Ah, yes. The arrogance of mankind. Can mankind, or its' wastes affect the weather? Go back thousands of years, instead of hundreds. What will you see?

There's that big yellow thing you see in the sky called the sun. Nothing to do with mankind, this global warming, or cooling, or whatever is in vogue at the moment. Anyone can make statistics show whatever they want.

Mother Earth can take whatever puny little men throw at her and keep spinning away.

There seem to be a few sceptics in this thread so it would be interesting to hear from them why they think this disturbing phenomena is occurring.

In Siberia an area of permafrost spanning a million square kilometres— the size of France and Germany combined— has started to melt for the first time since it formed 11,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. Western Siberia is heating up faster than anywhere else in the world, having experienced a rise of some 3C in the past 40 years.It could take as little as a 1.5 degree rise in global temperature to thaw Siberia permanently, potentially releasing catastrophic levels of cartbon dioxide and methane from the soil.

http://www.tgdaily.com/sustainability-brief/69684-melting-siberian-permafrost-threatens-major-methane-release

Scientists are concerned about this permafrost because as it thaws, it reveals bare ground which then warms up more quickly than ice and snow. This leads to a vicious cycle because it accelerates the rate at which the permafrost thaws. Projections of the release of methane is to effectively double atmospheric levels of the gas, leading to a 10% to 25% increase in global warming

Come on, that is a stupid statement. How can it melt for the first time since the END of the ice age. Sure it have to melt for the first time since the BEGINING of the last ice age, which is obivisly more than 11,000 years ago.

Ah, yes. The arrogance of mankind. Can mankind, or its' wastes affect the weather? Go back thousands of years, instead of hundreds. What will you see? There's that big yellow thing you see in the sky called the sun. Nothing to do with mankind, this global warming, or cooling, or whatever is in vogue at the moment. Anyone can make statistics show whatever they want. Mother Earth can take whatever puny little men throw at her and keep spinning away.

Yes the sun is very influential on climate and a lot more. However, people can also make profound impacts. There's the Pacific Trash Vortex (google it), and innumerable places which are too toxic to support life other than toxin-tolerant slime. As for climate, the gross amounts of CO2, CFC's, carbon monoxide, and other chemicals pumped in to the air are having an effect. Perhaps the effect appears small now, but it can and probably will accellarate.

There seem to be a few sceptics in this thread so it would be interesting to hear from them why they think this disturbing phenomena is occurring.

In Siberia an area of permafrost spanning a million square kilometres the size of France and Germany combined has started to melt for the first time since it formed 11,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. Western Siberia is heating up faster than anywhere else in the world, having experienced a rise of some 3C in the past 40 years.It could take as little as a 1.5 degree rise in global temperature to thaw Siberia permanently, potentially releasing catastrophic levels of cartbon dioxide and methane from the soil.

http://www.tgdaily.com/sustainability-brief/69684-melting-siberian-permafrost-threatens-major-methane-release

Scientists are concerned about this permafrost because as it thaws, it reveals bare ground which then warms up more quickly than ice and snow. This leads to a vicious cycle because it accelerates the rate at which the permafrost thaws. Projections of the release of methane is to effectively double atmospheric levels of the gas, leading to a 10% to 25% increase in global warming

Come on, that is a stupid statement. How can it melt for the first time since the END of the ice age. Sure it have to melt for the first time since the BEGINING of the last ice age, which is obivisly more than 11,000 years ago.

Here's how: During the most recent ice age, there were vast ice sheets. The ice sheets then melted somewhat. What was left, essentially stayed for the ensuing 11,000 years, mostly at the poles. What is melting now are some of that residual ice which hasn't melted since the last ice age. Some ice is very old. Ice melting is one of the most evident proofs of GW (particularly when that ice is not being replaced). Deniers will jump through hoops trying to either deny it's happening or twist the data to make it sound unimportant - but it's happening. When the NW Passage is clear year-round (which will be soon), deniers will twist words to show that's insignificant and unrelated to warming trends.

How about last time the NW passage was clear? was that man's doing too. How did we close it?

