johndrew

"I doubt that people are saying the planet isn't warming, what is in doubt is the major cause."

Which is exactly what I said.

"Man's actions may play a tiny part in the overall scheme of things, but the natural forces at play are far more potent."

I think there's general agreement that natural forces are very powerful - that's something beyond our control. What concerns people is that our actions may play more than a 'tiny part' in the overall scheme of things, especially when combined with the natural forces you mentioned.

We have systematically set about polluting the planet since the dawn of the industrial age, and that continues - we're pouring huge amounts of Carbon dioxide (the so-called 'greenhouse gas') into the atmosphere, and at the same time we're decimating the forests that have previously acted as CO2 sinks - the effect has been to hugely increase the amount of the gas present in our atmosphere. Carbon Dioxide is naturally present, but we've produce a massive increase, and reduced the planet's ability to deal with it. We're making efforts to provide more forests to act as sinks, but that takes time and money, and meanwhile the levels of CO2 are inexorably rising; slightly more slowly than before, but rising nevertheless.

The big worry is that by our activities we've reduced the planet's ability to deal with the effects of natural events, like major volcanic eruptions, and that any changes brought about by cyclical changes in orbital paths and/or the angle of the earth's tilt, relative to the sun, may bring us,as a species, to a tipping point - at some point the planet may not be able to support and feed the number of people who live on it.

That isn't something that is likely to affect us, but our children's children may have to deal with some very big problems indeed unless we recognise the need to take our collective heads out of the sand and do something now. Unfortunately, too many people take the view that 'it's not my problem', and continue to find reasons to carry on as usual. It's a huge issue,and it doesn't have one neat solution. It may not have a solution at all, but at least we might start by accepting a degree of responsibility, rather than blaming everything on volcanoes and differing scientific views.

...but let's not get overly pessimistic in the season of goodwill to all!

Quickbeam. I think you have "Hit the nail on the head". The future world problem will be population explosion not climate change

The exponential increase in population is down to ethnic resistance to birth control measures in mainly the male, they think it reduces their virility. Also certain religious organisations who are unwilling to accept the use of a condom both for birth control and on health grounds (Spread of HIV and venerial disease).

... and why isn't this HEADLINE NEWS?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20553879

Carver, I didn't want to start a new thread 'cos it's humdrum news, anyway. [TIC]

johndrew

So, summarising your view, it is that we should do nothing, because although we know that there is a problem we don't know how much of it is down to what we've been doing over the past couple of centuries.

I've heard some silly arguments in my time, but that takes the prize.

We know that we have contributed to the damage caused to the ozone layer, because we know that we have been pumping huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere for a long time. We know that we have reduced the planet's ability to deal with CO2 because we have eradicated vast areas of natural forestation. We know that the earth's climate is warming.

We know all those things for certain, but because we can't quantify our contribution to the effects, your advice is that we do nothing, because you "see little point in joining the doom mongers in forcing unquantified concerns forward to cause panic in the gullible." Instead, you rattle on about volcanoes emitting pollution, apparently ignorant of the fact that such events have been a natural aspect of the planet's behaviour over eons of time, and the atmosphere, animal species and natural vegetation evolved to cope. We came along, and in a very short space of time we've heavily polluted the atmosphere and ecosystems. It's happened too rapidly, but you seem oblivious to the fact, and are apparently unconcerned by it.

We should all thank our lucky stars that you aren't in a position to dictate our environmental policies.