General Discussion

FarCenter

(19,429 posts)

22. It can never happen

Wed Nov 6, 2013, 06:00 PM

Nov 2013

Economically recoverable fossil fuels won't last more than several more decades. Emissions will level off and fall as resources exhaust.

The Antarctic ice is very thick and takes a very long time to melt. Thousands of years, as the Washington Post says.

Carbon dioxide does not stay in the atmosphere forever. The estimated half life is about 200 years.

Therefore, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will rise, peak and decline before the ice caps are entirely melted and you will never get a 216 foot rise in sea level.

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Highlight:

What America will look like once global warming melts the polar ice caps [View all] kpete Nov 2013 OP

I tell people we will have beach front property (in Raleigh) as snarky joke - but looking at the map NRaleighLiberal Nov 2013 #1

I'm gonna go build me a dock! (nt) jeff47 Nov 2013 #3

Forget the dock, build an Arc. nt bluestate10 Nov 2013 #64

Yeah, no shit. calimary Nov 2013 #13

beach front for me,i knew living in Alabama would pay off stonecutter357 Nov 2013 #40

Florida, New York City, Boston, D.C., and New Orleans all on the bottom of the sea davidn3600 Nov 2013 #2

Maybe Morgan Freeman should be our next President. n/t woodsprite Nov 2013 #4

I'm guessing the residents of Atlantis will be embarrassed! AAO Nov 2013 #52

Well, some of us have been wanting to cut Florida off for years snooper2 Nov 2013 #5

Well, we would be rid of Florida which would solve some problems right there. Yavin4 Nov 2013 #6

my house is in the blue lame54 Nov 2013 #7

So is mine. Ohio, here I come......some day. nt bluestate10 Nov 2013 #66

And that's why Atlanta is named Atlanta Thirties Child Nov 2013 #8

Wow, I'm very, very east on the Florida coast. GBCW....n/r monmouth3 Nov 2013 #9

Fuuuuuuuck. That's me, on the East coast, underwater. JaneyVee Nov 2013 #10

I guess I'll be moving to Rapture then Dash87 Nov 2013 #11

You and me both! nt CFLDem Nov 2013 #60

apparently, we will end up saving the Salton Sea mitchtv Nov 2013 #12

How unfortunate. 2naSalit Nov 2013 #19

Isn't Hawaii a part of the United States? RC Nov 2013 #14

Maui might be cut in two KamaAina Nov 2013 #34

Huh. Well, I guess that's one way to turn Florida blue. n/t jtuck004 Nov 2013 #15

DUzy! valerief Nov 2013 #23

heh. SammyWinstonJack Nov 2013 #86

We get Canada??? underpants Nov 2013 #16

A lot of Canada will be underwater. Nova Scotia will be gone. nt bluestate10 Nov 2013 #67

But that would mostly come from the Antartic...which is highly unlikely Roland99 Nov 2013 #17

Look at Cuba. grantcart Nov 2013 #18

There is going to be a whole bunch of Cryptoad Nov 2013 #20

I'm sure we will "bail out" the super rich tclambert Nov 2013 #50

Exactly. They'll get bailed out, again and again. Mariana Nov 2013 #79

Is this the only way we can get rid of Rick Scott and Marco Rubio? nt valerief Nov 2013 #21

It can never happen FarCenter Nov 2013 #22

That's ok then....... Theyletmeeatcake2 Nov 2013 #26

Unfortunately, my property will not be beachfront in my lifetime. FarCenter Nov 2013 #36

It won't matter because.. Theyletmeeatcake2 Nov 2013 #80

Besides, I figure that there will be a technologically feasible way customerserviceguy Nov 2013 #37

That's the most horiffic "climate fix" idea i've heard Scootaloo Nov 2013 #43

Yes customerserviceguy Nov 2013 #46

I'm not sure if you're advocating, or just going all sci-fi theory on this Scootaloo Nov 2013 #51

