Why does 2012 seem to be a "magical" year in terms of global warming?

Question

Why does 2012 seem to be a "magical" year in terms of global warming?

Answer 1

That's because the world will end in 2003 and it will start over in 2112.  Wait, that can't be right, try this 2112 the Cubs win the world series, that would be magical.  Nah that won't do, I give up, my brain hurts.

Answer 2

It takes time to plan, get contracts signed get new companies off and running. To build dams. To make power plants. 2012 is the year set by Kyoto.

We have the technology to move past the carbon debate. We do not have time to go through the government red tape. With oil on the decline, we have to make massive changes, swiftly. But we have to take the time to get it right. We can not do this twice, or three times - like in the past; we have to put our money in the best return on investments and where we get multiple benefits. We have had most of this technology for 20 years but have not implemented it. We know what is cost effective; we know where we need better technology. Without governments mandating renewable resources that do not harm the environment, we are doomed. The fossil fuel depression with global warming will be the worst economic downturn in world history. But this is not doom and gloom; we have the ability to fix our mess and enough time. Solar Concentrating Electric Power Plants, wind, wave, small hydro-electric, geothermal, and nuclear energy are what we need. We must have a pollution surcharge where we pay the real price (health effects, global warming and cleanup) for oil, natural gas, coal, cigarettes, cooling towers, cars, trains and airplanes. Raising the price of fossil fuel today gives us more time to solve these problems and helps pay for the 20 Trillion Dollars worth of renewable energy over the next 10 years. Remember knowledge is power and this information is very powerful. Humans have 50 trillion dollars worth of stuff that runs on cheep oil, natural gas, or coal.

I attended the Focus the Nation at Sierra College on 1-31-08. The event was the 2% Solution, a 2% reduction over 40 years to solve global warming. Oil is a nonrenewable resource and we are running out-but not soon – anyone now want to pay $30 per gallon for gas. The problem is the oil will be gone in less than 30 years at present rates of consumption without projected increases and shortages (gone at least to run cars, heat homes, power electric plants or air travel). The 2% Solution is ok for the USA for a 10 year plan to cut 20%, but I would prefer a 5% Solution over the next 10 years for a 50% reduction. At the same time, we have to be building renewable energy so at the end of 10 years we can cut an additional 20%. With the peak of oil in the 1970’s, peak NG in the 1990’s, having mined cheep coal, the peak of ocean fishing in the 1980’s, and the peak of uranium in the 1990’s, humans must stop procrastinating and make real changes to keep earth sustainable including in the energy debate, finance and regulation. Over the next 90 years carbon dioxide is projected to skyrocket as human’s burn more fossil fuels, but we have to come up with what will take its place and cleanup our mess. One of the big problems we have is at some time Yellowstone will blow its top again, as the magma move closer to the surface, creating a nuk winter. After that we will not have to worry about the destruction of the ozone layer, global warming or pollution.

Many of mankind’s advancements cause earth surface to warm, destroy the ozone layer, kill off endanger species, heat cities, and in some way cause more dramatic destruction.  Blacktop and buildings (roads, roofs and parking lots-heat cities), deforestation (air pollution, soil erosion), duststorms (increase hurricanes and cyclones, cause lung diseases), fires (cause pollution, mud slides, and deforestation), refrigerants (like CFC's) and solvents (including benzene destroy the ozone layer raising skin cancer rates) and plastics; cars, airplanes, ships and most electricity production (causes pollution including raised CO2 levels and increased lung and other diseases); these human problems we must fix to keep life on earth sustainable! Humans have destroyed half of the wetlands, cut down nearly half of the rain forest, and advance on the earths grasslands while advancing desertification which increases duststorms.

The result is:  change is on the way, we just do not know what changes (where and when). Look beyond the hype, beyond the weather, beyond a quarterly report and beyond today. President Bush has made a choice of energy (ethanol) over food and feeding the starving people around the world; this is a choice China has rejected. The fact is Bush wants to buy food from out side the USA to send to starving people since our grain is not available. Now what USA Presidential candidate is giving you the facts so you can make an educated decision of which one to vote for?

But with that we must understand we have never seen what is now happening before. CO2 has never lead to temperature change, but temperature change has led to increases in CO2. The models have to be made as we go along with current evidence! But again adding a small amount of CO2 to the atmosphere enlarges the earths sun collection causing warming; increase water in the atmosphere and it forms clouds cooling earth but sometimes causing flooding. Even natural events are warming earth and causing destruction. The sun has an increased magnetic field causing increases in earthquakes (more destruction), volcanoes (wow, great destruction), and sun spots. Lighting produces ozone near the surface (raising air pollution levels). The USA Mayor's have taken a stand and I believe are on the right track, we can have control and can have economic growth. The sun is available to produce energy, bring light to buildings and makes most of human’s fresh water. Composting is the answer to desertification. New dams are the answer to fresh water storage, energy and cooling earth by evaporation, we need many small ones all over (California needs 100 by 2012 and we are far behind).

That is why I founded CoolingEarth.org, a geoengineering web sight where you can learn more about earth, the atmosphere, and how to sustain life on earth’s surface. Watch for changes in the sight coming soon.

Answer 3

It's not.

Answer 4

my girlfriend just did this really big report on the year 2012. It is the year that the mayans predict will be the end of the world, it is really interesting actually.

Answer 5

As we approach 2012, the media, and Hollywood are going to focus their attention on the end of the world predictions as forecasted by the Mayans, Nostradamus, the Babylonians, and even the Bible.

Once this year approaches, global warming will be out of the headlines, and out of the minds of the public.

This is why the believers are coming up with wilder scenarios about global warming.  They need to lock in their funding now while the getting is good.

Answer 6

There is supposed to be someone that predicted gloom and doom by 2012.  Was the Aztecs or something like that?

Answer 7

cause if anything related to the mayans prediction DOES happen ( I definately dont think anything will), then they can attribute it to global warming.

Its the year that all the sea ice will be gone, along with all the polar bears, walruses, and santa claus.

Answer 8

Because it seems to be close (only 4 years), but by the time it hits 2012 everyone will forget about this "Global Warming Craze".

Answer 9

Because much to the liberal’s dismay, a Republican will win the White House in 2008. This means the US will continue to ward off environmental hysteria for the next four years. The world will not actually end in 2012, but in that year Al Gore will emerge as not only a candidate for the presidency, but as Savior of Earth and All Things Green, Anointed of Gaia, and coincidently the Antichrist.

How the Antichrist you ask? The Biblical “Mark of the Beast” is the number 666. In ASCII code each character on your keyboard is assigned a numerical value. If we take the name al gore we find that:

al gore = 97 + 108 + 32 + 103 + 111 + 114 + 101 = 666

(Note that the 32 in the above equation represents the space.)

Of course once the Antichrist is in place, it’s all downhill from there :-)

Yeah, that’s a slippery slope :-)

(in case you're wondering, no, I don't really believe this)

Answer 10

2012 has nothing to do with GW. GW will steadily continue as long as the Earth retains more energy than it can emit, whatever the process you look at...

2012 has a special meaning in the Mayan calendar, which stops at that year.

Answer 11

I think its when the sun's sun spot maximum cycle peaks again, releasing higher levels of infrared/solar winds/cosmic radiation and so on. The actual level of increased sun spots is hard to predict, but an increase is going to happen.

Answer 12

Coincidence.

Many AGW mitigation programs have milestones in 2012.  The Mayan calendar ended at 2012.  One has nothing to do with the other.  It is nothing more than coincidence.