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Climate Change Doubles Drought Stricken Area
Cally writes "The National Atmospheric Research Center has published research showing that the percentage of Earth's land area stricken by serious drought more than doubled from the 1970s to the early 2000s, and attributing this to global climate change. Interestingly, the lead author comments that 'droughts and floods are extreme climate events that are likely to change more rapidly than the average climate'."
Since when are linux zealots and Apple astroturfers "intelligent people"?
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Maybe we should use less satellites for cell phones and radios and use more for fixing our messed-up environment.
"May evil beware, and may good dress warmly and eat plenty of fresh vegetables." -The Tick
OK, I'll say it -- who cares?! It doesn't affect me now, and it probably never will because I'll die long before all this climate change mess arrives at my front door. If I don't see it, it's not happening.
"But on the large scale, global warming is one of those things that is coming, we can't do anything about it, and will go away whether we are here or not by that time."
... by products.
You really have no clue what you are talking about do you. Just because the world does have climate cycles doesn't mean that human activity might not be dramaticly changing and accelerating that cycle. Human activity could easily completely upset the natural cycles and create a runaway greenhouse effect. If it does the planet could end up uninhabitable like Venus.
Not saying that IS going to happen but its possible and you are completely wrong to dismiss the possibility. People like you and more importantly people who think like you in powerful places like the Bush administration could dismiss the danger until its to late and we really can't do anything about it.
What might we do to prevent cataclysmic climate change:
- Reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other green house gases, especially by eliminating dependence on fossil fuels which are eventually going to run out anyway. Its reached the point it is just common sense to stop relying on them, we have the technology if we just have the will, reference today's post on Iceland.
- Stop mowing down the world's forests which convert carbon dioxide back to oxygen
- Stop poisoning the oceans since they also scrub carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
- Reduce dependence on cattle as a food source, they put out really large quantities of green house gasses(Methane) as err
If man develops the technology to exploit the earth on the massive scale we are today, there is a responsibility that comes with it to restrain that exploitation so the Earth will sustain life for future generations. Getting rich today at the expense of future generations isn't sane.
China alone is turning in to a ecological disaster of epic proportions as it rushes to attain wealth. I recently read an editorial by someone lecturing there. Thanks to massive dependence on coal fired power plants and a massive over development of coal fired steel smelters the air in many cities is becoming outright poisonous. Water pollution is equally bad with raw sewage and unchecked industrial waste being dumped in to every water way. Its the price we pay for cheap goods at Walmart and why all American capitalits are rushing to move there(along with currency manipulations and easily exploited cheap labor). Its a lot cheaper to engage in heavy manufacturing if you can dump the waste in the air and water without the inconvenience and expense of enivronmental regulations.
@de_machina
All this would never have happened if big oil companies hadn't hijacked the green movement and prevented the widespread adoption of nuclear power, an energy source which doesn't release significant amounts of greenhouse gases.
Just saying...
"Better stop and learn from our mistakes on Venus!"
Uh no, the lesson is, see what a planet with a runaway greenhouse effect looks like. By the time you get a chance to see it on Earth we will all be dead.
"And people claim that psychic phenomenon"
A couple key points. The survival of life on earth isn't hanging in the balance on whether you believe in psychics or not, big difference. There is also already empirical evidence that suggests global warming is happening and rapidly. You don't need to look much further than the fact the Arctic ice cap is melting and we are soon going to have a blue water ocean there. Ages old glaciers in many mountains are also disappearing.
"But when the chart with the temperatures at the end flying straight up and off the page is shown, it's a little hard to take seriously."
Maybe you should try proofreading your post a little better. I think you meant "Until the chart...". "When the charts" go ballistic me thinks maybe dumbasses like you will be saying "Oops". Again at the point chances are it will be to late to stop it and again everyone will be dead not long thereafter. All of the charts, ice surveys etc, already indicate the earth IS warming at a dramaticly faster rate than it did before the industrial age started and we started burning fossil fuels at a furious pace, and the population exploded, and we started wiping out the world's forests.
"The problem of cattle is not the methane."
You are quite wrong. Do a google search on "Cattle methane green house gas". Here is one of many references.
"The biggest polluters now are China, India, and Mexico."
Whats your point? I'm the one that said China is becoming the world's biggest polluter? I think you are trying to say global pollutions is not America's fault? I guess its lost on you that China and Mexico in particular are where all of America's factories and jobs moved to. Big American multinationals are moving them there precisely because there are no environmental regulations there oh and the cheap, exploitable labor and the cheap currencies.
America was one of the world's biggest polluters but sure its getting a lot better thanks to environment regulation, oh and all those dirty factories moved to Mexico and China precisely because the U.S. became an uncompetitive place for them partially because we have environmental regulations. We still do have a bounty of coal fired power plants though. And then too the Bush administration is doing its best to try to dismantle those regulations at every opportunity so his friends can make more money in the U.S. too.
@de_machina