This is the most reasonable, non hysterical (either pro/anti GW) article I have come across in such a long time.<p>No fear mongering about a lack of action.<p>No fear mongering about untold damages action against GW will do to our economies (usually in reference to carbon emissions limitations & taxes).<p>Just so... reasonable.
The plural of anecdote is not data. And that's what this article presented: don't be afraid of global warming because I could tell you stories about how it's not so bad.<p>There are many problems the author unfortunately omits. Arctic sea shelves collapse? The ocean rises and millions if not billions may be displaced. How's that for an anecdote.
He's not alone, but the media and public somehow only listen to the other guy.<p>I read Collapse, by Jared Diamond - the same kind of level-headedness (or more). Despite the title and the subject of the book there is no panic, only clear analysis. And guess which threat he considers by far the worst? Yup, deforestation. Pretty much everything by Jared Diamond is a good read, btw.
War is a much simpler problem than global warming, yet we can't agree its validity or stop it. Given this, both war and global warming are probably inevitable until evolution produces a more rational and forward-thinking dominant species.
Of course, the real danger of climate change is carbon dioxide leading to the buildup of hydrogen sulfide in the oceans (thus killing them, and about everything on land):<p><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031104063957.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031104063957.ht...</a><p>No one seems to know about this, but it's a far more probable -- even extremely likely threat -- given what we know right now.<p>Also: <a href="http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/news/2008/03/peter_ward_qa?currentPage=all" rel="nofollow">http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/news/2008/03/peter_...</a>
Look into global ocean temperatures over the past 100 years.
<a href="http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/perspectives.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/perspectiv...</a>
<i>At the heart of the matter is how much faith we decide to put in science -- even how much faith scientists put in science. Our times have benefited from clear-thinking, science-based rationality. I hope this prevails as we try to deal with our changing climate.</i><p>Absolutely
You've got to remember this guy is speaking from the perspective of a biologist. To him an economic events like the like the Global Financial Crisis are pretty much irrelevant. Even if global warming had a an effect like 50 years of GFC it wouldn't harm the world biologically but it would totally suck to live through.<p>Even if the necessary relocation of many people happened in an orderly fashion the cost would be huge. Imagine cost of abandoning most of a significant city because the climate could no longer support the population.
Interesting, although I must say I was never worried that humans would go extinct because of global warming. Just not so keen on all the upheaval and territory fighting that might happen along the way. But I guess in that sense it kind of selfish to worry about global warming. Maybe the poor people in Greenland deserve some warmer years, and I should gladly chill for their benefit (chill because I think it would be getting colder where I live, if the gulf stream became diverted).
today one out of three kids fears an environmental apocalypse. Fears about global warming (and probably visions of a fiery inferno) are what kids' nightmares are made of these days.<p>Why not just focus on dirty water and smelly air? That is reason enough, in my opinion, to be responsible and forward thinking about the environment.
I don't know if it's an evidence of global warming or not but the normal temperature at our institute has risen 7 degree celsius from what is was at this same time last year, which is kinda freaky and we are literally really trying hard to survive here !!<p>source - <a href="http://iitkgp.ac.in/topfiles/wgraph.php" rel="nofollow">http://iitkgp.ac.in/topfiles/wgraph.php</a>