I have to confess that I am finally convinced that global warming is real. I have known for some time that we were warming as a result of the end of The Little Ice Age. I just didn’t appreciate how powerful it was.
Here is proof. Jupiter now has three “red spots” instead of the single Great Red Spot that has been visible for 300 years. The cause ? Why Global Warming, of course. Since both Jupiter and Earth get their warmth from the Sun and from internal chemical and nuclear reactions, one might assume that global warming is independent of CO2 emissions. That assumes that one is not in thrall to the religion of Anthropogenic Global Warming, and that may be a big assumption these days.
Tags: Earth, global warming, Great Red Spot, Jupiter, Sun
[…] bucksFreak.com wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI’m convinced May 24th, 2008 I have to confess that I am finally convinced that global warming is real. I have known for some time that we were warming as a result of the end of The Little Ice Age. I just didn’t appreciate how powerful it was.Here is proof. Jupiter now has three “red spots” instead of the single Great Red Spot that has been visible for 300 years. The cause ? Why Global Warming, of course. Since both Jupiter and Earth get their warmth from the Sun and from internal chemical a […]
Truthfully, Dr. K., this is all nothing new. I just read about how “acid seawater” is now “getting close” the coasts. It’s due to Global Warming, of course.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/364242_acid23.html
Notice the bit toward the bottom of the article:
“Terrie Klinger from the UW School of Marine Affairs will be among those testifying next week. She’s not sure what to expect in coming decades — the research is still nascent. The trouble is that a variety of changes — warmer water temperatures, less oxygen, increased ultraviolet radiation — can add up in unpredictable ways.
“Research is tending to focus on negative responses because those are of concern to economic and social systems,” she said. “But there is evidence of potential for positive responses.”
They don’t really know what will happen, but that doesn’t stop them from making dire predictions! Notice that they don’t really report the pH changes.
Don’t worry though. Even if extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere does NOT lead to warming, the extra CO2 can still damage the ocean. They think.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070322110240.htm
The problem is that I remember all the “acid rain” scare tactics of the 70s. Mind you, pollution is a bad thing.
But NONE of this is about science. It’s all about politics. If the hoi-polloi really cared about global carbon dioxide levels, they would push for nuclear, and a giant project toward non-combustion based energy sources. But they don’t. This is about economic control—-and with Kyoto style agreements, on an international basis. It’s all about central control of economics, and thus of politics.
Getting back to Jupiter (and Mars)…. Yep, it’s nice to know that the Jovians and Martians are using SUVs more than we do. Heck, they probably have celebrities who prattle on about carbon offsets who also cross the globe many times a year on private jet aircraft!
In other words, to quote Glenn Reynolds: we should treat the “global climate crisis” like a crisis when the rich and powerful make changes in their lives.
They don’t. They want the powerless to make those changes, while they themselves continue to Live Large and Be In Charge…
I heard Arriana Huffington on Dennis Prager the other day, flogging her book. She really is arrogant and clueless at the same time. I think she gets her science from David Geffen. After all, the UCLA Medical School is named after him so he must be a scientist.
What does concern me is over-fishing. The deep sea Archea live on fish poop and that may be declining. The oceans may be seriously affected but CO2 is not even a small part of the problem.
As for Arianna Huffington, I like what Dennis Miller calls her: the smart Gabor sister. But that reference is lost upon the Youth of America. Anyway, she typifies the UltraLimosineLiberal point of view. So much money that none of the changes she fights for will ever touch her personally.
As for the over-fishing…
It’s a tough call, Dr. K. We “hunt” the oceans. We do not “farm” the oceans. But if we did “farm” the oceans, there are down sides—look at how factory farming does indeed cause environmental damage (think of those awful pig pools back east, full of waste).
So if we were to magically fence off an atoll, pump up deep ocean water (full of nutrients), there would be a cost to the environment. This has proven to be true in “fish farming” salmon already. Here is a nice “pro and con” approach to the issue.
http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=16150
I wouldn’t worry that much about the archaeota, Dr. K. They have been here an awfully long time, and all microbiological forms of life are much more adaptable and protean than we think.
And sometimes more influential. See this for an example:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13961-gut-bugs-may-have-guided-the-evolution-of-life.html
In other news, I am SURE that this is being overblown…but is certainly worth following up upon…
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/24/1211183186816.html