NASA: Only 10 Years Till Irreversable Climatic Danger Point

NASA: Only 10 Years Till Irreversable Climatic Danger Point

abcnews.go.com

Even "moderate additional" greenhouse emissions are likely to push Earth past "critical tipping points" with "dangerous consequences for the planet," according to research conducted by NASA and the Columbia University Earth Institute.

With just 10 more years of "business as usual" emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas, says the NASA/Columbia paper, "it becomes impractical" to avoid "disastrous effects."

The study appears in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.thedailygreen.com
www.siouxcityjournal.com
www.ens-newswire.com

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(edit: title)

[edit on 5/30/2007 by thelibra]

In a startling new report by NASA and Columbia University, the climatic "tipping point" for Earth is as few as ten years away, with far more dire effects than originally predicted. The previous estimate by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of 50 years has apparently been shown to be a gross underestimation. The acceleration of potentially uncontrollable feedback loops may wreak catastrophic havoc for mankind in the very near future.



I'm already expecting a few of the usual suspects to regurgitate the same naysaying about global warming, and arguments about the hockey-stick graph. I honestly wish there were a way to convince the less intelligent of the dire nature of humanity's predicament. But they will stand on the railroad track, with me pointing behind them at the train, and they will smugly smile and tell me the train whistle is nothing more than noise, the threat of the train is psy-ops propaganda, and the shaking of the track is nothing more than a regular, mild Earthquake.

All it would take is for them to turn around, and look at the train, but even then I suspect it would do no good. They would claim CGI effects were in use, edited footage to show only the parts that support the threat of an oncoming train, and would quite literally deny it right up until the train hits us.

What sickens me, what really utterly sickens me, is that I can't even step off the track because I'm chained to those people, as I am to every other person on Earth. We all share the same eventual fate if we destroy the ability of the planet to sustain human life. Those who refuse to acknowledge climate change, for whatever reason, are bad enough. But those who stand in the way of those who would do something about it, and actively seek to denigrate the cause, are taking an active part in the destruction of the human race. And they're really, really smug about it.

The message is dire. The threat is immediate. In the struggle against climate change, lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way.

abcnews.go.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

The MSM has been avoiding this issue since the 1960's. I think maybe that's one reason why some are naysayers; they're too young to know or recall this.
NASA is a pretty conservative group, and this is a very strong statement for them to make. Many scientists think we're already past the point of no return.

I agree with you, Libra, it is frustrating. I'm sure there will be people who deny GW right up until they're floated away by the rising oceans.
All one has to do is look around, to see the changes that the Earth has gone through in the last 30 years.

Originally posted by forestlady
I agree with you, Libra, it is frustrating. I'm sure there will be people who deny GW right up until they're floated away by the rising oceans.

It just like that scene in Eric the Viking when Hy-brazil is sinking into the ocean and King Arnulf proclaims ""It's alright. It's not happening. Lets have a sing-along !"

same thing.....the gov wants us to sing as the water rises around our feet.

Libra thank you for posting this. It needs to be posted again and again.
It seems that people will talk all day about nonsense, yet when it comes to the real issues they sometimes seem to get ignored. I for one can understand why, sometimes when an issue is so dire and so important to our future and the future of our planet, and the evidence is so overwhelming, and there appears so little you can do when your local and government officials turn a deaf ear for the sake of votes and money.
Its not that you don't care, its just the vulnerability of not having any power to make substantial change.
Look at the way they treat the ones trying to bring focus to global warming, they are laughed at, scoffed at and ultimately placed in a closed box of rejection and denial.
If every person in the world came forward to demand accountability, the power elite would still put the kibosh on it.
So just keep bringing it to the forefront, maybe someday someone with some clout will listen.

Originally posted by Alpha Grey
It just like that scene in Eric the Viking when Hy-brazil is sinking into the ocean and King Arnulf proclaims ""It's alright. It's not happening. Lets have a sing-along !"

same thing.....the gov wants us to sing as the water rises around our feet.

If Climate Change/GW is real, then it's not rising sea levels we have to worry about. If the ice caps melt, then all that extra fresh water in the oceans will completely bugger up the oceanic conveyors, causing a huge climate shift.

