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Old 10-29-2010, 04:57 PM   #60 (permalink)
NeilBlanchard
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There is no way to prove the Theory of Gravity -- we have a very good explanation, hence the Theory, but proving that it is the attraction of the mass is not possible. Same thing about plate tectonics, and atomic theory, the nature of light -- all of these have lots of unknowns and doubt about specifics; but the scientific explanations are accepted -- and the same is true for Global Climate Change.

The point is, whatever you believe, the effects still affect all of us.

James Hansen is a neutral scientist. And humans have caused this incredibly rapid increase in carbon dioxide, to levels higher than the last millenniums, and much higher than anytime we humans have been on Eaarth. The speed of the change is the key.

Quote:
The evidence for rapid climate change is compelling:

Sea level rise:

Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century.4
The effects of climate change will likely include more frequent droughts in some areas and heavier precipitation in others.
Republic of Maldives: Vulnerable to sea level rise

Global temperature rise:
All three major global surface temperature reconstructions show that Earth has warmed since 1880. 5 Most of this warming has occurred since the 1970s, with the 20 warmest years having occurred since 1981 and with all 10 of the warmest years occurring in the past 12 years. 6 Even though the 2000s witnessed a solar output decline resulting in an unusually deep solar minimum in 2007-2009, surface temperatures continue to increase. 7
The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.

Warming oceans:
The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.8

Shrinking ice sheets:
The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005.

Declining Arctic sea ice:
Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades. 9

Glacial retreat:
Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa.10
Record high temperatures increasing.

Extreme events:
The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.11

The carbon dioxide content of the Earth’s oceans has been increasing since 1750, and is currently increasing about 2 billion tons per year. This has increased ocean acidity by about 30 percent.
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Last edited by NeilBlanchard; 10-29-2010 at 05:12 PM..
 
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