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Could Global Warming Make Life on Earth Better?
mikee805 writes "A lengthy article in Spiegel explores the possibility that global warming might make life on Earth better, not just for humans, but all species. The article argues that 'worst-case scenarios' are often the result of inaccurate simulations made in the 1980s. While climate change is a reality, as far as the article is concerned, some planning and forethought may mean that more benefits than drawbacks will result from higher temperatures. From the article:'The medical benefits of higher average temperatures have also been ignored. According to Richard Tol, an environmental economist, "warming temperatures will mean that in 2050 there will be about 40,000 fewer deaths in Germany attributable to cold-related illnesses like the flu." Another widespread fear about global warming -- that it will cause super-storms that could devastate towns and villages with unprecedented fury -- also appears to be unfounded. Current long-term simulations, at any rate, do not suggest that such a trend will in fact materialize.'"
Only if you bought lake front property in Siberia for no money down ... and you were hoping that one day you could use it as a Winter home.
I remember watching a BBC newsclip once where one of their reporters was near Murmansk (northwestern Russia), talking to two Russian engineers working in the middle of a field of snow. He told them about the theory of global warming and they both visibly perked up. One asked him, "Really? How can we help?"
That talk like this will make Al Gore hot, but not in the sexy way.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
More likely we will dislike the glare on our screens and lower clock speeds due to overheating of our laptops.
Hoaxes take time to be discovered. There are always people saying "um, folks, this is a hoax", but there are so many people who believe the hoax that it takes them time to come to their senses.
I wonder if it would help if Snopes listed Global Warming as a hoax? I don't mean Climate Change -- that's the scientific observation that the climate is always changing. I mean Global Warming -- the idea that mankind is responsible for changing the weather -- as if that were possible!
Don't piss off The Angry Economist
You're assuming that someone out there will run around and put up lots of outdoor webcams so that we can watch from our flooded basements...
This guy's the limit!
"Florida, much of California, Michigan, and many East Coast states, including much or all of New York City completely under water"
Hmmm...maybe it will be better.
> I live in the Netherlands.
Here, let me translate that into English for you:
"I live on the ocean floor. We call it a polder, but it's pretty much seabed. We've built earthen walls around this section and continuously pump out the water, and we have a lot of experience doing this and are quite good at it now, with triple-redundant pumping stations and seven nines of uptime, but nonetheless flooding is not so much a _potential_ disaster as it is our inevitable, inescapable, pre-ordained fate, i.e., it's really a question of when (not whether) we'll be flooded."
HTH.HAND.
Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
We may not have oil, but we did make it into Pulp Fiction. I think you've mistaken us for Belgium.
It only takes one man to change the Wisdom of the Crowd to Tyranny of the Masses.
"This new learning amazes me, Sir Bedevere. Explain again how sheep's bladders may be employed to prevent earthquakes."
Read any good sonnets lately?
Oil slicks found to keep seals young, supple.
It's all there for a great satire: The vaguarity. The complete lack of citation. The telling reference to a controversial and widely decried TV movie. The potent mixture of credulity and cynicism. The reference to the sun.
On the other hand it might a real person who's just new to the subject and not very knowledgable yet.
If it's a joke then Internet Honor demands that I stay away and not get hooked. But if it's an honest post, Internet Honor demands that I respond with well-reasoned rational counters to everything that's wrong.
Maybe I should just go with a goatse link.
Build a man a fire, he's warm for one night. Set him on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Never, if X is negative :P
... All the leftists are blaming the historically bad Hurricane season of 2006 on Bush.
Huh? There was no bad hurricane season of 2006?
Nevermind.
Prof. Farnsworth - "Oh a lesson in not changing history from Mr I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!"
Oh, but didn't you hear? Global warming causes supernovas as well!
Michigan will flood because of the exodus to Canada will create a great flood of pee from all the moosehead drinking. all that urine will raise the great lakes level by 300 feet causing michigan to be a tiny island in the Boyne area.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
How dare you, Slashdot! You have posted blasphemy in the name of Our Religion. The sins of man have sullied our great Eden, and when the Judgement Day comes and the waters flood and the fires burn, it will fall on your head, so sayeth the Lord Gore. You must repent your sins and pray through ritual recycling, carbon credits to make companies rich, dangerous mercury bulbs, and higher taxes. You damn Christian capitalists and your fundamentalist religion. You're a bunch of Nazis! Now pay the government for the shame of your existence.
"Sufferin' succotash."
Mighty Taco is looking for some managers.
Email your resume to Guy@MightyTaco.com Or Send it to: Mighty Taco, Attn: Guy 9362 Transit Road East Amherst, NY 14051
"You can kill the revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution."-- Fred Hampton
I had with a friend who is a *very* fundamentalist Christian who believes in the Rapture. A time when all the "good" Christians (opposed to what?) get taken up to heaven for a thousand years. It went something like this:
Him: And then there will be plagues.
Me: What kind of plagues?
Him: The earth will get hot.
Me: Let me get this straight...all you right wing Christians will be gone and the rest of us can live our lives in peace without your religious dogma and misguided legislative agenda and it will be endless summer here? What's the bad part again?
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
We don't need *more* people on the planet. The lines at movies theaters are already too long.
Seriously, faster population growth is not a good thing.
...nuclear radiation was found to be beneficial for certain sports. For example, in the NBA, extra arms may improve ball dribbling and defense; and extra eyes may reduce the chance of somebody sneaking up from behind for a steal. It should be pointed out the extra limbs and eyes in a large percentage of irradiated individuals tend not to fully function. But for those who do have full-functioning extra limbs and organs, the NBA welcomes them with open arms (all 3 of them).
Table-ized A.I.
Unfortunately, many places have zoning laws forbidding having more than about two chickens. (Naturally the exact details vary from place to place.) Also, they *do* tend to tie you down. If you've got a flock of chickens, you can't ever go away for a week. Getting a reliable chicken sitter just isn't possible. (It was difficult enough when all my neighbors had them.)
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
my girlfriend gets that catalog. I suppose they could sell more shorts and t-shirts if the weather just cooperated. That would truly make life better.