Ah, yes. The arrogance of mankind. Can mankind, or its' wastes affect the weather?

That's right, man's release of greenhouse gasses into the the atmosphere can't be contributing to climate change, because that would be arrogant!

Somehow.

One of the things I have often thought of, which doesn't seem to get brought up too much.... if we do assume climate change, isn't it necessarily making things "better" for some, while worse for others. While the "worse" part will be more immediately felt.

"let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet- or save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves." Michael Chrichton

i prefer warmer as colder would mean the end of western civilization as we know it.

Meanwhile everyone accepted the new taxes to counter global warming.

Carbon tax, how about methane tax, or wait for it, the worst greenhouse gas, water vapor. Yeah that should be taxed too, that will end global warming much quicker.

Meanwhile one of the most important substances for maintaining live on earth (co2) must be eliminated, especially the whole 0.00001% that is human made.

Maybe Yingluck and Chalerm can make a start by stopping the burning of rice stubble fields.

Chalerm has a reputation for sorting problems in a stroke..so maybe it's just a weekend task?

The ocean ate my global warming! http://joannenova.com.au/2013/09/ipcc-in-denial-just-so-excuses-use-mystery-ocean-heat-to-hide-their-failure/

Now that the plateau in air temperatures has lasted for 15 years, everyone, even IPCC lead authors, can see the “90% certain” models were 98% wrong. So the IPCC now claims the heat went into the deep abyss, which they didn’t predict, can’t measure accurately, and, even by the best estimates we have, has not been anywhere near large enough to explain the missing energy.

The IPCC are trying to explain the lack of ocean surface temperature rise by rewriting the laws of thermodynamics and are currently saying that the warm water is sinking thus hiding the predicted ocen warming.

One of the things I have often thought of, which doesn't seem to get brought up too much.... if we do assume climate change, isn't it necessarily making things "better" for some, while worse for others. While the "worse" part will be more immediately felt.

Yes, some things better in some places. Overall though; worse. 2 examples: better for tropical diseases and fire ants, worse for polar bears and coastal cities.

"let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet- or save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves." Michael Chrichton

I respectfully disagree with fellow-author Chrichton. Granted, we can't destroy the planet as a sphere of rock, and certainly life will go on a lot longer after our one species become extinct. However, we are destroying much of what was once good about our planet. Plant and animal species are going extinct at alarming rates due to human activities. Toxification and habitat destruction is also happening at a manic pace, 24/7, on land and sea, and atmosphere. If you put rats in a closed room and threw in a loaf of bread and some water each day, you'd get an idea of what our one species is doing to the planet. Rapanui is another example of what happens when people are confined to a finite space with ever-dwindling resources.

"let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet- or save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves." Michael Chrichton

Honestly, how can anyone take anything this guy says seriously? A person who is now described as “oil industry shill “ spouting his propaganda and lies for the oil industry.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/michael-crichton-the-oil-_b_15430.html

"let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet- or save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves." Michael Chrichton

Honestly, how can anyone take anything this guy says seriously? A person who is now described as oil industry shill spouting his propaganda and lies for the oil industry.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/michael-crichton-the-oil-_b_15430.html

Hey, be nice to the oil industry or you can sit in the dark, take cold showers and start to walk to work.

"let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet- or save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves." Michael Chrichton

Honestly, how can anyone take anything this guy says seriously? A person who is now described as oil industry shill spouting his propaganda and lies for the oil industry.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/michael-crichton-the-oil-_b_15430.html

Hey, be nice to the oil industry or you can sit in the dark, take cold showers and start to walk to work.

Without the oil industry most people would be dead.

Imagine trying to survive winter in N. America or N. Europe without oil and the electricity that comes from it.

"let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet- or save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves." Michael Chrichton

Honestly, how can anyone take anything this guy says seriously? A person who is now described as oil industry shill spouting his propaganda and lies for the oil industry.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/michael-crichton-the-oil-_b_15430.html

Hey, be nice to the oil industry or you can sit in the dark, take cold showers and start to walk to work.

