Global Warming - Boiling Point by Gelbspan

[David]

Global Warming - Boiling Point by Gelbspan

I read the book Boiling Point by Gelbspan... highly recommend you all read it too asap, it's short and cheap, and it's not as depressing as it sounds. Everyone should read this book if you're interested in the future of civilization.

A few random quotes:

"Many activists today are promoting the use of energy-efficient lightbulbs, carpooling, and other climate-conscious lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, these strategies, even under the most wildly optimistic scenarios, fall far short of nature's requirement that we cut our consumption of coal and oil by 70 percent."

"Our climate is capable of immense and wildly disruptive surprises. Every day, those surprises seem progressively more likely than not. Not only are we gambling with our future, we are gambling with our eyes blindfolded. We can't even see the cards we've been dealt."

"Although the disappearance of the glaciers is visually striking, its importance may be overshadowed by a less visible but more pervasive consequence of atmospheric warming. All over the world, species are traveling toward the poles in an effort to maintain temperature stability."

"There is only one chance in 100 that the rate of warming will be less than double the warming rate of the last 100 years – and a 99 percent probability that it will exceed double the past warming rate ... The most likely estimate of warming between [now] and 2100 is 5.5 degrees F. This is five times the warming rate experienced over the past 100 years. At the high end, there is a five percent chance that the warming could be more than eight times the warming rate of the past century."

"In this immense drama of uncertain outcome, this much is true: A major discontinuity is inevitable. The collective life we have lived as a species for thousands of years will not continue long into the future. We will either see the fabric of civilization unravel under the onslaught of an increasingly unstable climate – or else we will use the construction of a new global energy infrastructure to begin to forge a new set of global relationships.

If we are truly lucky – and visionary enough – those new relationships will differ dramatically from what we have known throughout our recorded history. They will be based far less on what divides us as a species and far more on what unites us. Embedded in the gathering fury of nature is a hidden gift – an opportunity to begin to redeem an increasingly fragmented world.
The alternative is a certain and rapid decent into climate hell."

And I'm only on page 33.... http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redir ... 046502761X

Al Gore reviewed Boiling Point in the New York Times
http://www.heatisonline.org/contentserv ... ethod=full

Feel free to post your thoughts after you read it here.

[keiko]

wow...this is something i think of every day...I know its stupid but I don't want our planet to die....are there any simple things that I can do at home to stop globel warming??

[Reefcrazy]

WOW! that does give ya something to think about. I was just reading an article that supports the theory that species are migrating toward the poles. The article read something to the effect that marine species are being reported far north and south of their normal habitats and they are being seen more frequently than ever. There is also a report of a grizzly bear/polar bear mix recently discovered. Very interesting but scary stuff.

[Joni]

David - Based on those quotes you posted it sounds like a well-written and thought provoking book. One that we should all read and I will definitely pick up a copy.

Has anyone seen Gore's movie? An Inconvenient Truth? I keep hearing great things about it and look forward to seeing it myself.

Spread the word about this book and Gore's movie - it's high time people start taking this issue very very seriously and change will not come about until politicians start seeing this is an election platform.

[tannibelle]

Thanks, sounds interesting

[C_blue]

Keiko, that's not stupid at all. I don't want it to die, either. Last year, I went diving with some grad students I'm friends with, and that weekend, we had been discussing what the reefs used to be like, looking over older science journals and articles.... then we went diving, and I finally realized just how much the baseline had shifted.... I broke down in tears and was sobbing through my reg... just knowing that if we were to somehow instantaneously stop the effects of global warming, overfishing, pollution, etc... that it would probably take lifetimes for the ocean to return to a truly healthy, balanced state.

David - I'll have to check that out, I just picked up Red Sky at Morning, so I'll check that one out when I've finished this one.

I have heard good things about Gore's new movie, a lab TA was talking about it and said it had a lot of good, scientifically grounded info. I'm hoping it's still playing this weekend so I can see it.

[lovelyjolie]

wow...this is something i think of every day...I know its stupid but I don't want our planet to die....are there any simple things that I can do at home to stop globel warming??

There are, and you can find out more about them here - http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/

[Ghandi]

wow...this is something i think of every day...I know its stupid but I don't want our planet to die.

don't worry, I used to think this too but our planet will not die. We will alter it so much that most animals and plants (including us) will be wiped out but there are things much hardier than us. The planet will survive, crippled and raped but finally free of humanity, it may never fully heal or revert to how it was but evolution will take it's course and new animals will repopulate the desolate wasteland we will have created.

[Spunky]

Ah. Global Warming. One of the most keenly debated topics on the planet (well in the science community at least). I actually wrote a dissertation on global warming last year and discovered lots of ideas and opinions on the subject.

Whilst we're all busy screwing around with the planet's resources and messing up the atmosphere and stuff remember that global warming happens anyway. We're just accelerating it's effects. We have started to take action (though i personally say it's too little too late) with the Kyoto Protocol (whether it'll work is another matter). I don't know about the world but the UK is definately taking a strong stance on climate change. Wind farms popping up all over the darn place produce more energy from renewable sources each year and with the production of a few hydro electric dams we're certainly moving forward.

Like i said it is entirely natural and in about 10-20,000 years (like i said we'd be dead) the ultimate price will be paid when the planet is hit by another ice age and the human race (if still surviving) will come close to extinction. When we're gone another species will take over. These things come in cycles.

For now all we mere humans can do is help the earth out in whatever way we can. Recycle, use energy saving bulbs etc...the list goes on. Not that it'd help much at this stage.

Spunky

[beluga]

WOW thats not good, is there anything humans could do?