Global warming.

A report issued by the United Nations in Paris says that global warming cannot be reversed, and says that there is evidence that cannot be reputed that man is responsible for it. What do you think anyone can do to help slow down the process.

Nothing to do that the planet is coming out of an ice Age (13000 years ago) and that the Sun has been increasing in temperature over the last 100 years then. David Bellamy has put hi reputation on the line by saying that it is a natural cycle and mans activities contribute little to the problem . If a man who has spent his entire life campaigning for the environment comes out on that side of the arguement then there is more to it that the picture the media is painting.

The government wants to create a climate of fear to raise taxes, nothing more, same as they are doing with the "war on terrorism"

1. Walk more. Cycle more. Drive less.
2. Get a smaller car with less CO2 emissions.
3. Get a job nearer home, car share if possible or use public transport
4. get rid of 2nd and 3rd cars in families
5. When replacing the car, get a hybrid.
6. Shop local, not global. don't buy cheap imported goods from afar. Be glad with what you can get locally. Abandon the supermarkets.
7. don't buy processed and overpackaged food. Buy it from the farmer, with mud on.
8. shop ethically for other goods.
9. BUY LESS. Be less materialistic
10. Recycle and reuse
11. Compost
12. Grow your own foods. eat more sunshine that way.
13. Turn down the heating
14. save as much energy as you can in other areas track usage year on year.
15. Use green energy suppliers
16. Investigate what can be done locally i.e. with hydro or wind power for your community/village.
17. wake up to the facts, educate yourself on them, Remove Head From Sand..
18. holiday closer to home.
19. Use water wisely. Use rainwater for the garden.
20 reduce water usage in the home actively. Get a water meter.
21. don't eat meat.

steerpyke wrote:

Nothing to do that the planet is coming out of an ice Age (13000 years ago) and that the Sun has been increasing in temperature over the last 100 years then. David Bellamy has put hi reputation on the line by saying that it is a natural cycle and mans activities contribute little to the problem . If a man who has spent his entire life campaigning for the environment comes out on that side of the arguement then there is more to it that the picture the media is painting.

The government wants to create a climate of fear to raise taxes, nothing more, same as they are doing with the "war on terrorism"

Have you missed the news.....

helencbradshaw wrote:

steerpyke wrote:

Nothing to do that the planet is coming out of an ice Age (13000 years ago) and that the Sun has been increasing in temperature over the last 100 years then. David Bellamy has put hi reputation on the line by saying that it is a natural cycle and mans activities contribute little to the problem . If a man who has spent his entire life campaigning for the environment comes out on that side of the arguement then there is more to it that the picture the media is painting.

The government wants to create a climate of fear to raise taxes, nothing more, same as they are doing with the "war on terrorism"

Have you missed the news.....

Who is "The Government"? Is that every government in the world then....all in collusion to raise taxes....I don't think so..!



(oops I stuffed that post up - I always do that...!!)

I do believe that more research is needed and while humans aren't helping the situation, they does appear to be a doubt over whether we're the soul cause or that's it is a natural occurring thing. Renewable energy needs to be looked into, and a better public transport system is another area that would help if it was improved. Lisa x

lisa2062 wrote:

I do believe that more research is needed and while humans aren't helping the situation, they does appear to be a doubt over whether we're the soul cause or that's it is a natural occurring thing. Renewable energy needs to be looked into, and a better public transport system is another area that would help if it was improved. Lisa x

Have you missed the news too

There is more research than we can shake a stick at. How many scientists are in complete agreement? How many more expensive research articles need to be written for people to wake up and smell the proverbial (slave traded) coffee

I dont have a TV ..so yes I have...what have i missed...(the point normally)

..but if it has been "in the news" it must all be true, no need to question the media and their infallible information gathering.

Ah ok. Well normally I dont take a lot of notice of the news either.

However, this is a UN IPCC report on Climate Change, Headlines being:

9 out of 10 chance that human beings are responsible for it (this is pretty obvious anyway...from the rise in CO2 emissions rising in line with the industrial changes.

Global temp will rise 1.8C to 4c over remainder of this century.

Worse case 6.4c higher rises near poles (so melting of ice caps and rising of sea levels....)

Just stablising Co2 at current levels would mean a rise of 3c

Sea level rise 59cm by 2100 and flows would mean catastropic damage to low lying areas.

That global Climate change is occuring is uneqivocal


for the "its just a natural cycle or Ice Age" debaters:

Co2 was between 180 and 330 ppm for the last 650000 years.

Pre industrial level was 278ppm.

Now it is 550ppm that we are trying to STABILISE at....

Now, if we drew a Cause and Effect diagram, I know what I would conclude. same as these thousands of scientists who are far more educated on the subject than I (and incidentally this report is NOT written by Government Officers, and has nothig to do with our little UK government.)

So progress was inevitable, and arguably necessary (although I doubt an aborigine would agree). But the argument that Global Warming isn't happening, and isn't the responsibility of Man just seems, well, naive to me.

Whether anything we can do now, can reverse it who knows. But there is a serious RISK and to ignore it would be folly. Fact is, Today, we are greedy, and selfish and don't give a regard for the future, for our kids and grandkids even, and we have no right to use up and ruin the Earth's resources, without leaving it for others to enjoy. Yet so much of what we do has ruined our world for ever. for what? Globalisation and cheap naff products?

Of course, it takes everyone in the world to do something. So while I answered Rachel's question to the best of my ability, I doubt a few green middle class voters in middle England will make one jot of a difference to the World as a whole, especially when I see threads like this one will no doubt end up being. Especially when there are all the facts out there, and people STILL think it is a tax scam (and believe me, I am no labour voter, or labour fan, and never have been, but I dont think this is a tax scam)

but for now, I will keep trying to do better.