OK, so put you down customerserviceguy Nov 2013 #76

Earth doesn't have *that* much water pokerfan Nov 2013 #53

LOL. Lets burn coal to breakdown water and get rid of it! NoOneMan Nov 2013 #54

I never advocated that customerserviceguy Nov 2013 #77

Most waterfront buildings weren't here in 1900. No reason to believe they'll be here in 2110. FarCenter Nov 2013 #44

Good point customerserviceguy Nov 2013 #47

Do you realize if we could make such a machine.... NoOneMan Nov 2013 #55

Absolutely customerserviceguy Nov 2013 #75

I think that is a very optimistic view NoOneMan Nov 2013 #87

That's what the Borg did... hunter Nov 2013 #74

Yes and the same corporations that ripped us off getting into this situation will.... Theyletmeeatcake2 Nov 2013 #82

So after we burn everything we can get our paws on..... NoOneMan Nov 2013 #58

Thank you for that dose of sanity! CFLDem Nov 2013 #61

Your post doesn't take methane in to account along with other feedbacks and tipping points,ie: Uncle Joe Nov 2013 #62

Most ice is in the East Antarctic; methane has a short lifetime in the atmosphere FarCenter Nov 2013 #83

Methane traps 34 more times heat than carbon dioxide and methane's lifespan isn't fixed but subject Uncle Joe Nov 2013 #89

So you're saying we'll suffocate before we drown? Doctor_J Nov 2013 #85

I'm good..... brooklynite Nov 2013 #24

This Map Doedn't show what will happen to the great loop Heather MC Nov 2013 #25

Cool beans. With a little bit of dredging I could build a marina in lower forty Brother Buzz Nov 2013 #27

It gets rid of Rick Scott, Bully Christie and Sarah Palin...nt joeybee12 Nov 2013 #28

Sorry, the Crisco Kid could just head up to northwest NJ KamaAina Nov 2013 #32

GREAT! Dollysmom Nov 2013 #29

CA's Central Valley becomes an inland sea KamaAina Nov 2013 #30

Look down at the bottom KamaAina Nov 2013 #31

That may end the Ice Ages. FarCenter Nov 2013 #45

Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Nov 2013 #33

Well... MissDeeds Nov 2013 #35

Naturally. God favors them, you know. Mariana Nov 2013 #81

Don't shed any tears for Rick Scott Dopers_Greed Nov 2013 #38

Looks like flyover country is the best place to be Catherine Vincent Nov 2013 #39

Unfortunately. nt bluestate10 Nov 2013 #68

Inland seas have their advantages. True Blue Door Nov 2013 #41

Again, people focus too much on this because its easy to illustrate NoOneMan Nov 2013 #57

Most of our staple crops go into feeding farm animals anyway. True Blue Door Nov 2013 #72

Why, that would require some amount of intelligence NoOneMan Nov 2013 #73

But hey! Scootaloo Nov 2013 #42

Goody H. Cromwell Nov 2013 #48

I guess the moral is dipsydoodle Nov 2013 #49

The Bahamas are under water too B Calm Nov 2013 #56

Will we call it the Mississippi bay? The Cuban archipelago? alfredo Nov 2013 #59

Scary possibility Packerowner740 Nov 2013 #63

Safety will be an illusion whether the ocean reaches you or not. Major die offs in biodiversity, Uncle Joe Nov 2013 #65

You're right, that's why I posted the scary part Packerowner740 Nov 2013 #69

No problem, I hate using that "sarcasm" thingy as well, Uncle Joe Nov 2013 #71

And the really cool part? How lifeless and acidic that seawater will be! hatrack Nov 2013 #70

umm..looks like we would have only a Virtual Florida. Perhaps riversedge Nov 2013 #78

Finally my place on Hudson Bay will be temperate Doctor_J Nov 2013 #84

Looking at MN. How far west does the lake expand? jwirr Nov 2013 #88