The ORIGINAL 1000+ Posts Club

[MaineWriter]

After two very chilly mornings, it has warmed up again: 36 degrees. Dark out there at 6:24 am. Very dark.

L

[David]

42*F here this AM Leslie.   

Pretty dark too.  Forecast is for mostly cloudy and 52*F today.

[Sheriff Roland]

Just think! We could irrigate the Sahara with all that fresh water from the melted polar ice caps! 

You do realize that the meted ice caps would just mix with the salted ocean waters, thus rendering it just as unusable as the current ocean waters (for the purpose of irrigation). A number of years ago, A vast piece of Antarctic ice flow was towed ta Saudi Arabia at great expense; less than one quarter (or was it less than 10%) of the ice chunk made it to the desert state at great financial expense, rendering the project a failure. So no, we couldn't irrigate (on a regular basis) the Sahara with the waters melted from the ice caps.

Plus, of course, the level of the oceans will be rising quite considerably, thus flooding a large number of coastal cities. (and you thought the flooding of New Orleans was a tragedy).

No! the melting ice caps are no joking matters! (sorry about the doze of reality)

[David]

I'm looking forward to it.    I live on high ground, so maybe I'll have beach front property eventually?    My property value will skyrocket!  Should I write GW Bush a thankyou letter?

[Sheriff Roland]

Sorry David,

But being flippant about this issue will not make it go away

30 years ago - when we were getting indications of global warming, it all sounded like pie in the sky stories

The global warming is a measureable fact now with real consequences (greater than what we are able ta predict)

When world economies fail, every looses - your property value will crash, like all values, should the world cities get inundaded with higher ocean waters.

No laughing matter - sorry.

[David]

Thats ok Roland.  I keep forgetting that sarcasm doesn't read well in print.

I feel that Global warming is real and that over time we (well not us, but future generations) will be affected by it much more dramatically.

The main problem is the worlds growing population.    As more housing is built, our trees are being cut down.    That alone disrupts the balance of the atmosphere.    More cars?   more emissions.     Growing industrial countries like China are surely pumping all kinds of hot, dirty emissions into the air.

Unfortunately I feel that the North American economy will fall into a third world level long before the Greenhouse effect takes full revenge on us.

Thats why I cringe when I read that NASA is planning on spending Billions of $ on more Moon exploration.   We have soooo much more to fix here on this planet.

[opinionista]

Thats ok Roland.  I keep forgetting that sarcasm doesn't read well in print.

I feel that Global warming is real and that over time we (well not us, but future generations) will be affected by it much more dramatically.

The main problem is the worlds growing population.    As more housing is built, our trees are being cut down.    That alone disrupts the balance of the atmosphere.    More cars?   more emissions.     Growing industrial countries like China are surely pumping all kinds of hot, dirty emissions into the air.

Unfortunately I feel that the North American economy will fall into a third world level long before the Greenhouse effect takes full revenge on us.

Thats why I cringe when I read that NASA is planning on spending Billions of $ on more Moon exploration.   We have soooo much more to fix here on this planet.

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be posting here since I am 70 post shy to belong to this club (gotta post some more I know), but I wanted to respond to David's comment about global warming. We are actually suffering some of its effects already but they are still too mild for some to notice them. For example, the formation of big and strong hurricanes such like Katrina in unusual places like the Mexican Gulf is one of the symptoms of global warming, and the melting of some of the  ice over the Artic  is another. Furthermore, China is among the countries that releases dangerous substances into the atmosphere in relatively low levels. The country pumps substances into the air in dangerous levels it is actually United States.

[opinionista]

Check this out. Levels of emissions per country.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/gg04rpt/emission_tbls.html

[MaineWriter]

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be posting here since I am 70 post shy to belong to this club (gotta post some more I know), but I wanted to respond to David's comment about global warming. We are actually suffering some of its effects already but they are still too mild for some to notice them. For example, the formation of big and strong hurricanes such like Katrina in unusual places like the Mexican Gulf is one of the symptoms of global warming, and the melting of some of the  ice over the Artic  is another. Furthermore, China is among the countries that releases dangerous substances into the atmosphere in relatively low levels. The country pumps substances into the air in dangerous levels it is actually United States.

Natali, welcome...

The 1000+ posts club doesn not have a "rule" about posting...anyone can join in.  And posting interesting info like this is a good way to get your post count up!

L

[David]

   From that chart:

                          1990        2025

  United States        4,989         8,142 

  China                    2,262         6,666 

_______________________________________

My point was what this chart shows.    That the United States over the next 20 years from now will only be producing less than double the amount in 1990, but China will Triple the amount.

With developing Asia producing 11,801 of the world total of 37,124.   

Scary numbers indeed.    But Asia is the one to watch.   Here in the States we have the EPA at least monitoring the pollution.      Even if they can't get the numbers down by enforcing restrictions,  the financial economy will close more and more factories faster.   Our industrial revolution here in the States is done.  We lost.    We import more goods than we produce.    Even things like Steel.    Dirty factory towns like Pittsburg, PA  are a thing of the past.