Without the oil industry most people would be dead.

Imagine trying to survive winter in N. America or N. Europe without oil and the electricity that comes from it.

One 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest (over half) is used to make things like:

Solvents

Diesel fuel

Motor Oil

Bearing Grease

Ink

Floor Wax

Ballpoint Pens

Football Cleats

Upholstery

Sweaters

Boats

Insecticides

Bicycle Tires

Sports Car Bodies

Nail Polish

Fishing lures

Dresses

Tires

Golf Bags

Perfumes

Cassettes

Dishwasher parts

Tool Boxes

Shoe Polish

Motorcycle Helmet

Caulking

Petroleum Jelly

Transparent Tape

CD Player

Faucet Washers

Antiseptics

Clothesline

Curtains

Food Preservatives

Basketballs

Soap

Vitamin Capsules

Antihistamines

Purses

Shoes

Dashboards

Cortisone

Deodorant

Footballs

Putty

Dyes

Panty Hose

Refrigerant

Percolators

Life Jackets

Rubbing Alcohol

Linings

Skis

TV Cabinets

Shag Rugs

Electrician's Tape

Tool Racks

Car Battery Cases

Epoxy

Paint

Mops

Slacks

Insect Repellent

Oil Filters

Umbrellas

Yarn

Fertilizers

Hair Coloring

Roofing

Toilet Seats

Fishing Rods

Lipstick

Denture Adhesive

Linoleum

Ice Cube Trays

Synthetic Rubber

Speakers

Plastic Wood

Electric Blankets

Glycerin

Tennis Rackets

Rubber Cement

Fishing Boots

Dice

Nylon Rope

Candles

Trash Bags

House Paint

Water Pipes

Hand Lotion

Roller Skates

Surf Boards

Shampoo

Wheels

Paint Rollers

Shower Curtains

Guitar Strings

Luggage

Aspirin

Safety Glasses

Antifreeze

Football Helmets

Awnings

Eyeglasses

Clothes

Toothbrushes

Ice Chests

Footballs

Combs

CD's & DVD's

Paint Brushes

Detergents

Vaporizers

Balloons

Sun Glasses

Tents

Heart Valves

Crayons

Parachutes

Telephones

Enamel

Pillows

Dishes

Cameras

Anesthetics

Artificial Turf

Artificial limbs

Bandages

Dentures

Model Cars

Folding Doors

Hair Curlers

Cold cream

Movie film

Soft Contact lenses

Drinking Cups

Fan Belts

Car Enamel

Shaving Cream

Ammonia

Refrigerators

Golf Balls

Toothpaste

Gasoline

Just a small sample of the products you would have to do without if the evil oil industry stopped supplying oil

Just a small sample of the products you would have to do without if the evil oil industry stopped supplying oil

Most of that list can be made from Whale oil, lets get rid of the oil industry and start commercial Whale farming.

Please stay on topic.

"let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet- or save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves." Michael Chrichton

Honestly, how can anyone take anything this guy says seriously? A person who is now described as oil industry shill spouting his propaganda and lies for the oil industry.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david/michael-crichton-the-oil-_b_15430.html

Hey, be nice to the oil industry or you can sit in the dark, take cold showers and start to walk to work.

yes , but when things go wrong , (as they often seem to do ) the COREXIT they use that gets into the food chain upsets my stomach

Imagine trying to survive winter in N. America or N. Europe without oil and the electricity that comes from it.

That seems to be what the government of Ontario, partnering with an uber-wealthy multinational organization known as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), seems to be trying to move towards.

"Protecting the Environment One Sweater at a Time", declares its press release, telling citizens that they can “play an important role in fighting climate change” by “putting on a sweater and turning down the thermostat.”

At a time when Canada has just seen record low temperatures, and the temperature is down around -20C to -30C in many places, I would imagine that plenty of Canadians would find this lofty advice insulting and patronising in the extreme.

