At this stage in Global Warming do you worry more about its effect on people or other animals?

Question

Right now humans are starting to see lack of rain and food shortage that could possibly by correlated to Global Warming. But while that is more speculative, there is scientific proof the ice caps are melting and that animals like polar bears are rapidly becoming endangered.

So do you worry more at the moment about climate change affecting humans or other animals and why?

Can you give some examples of other animals directly affected?

Answer 1

As early as January 9, 2003, University of Alberta biologist Dr. Andrew Derocher stated that polar bears were headed for extinction. Derocher is an expert in Arctic ecosystems, so I have to believe that he knows more about the situation than those on this forum who claim there are more polar bears today than ever before, but who offer no documentation or data to back up their claims.

Even the United States government just recently agreed that polar bears are headed for extinction, but - of course - the 'naysayers' know better. I'm certain they've conducted exhaustive research, studied the polar bears' habitat, and have formed conclusions based on intensive research.

Right now I worry more about the effects of global warming on other plant and animals species. But, that's short-term. In the long term (and by 'long term', I mean ten - twenty years, human beings will be affected.

What we fail to recognize is that ALL plants and animals on this Earth have a purpose. And if we continue to neglect our co-inhabitants of this world, we, too, will no longer exist as a species. Arrogance, ignorance, avarice, sloth, neglect and hubris has all set in to make us believe we are truly the 'superior species' on this planet. Without other species, we will die.

Once the lowly horse shoe crab* becomes extinct, we will suffer for it. Once rare poisonous Amazonian frogs no longer live, we, too, might die. The same goes for myriad other species: tsetse flies; rain forests; remote Eskimo tribes in the Alaskan tundra; Venus fly traps; mangrove forests; oceans; mountains; meadows; wetlands; polar bears; honey bees; wheat fields; mosquitoes; birds; whales; dandelions; coral reefs; manatees; elephants; sugar cane; mineral deposits; Bengal tigers; 'uncivilized' tribes in the middle of Brazilian jungles; cows; kittens and redwood trees - all among the millions of species that WE need on this planet if WE are to survive!!

If man destroys all these species, our SUVs and Hummers won't be any good to us at all. All the plastic junk we buy at WalMart for 'low prices - everyday' won't even be worth anything at a future garage sale.We've polluted our own air, poisoned our own water supplies, over-fished our oceans, cluttered our pristine beaches, chopped down our rain forests, and over-built on flood plains all for our own profit, comfort and convenience. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will pay dearly for such squalor, and will suffer severe health, social and environmental catastrophes because of our selfishness, greed, neglect and indifference.    -RKO-  06/25/08

Answer 2

Ah, so you have bought into the great "polar bear" scam!  Sucker!

Why worry about something over which you have absolutely NO CONTROL?

If there is any global warming going on, and there may well be, it is a natural cycle that the Earth goes through constantly.  The climate NEVER stays the same, geologically speaking, and we are constantly going through warming or cooling periods.  Do you really think you can control nature?

If you want to make ANY difference at all, just get Al Gore to shut up and then you'll reduce the hot air in the atmosphere by at least HALF!

The climate change scare being promulgated, and now followed by many businesses trying to impress people how they are doing their bit for global whining, is nothing more than an attempt by government to assume even more control over our lives through regulation of what we can drive, how many products we can use, what we can eat, what kind of houses we live in, you name it, government wants to control it.

Answer 3

No not at all--------- does that surprise you?

Not one person or animal has yet DIED from GW. However several thousand people died while I was typing this from starvation, lack of fresh water, and curable diseases.

Edit for RKO----- I would look to the Canadian and Alaskan people for the health of the polar bear population-- plus most scientists agree that out of all the different populations of polar bears only 2 ( I believe) are showing declines-- the other are stable and-or increasing in population.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/05/1...

http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008...

AND-- the Question ASKED was "do you WORRY about it's affect"---

Answer 4

you do know that htere are more polar bears now than ever before. Maybe their environment has finally reached a limit in capacity

Answer 5

The effect of climate change and ocean acidification on zooplankton and corals is of far greater concern than the loss of big mammals.  The loss of species like polar bears is tragic in the sense Mark Carwardine spoke of in the epilogue of "Last Chance to See," but would not be an ecological catastrophe of anywhere near the same magnitude as a massive coral die-off or collapse of krill.  

I know krill don't really excite the imagination like a big predator, but in a global ecological sense they are far more important.

Answer 6

These sound like good questions for a biophilosophy study.  

If you take as a baseline:  All life is precious.

Then any change in the habitability of the earth is of concern to all life.  

Climate change alarmists have been with us for decades, centuries probably.  Back in the 1950's it seemed that global cooling was the fad, today it is global warming.  We have a tendency to look at such a short periods of observable time to make our scientific judgements that it is easy to become concerned or as you say "worry more about the effect" when we need not do so.  I for one do not worry about the effect of global warming as I believe that in a short period of time the mass media's fad of the day will have changed.  There isn't solid scientific evidence to prove either theory of climate change, warming or cooling.  IMHO.

Answer 7

I worry more about its effects on people...animals don't attempt to steal my rights, freedom, or property over fairy tales.

Answer 8

You need help!!!

Answer 9

Of course people, even though animals are important (not only their own lives but because of the ecosystem chain)

Answer 10

ok first of all...GLOBAL WARMING ISNT REAL... it is a government hoax to tax people. and if you looked at the real numbers of the population of polar bears they are not endangered. there are more polar bears now then there has been in a long time. stop listening to stupid commercals from the government they just want to make money. some of the ice caps are melting but they have been melting since they were formed. they melt and reform thats the science of it. they are not endangered!!!!!