Man-made global warming is happening, and the evidence is so overwhelming that you can’t find any scientists — except those paid by coal companies — who can ignore it. The Repubs tried to get a pet scientist in with the Berkeley project, but unfortunately didn’t go with an industry hack, so they ended up with egg on their face when the scientist said that it’s clear that climate change is happening, and it’s very likely human caused. Their own picked scientist told them the truth, darn it. Who can you trust?
As for Dr. Tim Ball, Google him. A paid spokesman for the energy industry. He claims to have been a professor of climatology at the University of Winnepeg, which never had such a department.
And on the most basic level, what idiot thinks there aren’t consequences for their behavior? If you continually put poison in the air, it has to have some effect.
cdward, global warming is largely caused by CO2 and water vapor, remember? Don’t stray from the script…pollution was 1980s’ script. That is to say, CO2 is not “poison”.
The world may yet take care of itself, but there hasn’t been an organism as hell bent on destruction like us in the past. As long as we can make all scientists (except the ones owned by the Republican party) as evil, and dumb down the science curriculum, folks will never learn.
Looks like we have a lot of ignorant people. 1. Anthropogenic Global Warming is real, it’s overwhelmingly supported by EVIDENCE gathered by SCIENTISTS. Try to wrap your heads around that.2. Of course Earth will survive. But as Hurricane Katrina and the Japanese tsunami illustrated, civilization as we know it might not. 3. The sooner we begin to reduce greenhouse gases, the more time we have to get real substitutes. The longer we wait, the more likely it will be that we pass a tipping point and get drastic change we have no means to stop – at least not without equally drastic methods…
anyone who is so proudly ignorant as to believe that humans and our pollution have no effect on our environment, merely need to look at the los angeles smog or a NYC air inversion on a hot summer day.
The planet didn’t need us, and won’t miss us when we croak, she’ll still have the roach. Forest fires are a natural cycle for regeneration of new forests, we’re just ignorant enough to ignore natural process, by burning up NON-renewable (in our lifetimes) resources and poisoning the planet, and disrupting climate cycles.
BTW, all those “can’t get too much” folks, remember it IS possible to drink enough water to kill yourself. (by destroying your internal chemical balance and electrolytes)
Black carbon DOES have an immediate temporary (50 years) effect on the environment. This has been proven by observation and by simulation (y’know, those same things we used to determine if weapons will explode). Black carbon is soot, etc. and it does raise temperatures by a few degrees. BUT Black Carbon can be removed / prevented from getting into the atmosphere.
CO2’s effects are harder to control and take a longer time to do anything.
You know, in the end, it doesn’t matter what we all think about these issues. Reality will trump all our ideologies. Things will change no matter what we think, and change will be painful for somebody. The better the choices we make, the fewer will suffer grievously. In the end, however, many are going to suffer, many more than if we acted with real wisdom. -— The fact is that if you offered most people self-sacrifice for the good of the planet on the one hand, and self-indulgence with the certain knowledge that the world would blow up one hundred years from now as a result, a very large portion would choose the latter, and declare they bear no responsibility for what happens after they are dead.
Bruce, and still no one has SUGGESTED that we shut off all the energy we’re currently consuming. Reducing is not the same as eliminating. Even reducing the rate of INCREASE is a good start…
" We need coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear" Quite honestly, we don’t*. But the lobbies for those dirty (one way or another) nonsustainables have convinced the public we do, and that changing over is going to have catastrophic effects on the American lifestyle. What needs to change is people’s attitudes, ends to subsidies to the oil and nuclear industries and breaking the hold of corporate wealth on our politicians. None of which is all that easy, I grant you.
*This is from the Union of Concerned Scientists: “wind, solar, bioenergy, and geothermal are ready today to supply us with clean, reliable, and affordable power. In fact, they have the technical potential to generate more than 16 times the amount of electricity the nation now needs.”
dougdash about 13 years ago
I see that Tom Toles has fallen for the fake science of man-made global warming. Please read Dr. Tim Balls latest book, “Slaying the Sky Dragon.”
ARodney about 13 years ago
Wow, Doug. You certainly are a sucker.
Man-made global warming is happening, and the evidence is so overwhelming that you can’t find any scientists — except those paid by coal companies — who can ignore it. The Repubs tried to get a pet scientist in with the Berkeley project, but unfortunately didn’t go with an industry hack, so they ended up with egg on their face when the scientist said that it’s clear that climate change is happening, and it’s very likely human caused. Their own picked scientist told them the truth, darn it. Who can you trust?
