The up close and personal side of global climate change?

Question

What elements personalize the issue for you?

Answer 1

Hmmmm,...I would have to say the peoples lives that have been changed forever by the historic record breaking floods,and tornadoes!

Answer 2

I feel that Global warming is an excuse to push us back into the medieval ages because anti development people don't want us to live in our hi tech society. Global warming hits me as a skeptic as an illusion and seeing the truth or the strings behind the act and telling people its only some false c**p is what we do!

Answer 3

Personally I'm mainly concerned about water since I live in California.  When I hear predictions that the Sierra Nevada snowpack is going to decrease in the near future, that worries me, because that's where we get most of our water.  Consequently, I'm also worried about local agriculture.  There is a ton of agriculture in California, and it relies on a steady source of a lot of water.

I don't have any kids, but one thing that gives me pause about having any is the concern that they'll have to deal with a much more difficult world because of climate change, and potentially because of our generation's failure to mitigate it.

Answer 4

I have a basic understanding of science, math, and engineering, but when I see some of the science behind global warming, it goes against all my gut instincts. There are elements that the global warming people do not factor in to their computer models, like water vapor . For them to come up with average temperature of the Earth climate, is questionable. Why do they not throw in all the temperature readings, and how many do they ignore to compute their average. How can you get an accurate models on CO2 when you use a logarithmic function to determine to average ?

The other issues are for anyone to see: The costs to global warming in the order of trillions of dollars to be spent. The power and control they would have in convincing politicians to pass legislation that would effectively empower the GW scientists with doing and saying just about anything without being held responsible. Law and ethics would be ignored.

Answer 5

The element that enrages me is how socialists and liberals have a rich history of s******g up other people's lives all for the sake of a "better tomorrow". But when you catch them red handed and make viable allegations, they expect you to shrug it off because they meant well.

That kind of sentimentality doesn't bring the costs of living back down, it doesn't get rid of the bad policies, it doesn't create, help or construct anything. It merely leaves the American tax payer holding the bag, tax money wasted and some feel good lib moron walking the street thinking he actually did something for the children, or the planet, or some cause...all the while not owning up to the destruction they left in their wake.

For me its about the people. Socialist in many countries have tried to build a new tomorrow on the backs of the people today, and in many cases they didn't care about the people they killed, or put out, or ruined, or inconvenienced. To h**l with people's self esteem, to h**l with their destructive ideologies, I don't care about their failed plans, their good intensions or how "good they feel" about themselves. Stop messing up peoples lives.

So far the casualties regarding evniromentalism has been world wide food riots, increased cost of food, fuel, medicine, bad policies pushing bad alternatives, waste of tax dollar subsidizing products that can't compete on the free market, corrupt and bought politicians insulating themselves from the American citizen they are suppose to represent. We are losing liberties little by little, they are trying to force us to change our way of life and tell us what products we can use. That isn't the free market system we use in America, that's a socialist militant resolve.

Answer 6

i have a daughter who's going to have to live with all the mistakes we're making today.  such as:

- iraq

- national debt

- transfer of jobs, capital, industry, etc.

- climate change.

consider how the generations that preceded us worked, and provided the means of us to live in this country.

then what are we going to tell our grandchildren that we did for them?

one might also keep in mind that China just invaded and took over Tibet.

and no-one did anything, just as no-one did anything when Hitler took over Austria.

and while thinking about that, keep in mind that we paid enough to support that effort.

if you're not worried, there isn't much hope.

Answer 7

I have a h**l of an answer for you. I have to support my family in southern Greece because of the irregular weather over there!!! They are getting less and less rain so my cousin can't grow his crops, while we are seeing rains in the Sahara.

My best friend from New Orleans is suffering because of Katrina (global warming leads to increased hurricanes).

Finally I am seeing fewer good snow years in Tahoe.

Answer 8

Everywhere I turn, from the ocean to the mountains, ecosystems are unravelling.

I used to volunteer for an annual survey to count spawning king salmon in local creeks.  The first two years I did it we counted over 1000 salmon.  For the last couple of years hardly any returned; the runs simply collapsed.

Collapse of Salmon Stocks Endangers Pacific Fishery

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/us/13s...

"With the commercial chinook season in California and most of Oregon canceled for the first time in 160 years, Alaska chinook were going for record prices: $40 a pound for fillet."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/opinio...

I spend a lot of time the Lake Tahoe area, and warming there is triggering changes.

UC Davis Study Shows Lake Tahoe Is Warming Up

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...

Global Warming Could Radically Change Lake Tahoe In Ten Years

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...

I visited the Oregon Coast last Summer, as it was experiencing a record dead zone the size of New Jersey, and for the first time it extended to within a mile or two of shore.

Scientists Say Warming Triggers Pacific 'Dead Zone'

http://www.livescience.com/environment/a...

In its sixth year, Pacific dead zone closer to surf

http://www.earthsky.org/radioshows/51673...

I wonder what kind of shape my children will find that we've left this planet in.

Answer 9

Well, I would say that the modern study of climate change was "invented" at my school (by Roger Revelle, David Keeling, V. Ramanathan and others) so it's hard not to feel personally involved--especially when many of my teachers are on the IPCC. That's also the reason that I take it personally when people claim it's a hoax and the scientists are committing fraud.

Answer 10

My kids.  What linlyons said.

Answer 11

Panta appears to believe that he knows more about this issue than anyone on either side - even the IPCC says there's no definitive evidence of a link between global warming (manmade or not) and storms.

'Sides - someone should point out to Panta that this year HAS BEEN COOLER THAN NORMAL SO FAR in those regions that have had the "wacky weather" (tornadoes and floods).

So, global warming can't have caused that weather because IT'S NOT WARM THERE.    If global warming caused such weather, there would have been record tornadoes and flooding five years ago, not this year.

Answer 12

To me, it is just as bad to say that the "science is settled" as it is to say that "CO2 has no influence".