Rampant Negativity – No Reason to be so Glum?

Question

well, on one hand we have a bunch of people spamming disinformation all over the web, a lot of very confused citizens, governments that only have 4 year forward vision, and now Dr. Hansen says we have to limit CO2 concentrations to 350 ppm to avoid some major tipping points including the melting of the Greenland ice sheet.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/07/climatechange.carbonemissions

but hey! the sun is shining, i'm off out to plant my potatoes. have a great day all :-)

http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/20080324_Rampant.pdf

Answer 1

Hansen's point in this mailing is that we still have time to reduce our carbon emissions in order to avoid catastrophic climate change.  Because it's a possible goal, there's no reason to be glum.  I entirely agree with him on this point.  It's certainly going to take quite a bit of concerted effort, but we are capable of achieving this goal.  The only question is whether we have the will.

Answer 2

There's so much negativity because you're listening to the wrong Hansen.  Try this one:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...

Answer 3

I notice Dr Hansen has developed a technique of sounding like the voice of doom without actually saying anything.  We could head into another ice age and he'll still be able to say, I told you so.  

His claim to know more about fossile fuel reserves than the worlds geologists seems a little arrogant.  Some people seem to regard him as some kind of profit, so that might not matter.

Answer 4

You have to ask yourself the question...most of these people spouting on about global warming would not have a job until they latched on to the cash cow. Can anyone tell me , in the last 5 years with whatever reductions we have had...has it made one scrap of difference. China and India are going ahead with massive automobile usage, if that  is a cause,

People will still make war on each other....who is calculating that!!!!

Answer 5

I'm glad to see you don't buy into hysteria.

Oh, by the way, 350 ppm or .035 % is the normal level of CO2. But that level will fluctuate with the seasons depending on how much vegetation is decomposing. The autumn will naturally be the upswing and after a summer of drought, it would be down.

Answer 6

You are darned right!  There's nothing to be gained by going belly up.  Humans would not be in the role they are now if they had responded that way to challenges that arose.

Answer 7

"You are my creator, but I am your master"

Frankenstein's Monster, M Shelly 1818

In the age of hyper-reality, what did did these people expect?  Silence is acquiescence, and when the doom and gloom is published daily in the papers, and broadcast nightly on TV, and not corrected, the blame lays squarely on those that know better.