Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
10 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
PBS: Global Warming The Signs and the Science (Original Post) Mr_Jefferson_24 Sep 2014 OP
An interesting factoid Old Crow Sep 2014 #1
I'd call that an unsettling factoid. Mr_Jefferson_24 Sep 2014 #2
I agree; that's a more apt adjective, for sure. Old Crow Sep 2014 #3
Thanks, I'll look for Mann's book. Mr_Jefferson_24 Sep 2014 #6
Do you wonder if our species will even be around in 200 years? chervilant Sep 2014 #7
I expect and certainly hope humanity will not... Mr_Jefferson_24 Sep 2014 #8
I think we'll be around. Old Crow Sep 2014 #9
Based on all my research, chervilant Sep 2014 #10
Man......thanks so much for posting this great film MJ24! pablo_marmol Sep 2014 #4
You're very welcome. Mr_Jefferson_24 Sep 2014 #5

Old Crow

(2,212 posts)
1. An interesting factoid
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 12:36 AM
Sep 2014

This documentary, which was made in 2005, talks about CO2 concentrations that were at about 370 ppm. We've just recently passed the 400 ppm mark.

Mr_Jefferson_24

(8,559 posts)
2. I'd call that an unsettling factoid.
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 12:56 AM
Sep 2014

Our collective disregard for the welfare of future generations is truly shameful.

Old Crow

(2,212 posts)
3. I agree; that's a more apt adjective, for sure.
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 01:30 AM
Sep 2014

I also agree with your broader sentiment there. What's even more shameful, in my view, is the deliberate lying and scheming by some of the AGW deniers on the right. Smearing the reputation of scientists like Michael Mann in order to prevent their warning messages from being heard is about as unconscionable and sleazy an act as I can imagine. If you haven't read it already, and you're interested in learning just how underhanded some of the leading deniers have been, I highly recommend Mann's book The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars (2012).

Two hundred years from now, historians are really going to have their work cut out for them. "But the scientists were warning them, day in and day out, for decades--why didn't they listen?!"

Mr_Jefferson_24

(8,559 posts)
6. Thanks, I'll look for Mann's book.
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 07:53 AM
Sep 2014

Smear, ridicule, and outright lies do seem to be the predominant tactics of the deniers.

They obviously have financial backing, but they sound so scripted most of
the time I question whether many of them actually even believe in their own rhetoric.

I think you're right about future historians -- assuming humanity has a future.

Mr_Jefferson_24

(8,559 posts)
8. I expect and certainly hope humanity will not...
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 10:28 PM
Sep 2014

... be completely extinct, but I fear long before two more centuries pass
nuclear war and catastrophic climate change (now underway) will claim many millions
of lives -- perhaps a majority of the global human population.

Sure hope I'm wrong, but the evidence all around us doesn't look good.

Old Crow

(2,212 posts)
9. I think we'll be around.
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 10:35 PM
Sep 2014

Of course all anyone can do regarding that question is offer his or her guess. But I do think we'll be around. I also think that unless some effective way to address global warming is found, life will be a lot more difficult and a lot more limited than it is today.

Here's my metaphor: The ready availability of fossil fuels over the past century has led humanity to go on a binge-drinking bender--and before long, we're going to be suffering through one hell of a hangover.

There are, of course, some global warming disaster scenarios that can keep me up at night if I think about them too much, such as the clathrate gun hypothesis (you can find it on Wikipedia, if you're unfamiliar with it). But those are outlier outcomes. Rather than causing the extinction of our species, I think global warming is simply going to make life a lot more difficult than it already is for a lot of people for a really long time.

chervilant

(8,267 posts)
10. Based on all my research,
Tue Sep 16, 2014, 06:36 AM
Sep 2014

I think if it doesn't cause our extinction, it will greatly reduce our numbers, leaving small pockets of humanity wherever crops can continue to grow.

pablo_marmol

(2,375 posts)
4. Man......thanks so much for posting this great film MJ24!
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 03:10 AM
Sep 2014

Very motivational.......makes me want to work all the harder to get running on solar here at my place.
Latest Discussions»Retired Forums»Video & Multimedia»PBS: Global Warming The S...