I hope that Google Earth will be showing the record low -38.8C recently recorded in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

My winter veg had a bumper crop this year, beetroots swelled perfectly and broccoli heads were like the imported ones you can buy in Rimping. If this warming continues I may consider growing English strawberries next year.

Just a small sample of the products you would have to do without if the evil oil industry stopped supplying oil

Not quite. Many of those products can be made without fossil fuels. Plus, why is it that individual Americans consistently use more power than individuals in nearly every other country? I know some reasons why. Biggest reason: waste. 2nd biggest reason: doing things with electricity which are either not necessary (heating large homes with just one or two residents, and 1,000 other wasteful habits), or could be just as well done without electricity (electric leaf blowers and 1,000 other devices).

Just a small sample of the products you would have to do without if the evil oil industry stopped supplying oil

Not quite. Many of those products can be made without fossil fuels. Plus, why is it that individual Americans consistently use more power than individuals in nearly every other country? I know some reasons why. Biggest reason: waste. 2nd biggest reason: doing things with electricity which are either not necessary (heating large homes with just one or two residents, and 1,000 other wasteful habits), or could be just as well done without electricity (electric leaf blowers and 1,000 other devices).

I hope you know that China is burning more fossil fuels than USA, but only produce half the GDP and certainly dumps a lot more pollutants in the air and waterways.

Just a small sample of the products you would have to do without if the evil oil industry stopped supplying oil

Not quite. Many of those products can be made without fossil fuels. Plus, why is it that individual Americans consistently use more power than individuals in nearly every other country? I know some reasons why. Biggest reason: waste. 2nd biggest reason: doing things with electricity which are either not necessary (heating large homes with just one or two residents, and 1,000 other wasteful habits), or could be just as well done without electricity (electric leaf blowers and 1,000 other devices).

I hope you know that China is burning more fossil fuels than USA, but only produce half the GDP and certainly dumps a lot more pollutants in the air and waterways.

I know that China is the biggest polluter in the world. But my prior post used the word 'individually' twice. In other words: per capita. Per-person pollution, Americans are at the top. I'm American and am troubled by that. I've been to thousands of homes in the USA (I was a chimney sweep and a carpenter) and seen how wasteful those folks can be - without even knowing they're being wasteful of resources.

Imagine trying to survive winter in N. America or N. Europe without oil and the electricity that comes from it.

That seems to be what the government of Ontario, partnering with an uber-wealthy multinational organization known as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), seems to be trying to move towards.

"Protecting the Environment One Sweater at a Time", declares its press release, telling citizens that they can “play an important role in fighting climate change” by “putting on a sweater and turning down the thermostat.”

At a time when Canada has just seen record low temperatures, and the temperature is down around -20C to -30C in many places, I would imagine that plenty of Canadians would find this lofty advice insulting and patronising in the extreme.

I hope that Google Earth will be showing the record low -38.8C recently recorded in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

One day recently it was colder in Saskatchawan then it was on the surface of Mars.

Google Earth: how much has global warming raised temperatures near you?

The University of East Anglia has released an interactive Google Earth layer with local temperature data

Dana Nuccitelli Tuesday 4 February 2014 13.00 GMT

theguardian.com

If you've ever wondered how much global warming has raised local temperatures in your area or elsewhere on the globe, the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit (UEA CRU) has just released a new interactive Google Earth layer that will let you answer this question with ease. UEA CRU is one of the scientific organizations that compile temperature data from around the world. Their temperature dataset over land is called CRUTEM4, and is one of the most widely used records of the climate system.

The new Google Earth format allows users to scroll around the world, zoom in on 6,000 weather stations, and view monthly, seasonal and annual temperature data more easily than ever before. Users can drill down to see some 20,000 graphs some of which show temperature records dating back to 1850.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/feb/04/global-warming-google-earth-uea

-- The Guardian 2014-02-04

Thanks for the info. Please stop using the term "global warming". "climate change" is the term most suitable. As soon as there is unseasonaly cold weather the nae sayers say "so much for global warming"

Sent from my KFTT using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Lets not call it global warming nor climate change.

Lets call it WEATHER.