As for Dr. Tim Ball, Google him. A paid spokesman for the energy industry. He claims to have been a professor of climatology at the University of Winnepeg, which never had such a department.
ChukLitl Premium Member about 13 years ago
Huh-huh…huh-huh…he said Balls.
cdward about 13 years ago
And on the most basic level, what idiot thinks there aren’t consequences for their behavior? If you continually put poison in the air, it has to have some effect.
HabaneroBuck about 13 years ago
cdward, global warming is largely caused by CO2 and water vapor, remember? Don’t stray from the script…pollution was 1980s’ script. That is to say, CO2 is not “poison”.
Odon Premium Member about 13 years ago
vortex the largest shift of power to Washigton in the last 50+ years occured in the early 2000’s. Ring any bells?
rockngolfer about 13 years ago
CO2 has increased 35% since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Now it is about 390 parts per million.
SaltWaterCroc about 13 years ago
The world may yet take care of itself, but there hasn’t been an organism as hell bent on destruction like us in the past. As long as we can make all scientists (except the ones owned by the Republican party) as evil, and dumb down the science curriculum, folks will never learn.
WarBush about 13 years ago
“Please read Dr. Tim Balls latest book.”
Any relation to Harry Baals?
Motivemagus about 13 years ago
Looks like we have a lot of ignorant people. 1. Anthropogenic Global Warming is real, it’s overwhelmingly supported by EVIDENCE gathered by SCIENTISTS. Try to wrap your heads around that.2. Of course Earth will survive. But as Hurricane Katrina and the Japanese tsunami illustrated, civilization as we know it might not. 3. The sooner we begin to reduce greenhouse gases, the more time we have to get real substitutes. The longer we wait, the more likely it will be that we pass a tipping point and get drastic change we have no means to stop – at least not without equally drastic methods…
dannysixpack about 13 years ago
anyone who is so proudly ignorant as to believe that humans and our pollution have no effect on our environment, merely need to look at the los angeles smog or a NYC air inversion on a hot summer day.
or the gulf
dannysixpack about 13 years ago
^damn new system, no edit
the gulf:of valdezor mexico
benbrilling about 13 years ago
This cartoon would be funny if it weren’t so sad. “What fools these mortals be.”
Dtroutma about 13 years ago
The planet didn’t need us, and won’t miss us when we croak, she’ll still have the roach. Forest fires are a natural cycle for regeneration of new forests, we’re just ignorant enough to ignore natural process, by burning up NON-renewable (in our lifetimes) resources and poisoning the planet, and disrupting climate cycles.
BTW, all those “can’t get too much” folks, remember it IS possible to drink enough water to kill yourself. (by destroying your internal chemical balance and electrolytes)
Jaedabee Premium Member about 13 years ago
Black carbon DOES have an immediate temporary (50 years) effect on the environment. This has been proven by observation and by simulation (y’know, those same things we used to determine if weapons will explode). Black carbon is soot, etc. and it does raise temperatures by a few degrees. BUT Black Carbon can be removed / prevented from getting into the atmosphere.
CO2’s effects are harder to control and take a longer time to do anything.
Doughfoot about 13 years ago
You know, in the end, it doesn’t matter what we all think about these issues. Reality will trump all our ideologies. Things will change no matter what we think, and change will be painful for somebody. The better the choices we make, the fewer will suffer grievously. In the end, however, many are going to suffer, many more than if we acted with real wisdom. -— The fact is that if you offered most people self-sacrifice for the good of the planet on the one hand, and self-indulgence with the certain knowledge that the world would blow up one hundred years from now as a result, a very large portion would choose the latter, and declare they bear no responsibility for what happens after they are dead.
fritzoid Premium Member about 13 years ago
Bruce, and still no one has SUGGESTED that we shut off all the energy we’re currently consuming. Reducing is not the same as eliminating. Even reducing the rate of INCREASE is a good start…
DamYankee22 about 13 years ago
As in losing control of one’s bladder?
bloomfan about 13 years ago
" We need coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear" Quite honestly, we don’t*. But the lobbies for those dirty (one way or another) nonsustainables have convinced the public we do, and that changing over is going to have catastrophic effects on the American lifestyle. What needs to change is people’s attitudes, ends to subsidies to the oil and nuclear industries and breaking the hold of corporate wealth on our politicians. None of which is all that easy, I grant you.
*This is from the Union of Concerned Scientists: “wind, solar, bioenergy, and geothermal are ready today to supply us with clean, reliable, and affordable power. In fact, they have the technical potential to generate more than 16 times the amount of electricity the nation now needs.”