Rollerball

Title
Climate now shifting on a continental scale, huge study says

Link
Climate now shifting on a continental scale, huge study says - USATODAY.com
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Excerpt

By Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
A landmark climate study released Wednesday reports that global warming is changing the life cycles of thousands of animals and plants — as well as hundreds of physical systems — worldwide.

It documents rapid glacier melts in North America, South America and Europe; trees and plants sprouting leaves much earlier in the spring in Europe, Asia and North America; permafrost melting in Asia; and changes in bird migration patterns across Europe, North America and Australia, all in response to rising global temperatures.

Though previous studies have looked at single phenomena or smaller areas, the latest analysis examines data on a continental scale, says lead author Cynthia Rosenzweig, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.

By analyzing data from each of the Earth's seven continents and the oceans, the study paints a clear picture of a world that's been undergoing rapid transformation in just the past few decades.

"These are things that are happening now, not projections of future changes," she says.

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Comment:

A series of four photos from 1940, 1982, 1996 and 2005 shows the dramatic retreat of the Chacaltaya glacier in Bolivia.



The comments under this story are as interesting as the story itself. Here's one genius' view:
Isn't the Internet a wonderful place. Even the least evolved among us has an equal voice.

__________________
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Albert Einstein

Richterscale

Equal in volume, maybe.

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"How many people died from the Kama Sutra as opposed to the Bible? Who wins?" - Frank Zappa

OldManOnFire

For me, it makes no difference if global climate changes and the warming issues lasts for 10-20 years or for 1000 years. Why, because as humans, including most animals and plants, we can't live more than a few days without water. So no matter if global warming is CO2 based or just the normal cycles of the Earth, if a situation is created in which we lose most of our water supplies, then we're toast...literally.

Combine this to the fact that we live reckless lives when it comes to our environment and nature. Most of us give little regard to how we create water needs not for survival but for entertainment or cosmetic reasons. We pay little attention to population growth and over-crowding. The highest growth areas in the US are in the fricken deserts!!!! How much sense does this make?

So I say to those naysayers of global climate change...okay...let's look at it your way, and let's assume we may be without enough water for only a few years--how the hell will we survive even your scenario?? And what if the global climate change scenario is true--this just takes our catastrophic situation of having no water for a couple of years and stretches it out over decades or centuries or longer.

The human race of the USA are insane to not take this issue in a critical and life-and-death scenario! We already have water shortages today! We have continued growth today! We have no plans whatsoever to create more water...today! What the hell are we waiting for??

I believe all Americans should be mandated to reduce their water consumption by approximately 20% during the next five years. I believe all governments should be prohibited from approving further growth unless they can also create new water for that growth. I believe money needs to be poured into improving technology for desalinating ocean water. I believe thousands of new reservoirs need to be created across the USA. I believe we need a civil project to create thousands of canals/pipelines, criss-crossing the USA, connecting the new reservoirs and desalinating plants.

And what does this do for us??

1. It gives us potable water in all areas of the USA.

2. It provides thousands of high paying jobs for many years.

3. It allows us to survive...at least until we annihilate ourselves from a nuclear war...

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Did you know both our problems and the solutions can be found simply by looking in our mirrors...and...Never confuse the extraordinary stuff I think and write with that of a well-balanced person...

Rollerball

What is going on in the Southwest is insane. They continue to build when there are areas that are already being abandoned for lack of water. I don't think it will be very long before that all falls apart.

Controlling population growth is taboo to even suggest such a thing, yet what problem isn't made worse by more population. If we don't control our population then one way or another Nature will.

__________________
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Albert Einstein

OldManOnFire

This is probably true and the effects will be felt by all US citizens. This potential is not only a local issue for if millions of people and businesses find themselves in life-and-death survival mode, this will be catastrophic for everyone in the US.

There are different ways to 'control' population.

Obviously the first that most people think about is passing a law to make it illegal to have more than 2.3 kids or some nonsense like this.

Well, how about no more immigration into the US...currently the US allows a little over one million immigrants each year.

How about controlling where the populations are collecting? Set some strict parameters for city, county and state governments, in which no further growth is allowed without providing new sources of water and electricity.

The US Census Bureau provides these predictions:

2010 308,936,000
2020 335,805,000
2030 363,584,000
2040 391,946,000
2050 419,854,000

These numbers DO NOT include 'illegal' immigrants. Assuming there are 10 million today and their growth rate is 1% per year, or 100,000 per year, by 2030 you can add approximately 13 million to the above number and by 2050 you can add about 16 million...or more?!

Today's US population is about 303.8 million and in just 12 years we're supposed to have another 32 million people!!

Based on current critical issues, and considering the possibility of climate warming and an inability to provide enough water and electricity, it is inconceivable that the US will allow more population growth. We are voluntarily taking the US and it's resources to the the brink!!

It's amazing that few give a rip about this potential...

__________________
Did you know both our problems and the solutions can be found simply by looking in our mirrors...and...Never confuse the extraordinary stuff I think and write with that of a well-balanced person...

Jonesy

They're too concerned with the color of their shoes.

OldManOnFire

TGIF Jonesy!!!!!!

__________________
Did you know both our problems and the solutions can be found simply by looking in our mirrors...and...Never confuse the extraordinary stuff I think and write with that of a well-balanced person...