I'm going outside to hug a tree on Pancake Hill before someone lops it down and puts a motorway there..so MAN can save three minutes off his travel to work time. But he is not responsible, no, something else is.

steerpyke wrote:

..but if it has been "in the news" it must all be true, no need to question the media and their infallible information gathering.

I don't think I have ever even looked remotely like someone who cannot question the media

Thanks very much fr taking the time to fill me in. Now that is pretty significant information. I guess these things are always more complex than we first realise and its not as simple as is it our fault or is it natural. You make a good point of us being more responsible than i first realised, so now I am not so sure where i stand, which is always a good thing. I guess it dosnt mater the causes its us that has to live with it and as long as we are looking at the problem then we are moving in the right direction. The problem is are the powers that be really that interested. When most governments look no further than the next election or change of power, and in a democracy that is a short time span, and seem to be more interested in money, power and oil, I feel that we need to enact some radical changes before we even start to tackle the problem.

Thanks for bringing me up to speed. I really should get around to getting a TV but its so full of crap i really cant motivate myself to do so.

I didn't know all that from the TV

However, the headline facts were on the TV last night, but I wasn't paying attention. I did get the Independent today though, and while it has a green bias it is far better than most of the other newspapers out there and doesn't report far of the mark in my opinion.

I agree with you in that I think governments are very short term focused, however this is ONE issue that no one can ignore.

They have targets under Kyoto. They cannot drop the ball on it, no matter who is in power. It is one thing they are all trying to get agreement on.

Green are obviouls ythere already.

Cameron, might have even more charm than Blair, and doesnt always get it right but he DOES understand the issue.

And it WAS Brown that supported the recent Stern Report I believe.

And no idea on the other bunch tbh.

Don't get a TV. It's full of utter garbage, like when Jade Goody makes the headlines and at least you are saving the leccy..!

read this site instead.

http://www.ipcc.ch/

thanks for the link..who's Jade Goody? (LOL)

You don't need to know...

Because of the type of company I work for, we had to find out about this in our training and my boss told us all a really interesting 'story' about how the world is going to end as we know it in 2012 and there is a theory about why this is due to global warming. I cant remember for the life of me remember the internet link though.

I do remember them saying that by 2012 the nearest sea side will be in Doncaster, which is pretty strange.

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

Because of the type of company I work for, we had to find out about this in our training and my boss told us all a really interesting 'story' about how the world is going to end as we know it in 2012 and there is a theory about why this is due to global warming. I cant remember for the life of me remember the internet link though.

I do remember them saying that by 2012 the nearest sea side will be in Doncaster, which is pretty strange.

I guess there's not much point planning on buying tickets for the Olympics then.

It seems a tad pessimistic for five years time...especially as doncaster is actually quite far inland..!

We're doomed!

lisa2062 wrote:

I do believe that more research is needed and while humans aren't helping the situation, they does appear to be a doubt over whether we're the soul cause or that's it is a natural occurring thing. Renewable energy needs to be looked into, and a better public transport system is another area that would help if it was improved. Lisa x

I joined this debate a bit late but .....you may not be sure that man is the cause of glaobal warming but there is not doubt that we are swamped with rubbish that we should be recycling - the toxins that leak into the ground from landfill sites are lethal. Also, we are experiencing ever increasing levels of asthma and other conditions which are made worse by what cars and factories throw out into the air.

Even if you do not agree that man is the cause of global warming these two things alone should be enough to get people to start changing their habits

totally agree, even though the global warmig issue remains divided that dosnt mean that there isnt a lot of environmental issues to tackle. Pollution, landfill, industrial waste, deforrestation. People on one side of the debate seem to be assuming that if GW is not man made then everything is hunky dory. It isnt.

Still its better than an argument that I stubbled across on myLot the other day, which went....as the second coming is at hand there is no need to worry about any environmental issues...its more worrying the amount of supporters it seemed to have. i belive Ronald Reagan privately advocated this. Still thats coming from a country that has massive support for creationism yet elects a president that is clearly not far evolved from a monkey!!!

BBC site 16/2/07

Politicians sign new climate pact
--------------------------------------

John McCain
The climate debate is over, said US presidential candidate John McCain
Leading international politicians have reached a new agreement on tackling climate change, at a Washington summit.

Delegates agreed that developing countries will have to face targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions as well as rich countries.

The informal meeting also agreed that a global market should be formed to cap and trade carbon dioxide emissions.

The non-binding declaration is seen as vital in influencing a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol, correspondents say.

The forum's closing statement said man-made climate change was now "beyond doubt".

"Climate change is a global issue and there is an obligation on us all to take action, in line with our capabilities and historic responsibilities," said the statement from the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (Globe).

'Tipping point'

The two-day meeting brought together legislators from countries including the Group of Eight rich nations, plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.

The BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin was at the meeting and says that although the declaration carries no formal weight, it indicates a real change in mood.

The legislators agreed that developing countries had to face targets on greenhouse gas emissions, in the same way rich countries do.

They said they wanted a successor to the Kyoto Protocol - which expires in 2012 - in place by 2009.

US senator Joe Lieberman forecast that the US Congress would enact a law on cutting emissions by the end of next year, possibly this year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Progress?

"The non-binding declaration"


if you look up loophole in the dictionary......

I dare you to say that on the Helium forum.....

I told my American father in law we had 4 recycling bins (cans/ household/ paper/ green waste). He looked bemused.

Why do the yanks always do the hell they want and to hell with the consequences ?

WormThatTurned wrote:

I told my American father in law we had 4 recycling bins (cans/ household/ paper/ green waste). He looked bemused.

Why do the yanks always do the hell they want and to hell with the consequences ?

Cause they can. It's their god given right dont cha know......