Climate Peace is a Mere Millennium Away!

Many people who worry about global warming hope that once emissions of heat-trapping gases decline, the problems they cause will quickly begin to abate. Now researchers are saying that such hope is ill-founded, at least with regard to carbon dioxide.

Because of the way carbon dioxide persists in the atmosphere and in the oceans, and the way the atmosphere and the oceans interact, patterns that are established at peak levels will produce problems like "inexorable sea level rise" and Dust-Bowl-like droughts for at least a thousand years, the researchers are reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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#703059

RickJames. +1; Tue, 2009-01-27 20:52; 1000 years

RickJames

okay 1000 years - if nothing is done about it and if it's a problem. But if it's a problem, then human ingenuity will start dealing with it very quickly, wouldn't you think? biochar or some such thing.

1000 years is a long time to sit around doing nothing.

#703064

Frank Bi. +1; Wed, 2009-01-28 02:09; In other words...

Frank Bi

In other words, even if it's a grave, urgent problem, we should just leave it to the Free Market Fairy and her ponies, and all will be fine.

It worked for the financial market... it sure as heck will work for climate change!

(After all, if leaving everything to the Free Market Fairy produces disastrous results, we can always Blame Liberals.)

-- bi

#703119

Jay Alt. +1; Tue, 2009-02-03 10:10; testing

Jay Alt

1 2 3 x2

j♦ lovely options here

About the climate cover-up

Democracy is utterly dependent upon an electorate that is accurately informed. In promoting climate change denial (and often denying their responsibility for doing so) industry has done more than endanger the environment. It has undermined democracy.

There is a vast difference between putting forth a point of view, honestly held, and intentionally sowing the seeds of confusion. Free speech does not include the right to deceive. Deception is not a point of view. And the right to disagree does not include a right to intentionally subvert the public awareness.

Although all public relations professionals are bound by a duty to not knowingly mislead the public, some have executed comprehensive campaigns of misinformation on behalf of industry clients on issues ranging from tobacco and asbestos to seat belts.

Lately, these fringe players have turned their efforts to creating confusion about climate change. This PR campaign could not be accomplished without the compliance of media as well as the assent and participation of leaders in government and business.

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