweden by 2020 is no longer going to import oil and is going totally green. It means making sacrifices that this country no doubt will refuse to make as we are too spoiled to do what is needed. Want to blame Bush for that too??

Florida will only flood if ALL the ice melts from both poles and Greenland. Since the ice on the north pole already floats in the Arctic ocean it's melting by itself is NOT gonna flood the planet. Take a glass, fill with ice, add water to the rim and let ice melt, see if it runs over the rim....... physics 101

 

[testinglogin]

Florida will only flood if ALL the ice melts from both poles and Greenland. Since the ice on the north pole already floats in the Arctic ocean it's melting by itself is NOT gonna flood the planet. Take a glass, fill with ice, add water to the rim and let ice melt, see if it runs over the rim....... physics 101

This is true. However, as the North pole ice melts, temperatures will rise faster. The snow-covered ice reflects a lot of sunlight. As it melts, things are going to heat up faster and faster, so the Antarctic ice will melt faster, and soon people living in South Georgia will have waterfront property.

 

[MOTOR31]

If you're not going to believe that we humans are having an effect on the climate when some random joe like me says it, perhaps you'll believe it when the current administration says it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/science/10climate.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin


(The emphasis is mine.)

In your own post, contributing was the operative term. This is still short of causative or responsible. There is still a natural operation in climatology going on as well, yet some would have you think that only humans are responsible for global warming or cooling. As if global climate changes had never happened before industrial humans came around.

 

[USERNAME]

In your own post, contributing was the operative term. This is still short of causative or responsible. There is still a natural operation in climatology going on as well, yet some would have you think that only humans are responsible for global warming or cooling. As if global climate changes had never happened before industrial humans came around.

so if something cannot be proven 100%, it deserves no attention?

 

[MOTOR31]

If you want to debate something I did not say, do so to yourself. If you want to discuss something I did say have at it.

 

[USERNAME]

If you want to debate something I did not say, do so to yourself. If you want to discuss something I did say have at it.

oh all right, i'll be more specific.

In your own post, contributing was the operative term. This is still short of causative or responsible. There is still a natural operation in climatology going on as well, yet some would have you think that only humans are responsible for global warming or cooling. As if global climate changes had never happened before industrial humans came around.

which i interpret (please correct me if i'm wrong) to mean that you do not support the theory that man is causing, or at least accelerating, the warming trend the planet is experiencing. your reluctance to do so seems to stem from the lack of 100% proof positive that man is the root cause. from this i extrapolate that you do not support efforts on the part of man to modify his behavior, use of resources, and emissions, as a potentially remedy or mitigation to the global temperature increase. (i need you to nitpick and correct any incorrect assumptions.)

i also assume if some proof that fit your unstated criteria as valid were presented to you, that you would accept it, and support remedies to the situation. i also suppose that if you could be convinced that you, or America were to be materially harmed by this temperature rise, that you would also support doing something, if it could be 100% proven to your satisfaction that the thing proposed would definitely work.

i would also like you to state the evidence you require to be convinced. pretend i sit down with you with briefcase and pull out a report that proves that man is doing it - tell me what that report has in it.

i will use your answer to the report question to determine if i think you are knowledgeable about climatology, earth science, chemistry, paleontology, meterology, and/or thermodynamics. if it seems like you are, i will weight your opinion more heavily. if it seems like you are unqualified, i will discount your opinion.

you seem reasonable and intelligent, and i genuinely look forward to your answer.

 

[darrylri]

In your own post, contributing was the operative term. This is still short of causative or responsible. There is still a natural operation in climatology going on as well, yet some would have you think that only humans are responsible for global warming or cooling. As if global climate changes had never happened before industrial humans came around.

It wasn't my own post; it was a quote from the NY Times article, quoting a press release from NOAA. NOAA used the word "contributing", which to me means causative, at least in part. It is not "short of causative".

It is responsible, in part, for the warmest year we have on record, so says the Bush administration, which I would assume would be just about the last place to admit such a thing if it were avoidable.