Will humans solve the climate crisis in time?

Question

It's pretty obvious that at this point in time, people don't use the cleanest forms of energy. Companies are now starting to invest more money into alternative energy research (ex. car companies are making more fuel efficient cars, oil companies are doing more research with biofuels, solar panels are getting better, etc). Do you think that people will solve the climate crisis before there are absolutely devastating environmental effects (more category 5 hurricanes, drastic increase in ocean level, loosing coastal cities, etc)?

Answer 1

Well first odd none of those disasters will happen so do not be so bothered. As to the energy crises, well that was solved more than 30 years ago but Jimmy Carter and his big oil sponsors killed all the workable alternative programs and the rest of the democrats have stayed in office since them by preventing these programs from being re started.

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favour of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.

H.L.Mencken

Answer 2

if we are all going to die from water that well break gods promise he said he wont kill no humans with any floods

Answer 3

There is no climate crisis.

Answer 4

Why solve something which will not have much of an effect?

Answer 5

The good news is the earth has been cooling over the last five years which invalidates the models used that predicted temperatures would continue to rise.

Reducing pollution and dependence upon radical nations is fine with me.  We need to invest in nuclear plants in order to have the energy to produce clean burning hydrogen for cars.

There are plenty of reasons to reduce pollution.  Carbon Dioxide emmisions are the least of our worries.

Answer 6

We'll probably manage, though I wouldn't be surprised if we lose a few cities in the process.

"(ex. car companies are making more fuel efficient cars, oil companies are doing more research with biofuels, solar panels are getting better, etc)."

None of which are worth all that much.  Fuel efficient cars make a slight improvement but people with more economical cars tend to drive more, in this case we do actually get a reduction but it isn't as much as some energy efficiency proponents claim and it's not something that should be relied upon to save us.  Biofuels actually turn out to increase CO2 emissions compared to drilling oil out of the ground and to make things even worse they compete with food production.

Solar panels don't work at night and have reduced power when cloudy meaning that for an serious system you need backup power which is usually fossil fuelled so these only provide a partial solution without large scale energy storage (that we lack).  They also distract people from nuclear power which is a solution that we could start to deploy right now and count on to provide the electricity we need without CO2 emissions without assuming new technology (you won't find any other power source about which that can be said).

Answer 7

There is no crisis.....hence....nothing to solve.

I certainly hope that you are not listening to Gore and his shills!!!

Answer 8

No! but the climate will solve the human crisis, in time.

Answer 9

I think we can if we would stop driving cars as much and instead had more bus's trains etc as transportation it and used vegetable oil for the fuel of a bus and magnetic trains it would relieve a great ordeal and more underground homes of course and stop cutting the rain forests down in brazil borneo and indonesia it woud be much more affective for are plantes peace of mind but remember no matter how much it looks like the worlds gone to h**l happiness comes from with in always remember that

Answer 10

If by solve you mean adapt to changing conditions and move on, using the lessons learned to develop new technologies and ways to live better and cleaner, then yes, they will.

If by solve you mean in some way alter the existing conditions in a vain and costly attempt to influence global climate systems and live like we do today, then no, they won't.

Answer 11

Sorry, But odds are No. We`ve gone to far to fully stop it.

But doing this can help:

Install a programmable thermostat

Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.

Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer

Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.

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Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner

Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

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Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases

Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most energy efficient products available.

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Do not leave appliances on standby

Use the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.

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Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket

You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C.

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Move your fridge and freezer

Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room where the room temperature is 30-35ºC, energy use is almost double and causes an extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers.

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Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly

Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors.

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Don't let heat escape from your house over a long period

When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions.

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Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing

This requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost.

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Get a home energy audit

Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.

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Cover your pots while cooking

Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!

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Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full

If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.

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Take a shower instead of a bath

A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximise the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.

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Use less hot water

It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

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Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible

You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.

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Insulate and weatherize your home

Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. Energy Efficient has more information on how to better insulate your home.

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Be sure you’re recycling at home

You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates.

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Recycle your organic waste

Around 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul.

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Buy intelligently

One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of 0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.

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Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can

You will also cut down on waste production and energy use... another help against global warming.

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Reuse your shopping bag

When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.

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Reduce waste

Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.

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Plant a tree

A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.

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Switch to green power

In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. In some of these, you can even get refunds by government if you choose to switch to a clean energy producer, and you can also earn money by selling the energy you produce and don't use for yourself.

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Buy locally grown and produced foods

The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.

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Buy fresh foods instead of frozen

Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.

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Seek out and support local farmers markets

They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. Seek farmer’s markets in your area, and go for them.

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Buy organic foods as much as possible

Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!

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Eat less meat

Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.

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Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible

Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area.

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Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates

Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free service connecting north american commuters and travelers.

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Don't leave an empty roof rack on your car

This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight - removing it is a better idea.

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Keep your car tuned up

Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.

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Drive carefully and do not waste fuel

You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car mantainance.

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Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated

Proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!

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When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle

You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency on FuelEconomy and on GreenCars websites.

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Try car sharing

Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar - offer low emission or hybrid cars too! Also, see ZipCar.

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Try telecommuting from home

Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition.

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Fly less

Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how muc

Answer 12

I'm sorry, but humans don't have that much control over the climate.  Are you willing to sacrifice all of modern civilization for a theory about the planet?

It's not the end of the world, it's just the end of the global warming scam.

Answer 13

It's called Fall...it'll be here shortly, don't you worry.

Answer 14

It frightens me to think about this topic, but my answer is no. I think as a global community we are all doomed! I give us another 30-40 years before the polar ice caps and Greenland plummet into the ocean and raise water levels 30-40 feet higher than they are now  and wipe out all small island countries and every major coastal city. It's scary but it's true.