Hmmm how interesting. I was on Kiribati three months ago, it was above water then. Perhaps the author is referring to other low lying islands in the vicinity that are prone to being swamped by high tides and big waves.
What I find interesting is the idea that somehow global warming is a republican caused problem or that this issue could have been prevented if only the republicans had jumped on board with the meaningless Kyoto accord or that this issue (global warming) is something that only started happening in the last 8 years.
I am not a fan of the current administration. Nor am I a republican. But come on, they (republicans) didn't invent terrorism OR global warming. The real debate is to what extent humanity can even affect the temperature of the planet. There seems to be evidence that we were (are) coming out of a global period of cooling (the tail end of the last mini ice age) and that this period of warming is just part of the natural cycle of the planet. Is it possible that our life forms are just coming to the end of the hospitable period of the planet's history? The period that made it possible for such a feeble (physically) life form such as humans to exist in the first place? It is a bit like a gambler whose winning streak has come to an end, desperately clamoring to find out what he/she can do to "bring back" their luck.
I guess my perspective is a bit different because I view the planet not as a gift from god but as a naturally occurring phenomenon, during which I am fortunate to be part of the surviving life form that has been able to achieve both self-awareness AND self-loathing. In this context the earth warming is not so shocking. Let's face it, the only reason people care about global warming is the effect it will have on them. The rest of the species on the planet have had their environment adversely effected by humans for some time. So this is no shock to them. Who knows, perhaps with less people on the planet the fish will make a comeback and so will the whales, lions, great apes, and gazillions of other species that have been hunted to near extinction or perhaps all life will cease to exist and the planet will just be another hot rock spinning in space. That is until the sun blows up and vaporizes it. Either way, humans are but a small itch (if that) on the butt of the universe.
Merry Christmas
Slashdot Mirror
Hmmm how interesting. I was on Kiribati three months ago, it was above water then. Perhaps the author is referring to other low lying islands in the vicinity that are prone to being swamped by high tides and big waves. What I find interesting is the idea that somehow global warming is a republican caused problem or that this issue could have been prevented if only the republicans had jumped on board with the meaningless Kyoto accord or that this issue (global warming) is something that only started happening in the last 8 years. I am not a fan of the current administration. Nor am I a republican. But come on, they (republicans) didn't invent terrorism OR global warming. The real debate is to what extent humanity can even affect the temperature of the planet. There seems to be evidence that we were (are) coming out of a global period of cooling (the tail end of the last mini ice age) and that this period of warming is just part of the natural cycle of the planet. Is it possible that our life forms are just coming to the end of the hospitable period of the planet's history? The period that made it possible for such a feeble (physically) life form such as humans to exist in the first place? It is a bit like a gambler whose winning streak has come to an end, desperately clamoring to find out what he/she can do to "bring back" their luck. I guess my perspective is a bit different because I view the planet not as a gift from god but as a naturally occurring phenomenon, during which I am fortunate to be part of the surviving life form that has been able to achieve both self-awareness AND self-loathing. In this context the earth warming is not so shocking. Let's face it, the only reason people care about global warming is the effect it will have on them. The rest of the species on the planet have had their environment adversely effected by humans for some time. So this is no shock to them. Who knows, perhaps with less people on the planet the fish will make a comeback and so will the whales, lions, great apes, and gazillions of other species that have been hunted to near extinction or perhaps all life will cease to exist and the planet will just be another hot rock spinning in space. That is until the sun blows up and vaporizes it. Either way, humans are but a small itch (if that) on the butt of the universe. Merry Christmas