Global Warming - Skeptical Yet?

[Deano!]

Just wondering - how many here have changed their minds about the whole global warming/climate change issue over the past year? My gut feeling is that far more people have become doubtful of the theory than have become believers. Advertisers seem to have moved away from all those 'fight global warming' gimmicks in their ads and while advertising gimmicks are no indication of the validity of science, they're often a fair indicator of what people really think.

[Sam Slater]

Get three plastic drinks bottles and leave one full of it's air, pump CO2 in the second and CH4 in the third. Seal the tops and leave in the sun for the afternoon. Come back after a few hours and measure the temperatures of each one.

Let me know the results. I've a good idea which will be the warmest and which the coolest but won't spoil it for you.

[Robches]

Indeed Sam, the earth's climate is directly analagous to a sealed bottle. I'd happily spend a few trillion quid on that basis.

[Sam Slater]

[quote]Indeed Sam, the earth's climate is directly analagous to a sealed bottle. I'd happily spend a few trillion quid on that basis.[/quote]

Well, we haven't got a few hundred spare Earths at hand in which we can experiment with. It's evidence that the more CO2 and CH4 in a given atmosphere the more heat energy is retained. Even the global warming sceptics don't deny this. What they argue about is how much of the warming is man-made and how this rise in temperature will affect us.

[Deano!]

Sam - thanks for your suggested experiment. I guess you meant it as a symbolic rather than serious one because I think the properties of the plastic bottles would have vastly greater influence than the difference in the thermal absorption of the gases once the sunlight had passed through them. And to be fair, the experiment needs to be done at about 15,000 metres probably.

My question was more about how the general public of the BGAFD feel now. There is also a secondary debate about which is the best way to handle it - either keep industrialising and hope cleaner technologies will result, or ban most devices that pollute and hope people will learn to do without them.

I'm a technology forward fan.

[alicia_fan_uk]

I presume it's just pure coincidence this post arises around the time of the cold snap.

Most of us rely on experts for questions such as this one, given it is so difficult to have an fully informed view in such a complicated area. We read up and research as much as we can understand/be arsed/have time for and form our view accordingly. (With my tongue firmly lodged in my cheek, I'd suggest some on here don't even go as far as that...)

Do I believe it? Yes, because a hell of a lot of scientists who dedicate their whole lives to this area and who have access to the best equipment known to man can provide good evidence to support it. They outweigh their sceptical equivalents substantially.

Scientific wisdom isn't infallible, but I'll take it over conventional wisdom any day.

alicia_fan_uk

[Flat_Eric]

Politicians and scientists like to scare people.

Because when people are scared, it makes it easier for politicians to pass their pet legislation and (in this case) levy new taxes, and for scientists to get lots of lovely funding in order to "solve the problem" and thus keep them in gainful and sometimes very lucrative employment.

So yes, I do believe that "climate change" is occurring - but I also suspect that the whole thing is being "sexed up" somewhat by those with agendas.

- Eric

[Sam Slater]

What would be the purpose of a symbolic experiment? I was deadly serious.

I don't think you get the whole point of the experiment. It's not about it proving the Earth is warming, but it will prove if the amount of CO2 or CH4 in a given atmosphere alters the amount of heat energy it traps.

[Sam Slater]

[quote]I presume it's just pure coincidence this post arises around the time of the cold snap.[/quote]

Agreed. It happens everytime we have a cold spell. Some are still ignorant of the difference between 'climate' and 'weather'. I mean, what's their excuse? They have google at their fingertips!

Still, if a man with curly hair, wearing high-waist green corduroys, who frequently drops caravans from a great height says global warming is bullshit, who are the educated to argue? !grin!

[RoddersUK]

I would stay a mile away from any twatt who spouts rubbish as that fucking twatt Al Gore does. There aint a Yank politician in history who knew or knows what he or she is talking about. They all rely on their advisors who are their friends. No fucker in the US administration is a dedicated professional to advise as our Sir Humphreys do. No matter what you may think about Sir Humphrey at least our lying two faced yellow bellied greedy up their own arses fucking politicos do have recourse to unbiased advice. They just ignore it and do their own stupid thing.