Lets not call it global warming nor climate change. Lets call it WEATHER.

If a volcano erupts, instead of calling it an eruption, we can call it 'heat' or 'pressure release'. Semantics.

Everyone knows weather is mutable. One prime issue is trends - which may cause significant changes on the surface of the planet. Changes in habitat, which effect species' survival, which can also affect people in big ways. A trend which forces tens of millions of people to flee from coastal cities and/or desert regions - is significant. They've got to go someplace, so it has impacts - on the environment, and other people. It's already happening to a relatively small degree: Large fence between ever-flooding Bangladesh and NE India. Compounded misery in S.Sudan and other Saharan places where desertification is spreading each day. Increasing tons of dust blowing on to Beijing from the spreading Gobi desert.

If an observer chooses to pay it no mind, that's his/her choice. If a person chooses to deny or explain-away the global trend of rising temps and seas, that's also that person's choice. It's easy to live in a selfish cocoon.

Google Earth: how much has global warming raised temperatures near you?

The University of East Anglia has released an interactive Google Earth layer with local temperature data

Dana Nuccitelli Tuesday 4 February 2014 13.00 GMT

theguardian.com

If you've ever wondered how much global warming has raised local temperatures in your area or elsewhere on the globe, the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit (UEA CRU) has just released a new interactive Google Earth layer that will let you answer this question with ease. UEA CRU is one of the scientific organizations that compile temperature data from around the world. Their temperature dataset over land is called CRUTEM4, and is one of the most widely used records of the climate system.

The new Google Earth format allows users to scroll around the world, zoom in on 6,000 weather stations, and view monthly, seasonal and annual temperature data more easily than ever before. Users can drill down to see some 20,000 graphs some of which show temperature records dating back to 1850.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/feb/04/global-warming-google-earth-uea

-- The Guardian 2014-02-04

Thanks for the info. Please stop using the term "global warming". "climate change" is the term most suitable. As soon as there is unseasonaly cold weather the nae sayers say "so much for global warming"

Sent from my KFTT using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Lets not call it global warming nor climate change.

Lets call it WEATHER.

You cant make money or impose new taxes if you just called it weather; come on man get with the program!

Lets not call it global warming nor climate change. Lets call it WEATHER.

If a volcano erupts, instead of calling it an eruption, we can call it 'heat' or 'pressure release'. Semantics.

Everyone knows weather is mutable. One prime issue is trends - which may cause significant changes on the surface of the planet. Changes in habitat, which effect species' survival, which can also affect people in big ways. A trend which forces tens of millions of people to flee from coastal cities and/or desert regions - is significant. They've got to go someplace, so it has impacts - on the environment, and other people. It's already happening to a relatively small degree: Large fence between ever-flooding Bangladesh and NE India. Compounded misery in S.Sudan and other Saharan places where desertification is spreading each day. Increasing tons of dust blowing on to Beijing from the spreading Gobi desert.

If an observer chooses to pay it no mind, that's his/her choice. If a person chooses to deny or explain-away the global trend of rising temps and seas, that's also that person's choice. It's easy to live in a selfish cocoon.

There is nothing unusual about what is happening with the weather. It has been hotter in the past and cooler. There has been more CO2 and less CO2. Etc..etc..etc.

People have always been affected by weather and always will. The difference is that now the global warming propaganda machine has whipped people up into such a frenzy that they are fooled into believing that ANY weather event is caused by AGW.

It get warmer in the coming years...it could get cooler (as quite a few scientists are now starting to predict).

A warmer world would kill a lot fewer people than one going into another ice age.

It's easy to live in a selfish cocoon.

How true.

One only has to look at all of those well-off Greens pushing futile policies which negatively impact the lives of those worse off than they are.

Take EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard, for example, who is quite happy to see household electricity bills skyrocket even if "we were wrong, it was not about climate".

Cocooned from the inconvenient truth that global temperature has not risen in 17 years, and selfish enough with her €240,000-a-year basic salary to ignore fuel poverty among the masses, this woman fits the bill perfectly.