We may well end up with a hell of alot more ice than we began with, which in itself is a global cooler as ice has a high surface albedo, reflecting all that warm sunshine back into space.

New Ice Age, here we come!

And all I see are more and more scientists that are starting to read the information in front of them and turning away from the idea of man-made-global-warming and instead looking at a much more obvious, bright, ball in the sky...

As was pointed out recently... Retreating Glaciers in Greenland are revealing Silver-mines... Hmm. How did those get there under all that ice???crotchetyoldbastard.com... www.kitcomm.com... *Note... Notice that is was on MSNBC and now cannot be located...

A Glacier in NewZealand has had posts put up as to it's location as it has been receding since 1750... www.cosis.net...

And while we lose square-miles of antartic ice there are many areas where ice is getting thicker... www.nationalcenter.org...

Multiple sources showing the sun is in a more active state then in the past thousand years... www.newscientist.com... www.washtimes.com...

But those are all just tiny little things...

So don't mind me since I am not rich... I drive a small car... I don't have a big "Carbon footprint". I just think that science should be allowed to go to work and find the answers and let politics/religion step aside and let the whitecoats do there work. But I know that will never happen.

I think at this point, debating whether its the fault of humans or the sun is pointless, its happenning and we're screwed. I guess its time to start planning my end of the world party a little earlier than i originally anticipated. Beer and burgers at my place in 10 years guys, all are welcome.

Edit: BYO Chair.
[edit on 30-5-2007 by InSpiteOf]

[edit on 30-5-2007 by InSpiteOf]

The usual suspects will show up shortly and one in praticular will try and smother this thread with his endless posts about how all the scientists are wrong (except those who support his viewpoint)... we will once again be barraged with everything from the absurd to the seemingly intelligent and well reasoned (until you pick the data they have chosen apart) arguments against global warming and one has to ask why? It is beyond me other than the fact that Exxon and others have succeeded in politicizing the subject and turning it into a liberal/conservative kind of thing which is damned foolish unless you want to obstruct. In all reality it is looking at everything through liberal/Democrat/conservative/Republican lenses that is doing us as a nation and as a planet irraparable harm.

Originally posted by grover
The usual suspects will show up shortly and one in praticular will try and smother this thread with his endless posts about how all the scientists are wrong (except those who support his viewpoint)... we will once again be barraged with everything from the absurd to the seemingly intelligent and well reasoned (until you pick the data they have chosen apart) arguments against global warming and one has to ask why?

I believe the person in question is a she, but I know who you mean

Originally posted by grover
It is beyond me other than the fact that Exxon and others have succeeded in politicizing the subject and turning it into a liberal/conservative kind of thing which is damned foolish unless you want to obstruct. In all reality it is looking at everything through liberal/Democrat/conservative/Republican lenses that is doing us as a nation and as a planet irraparable harm.

Is this a USA phenomenon?

It just doesn't seem to much of a left/right political issue anywhere else bar the USA. People I speak to here in the UK can have wildly varying viewpoints, no matter what political affiliation they have.

I suppose we have a higher plurality here with our multi-party democracy, than across the pond with your black/white, left/right 2 party-system....

EDIT: For spelling

[edit on 30/5/07 by stumason]

Actually who I am thinking of is male. He still defends going into Iraq as well since EVERYONE thought Saddam was a threat yadda yadda yadda.

The politicization of the notion of human involvement in global warming is as far as I can tell a very American phenomena but I could be wrong in that.

Originally posted by stumason
Is this a USA phenomenon?

It just doesn't seem to much of a left/right political issue anywhere else bar the USA. People I speak to here in the UK can have wildly varying viewpoints, no matter what political affiliation they have.

I suppose we have a higher plurality here with our multi-party democracy, than across the pond with your black/white, left/right 2 party-system....

EDIT: For spelling

[edit on 30/5/07 by stumason]

Its here in Canada too. many people get wraped up on the left vs. right of the issue and completely disregard whats acutally happenning around them. As mentioned before, politizing the issue is just dividing the people and delaying a response. Which will likely happen untill the jackboot of an iceage hits us.

Conducted by NASA?

So I guess all their testing and space shuttle launches are helping everything?

Why don't these researchers lead by example?

[edit on 30-5-2007 by Realtruth]

I seem to remember in Science class in 1975 that a Global Ice Age was just 10 years away. I remember in the 1980's that the hole in the ozone layer would allow the Sun to scorch the surface of the Earth in ten years. When I was real young I seem to remember hearing about how DDT was going to kill all of the birds in the world. I wonder what the next environmental emergency du juor will be?

Originally posted by JIMC5499
I seem to remember in Science class in 1975 that a Global Ice Age was just 10 years away. I remember in the 1980's that the hole in the ozone layer would allow the Sun to scorch the surface of the Earth in ten years. When I was real young I seem to remember hearing about how DDT was going to kill all of the birds in the world. I wonder what the next environmental emergency du juor will be?

So is it your contention that nothing is wrong with the planet and things will travel on as they have?

Im not going to bother asking for sources for your previous info, but just because we've been wrong in the past, doesnt mean we should ignore whats being said in the present. Changing our way of life to better suit the ecology of the planet would be a change for the good.

You think this might be enough to get us off of our oil addiction and start using methods of energy production which have been available for decades yet haven't been tapped to their full potential.

Zero Point energy is a fuel source which is basically unlimited. Requires no input and is basically free energy for everyone in the world. After we start using this fuel source we will have no need for oil anymore. No oil means no pollution from cars, plants, businesses, homes... anything that requires some sort of fuel.

Problem solved.

Of course this won't happen soon as the oil companies are too big and the economy relies on them for so much.

Originally posted by InSpiteOf
So is it your contention that nothing is wrong with the planet and things will travel on as they have?

Im not going to bother asking for sources for your previous info, but just because we've been wrong in the past, doesnt mean we should ignore whats being said in the present. Changing our way of life to better suit the ecology of the planet would be a change for the good.

I could produce the sources, all it would take is an afternoon in a good library, problem is that unless it is on the internet to some people it didn't happen.

I understand what you are saying, but I can't help wonder if the steps that we took to try and prevent that ice age might have contributed to the current situation? I also have to ask if this isn't just a normal environmental cycle? In my opinion we don't have enough data to allow us to make a determination one way or another. We have only been keeping accurate data for about 100 years.

Originally posted by InSpiteOf

Originally posted by JIMC5499
I seem to remember in Science class in 1975 that a Global Ice Age was just 10 years away. I remember in the 1980's that the hole in the ozone layer would allow the Sun to scorch the surface of the Earth in ten years. When I was real young I seem to remember hearing about how DDT was going to kill all of the birds in the world. I wonder what the next environmental emergency du juor will be?

So is it your contention that nothing is wrong with the planet and things will travel on as they have?

Im not going to bother asking for sources for your previous info, but just because we've been wrong in the past, doesnt mean we should ignore whats being said in the present. Changing our way of life to better suit the ecology of the planet would be a change for the good.

Actually, he's correct about the warnings there. What he doesn't take into account is that science has progressed since then, and we DID address some of those issues. There was a moratorium on the use of DDT and the eagles (greatly endangered from it) recovered, as did other birds.

We also stopped use of flourohydrocarbons after the hole in the ozone layer appeared. It ceased to be such an issue because we took steps to do something about it.

So, all those were actually brought up... they're real incidents. The difference is that the American people set an example for the rest of the world and negotiated and conducted treaties and EVERYONE acted to change the direction that things were headed.

And such an easy answer but even when given it is not listened to.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PLANT TREES """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

2 words ignored, couch, cough time is ticking.

Originally posted by Realtruth
Conducted by NASA?

So I guess all their testing and space shuttle launches are helping everything?

Why don't these researchers lead by example?

NASA does'nt produce a great deal of greenhouse gas emissions, since they don't
launch a great deal, and when they do it's generally a liquid Hydrogen or Oxygen fuel,
if I am remembering correctly.

And besides that, the various satellites we have in orbit have produced many more
positives than produced negatives, apart from that Space Exploration is far more
important in the long run, not that it should be allowed to be overly polluting.

Originally posted by observe50
And such an easy answer but even when given it is not listened to.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PLANT TREES """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

2 words ignored, couch, cough time is ticking.

It's not that simple.
Yes planting trees, especially when they are cut down is a good thing, but planting trees
in certain parts of the world is actually bad for the environment and does not help in any way.

[edit on 5/30/2007 by iori_komei]