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Now I understand why so many people seem to be driving around with their main beams and/or foglights on all the time. It's all down to global dimming - the lastest terminal phenomenon scientists have discovered which is apparently going to wipe us all out if global warming doesn't get us first! (see Horizon on BBC2 tonight). It's all down to air pollution and you know what that means.
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I wouldn't worry about it vman - that meteorite that is hurtling towards us will get you first, or maybe that supervolcano in the Canaries that is overdue to erupt and collapse into the sea and produce a super tsunami. One of the most telling aspects was that the leading proponent of the theory was the bloke who had managed to set up a $25million research project on the subject. You don't get money like that for putting forward the theory that "all's well with the world".
And all the prophets of doom base their predictions on "computer models" - who puts the parameters into these models? Are they correct parameters or just rough approximations of what they think might happen? I think we should be told. I also noticed that in order to accommodate this new idea of "dimming" (which if cured will increase global warming) they said that scientists now KNOW that global warming is taking place. There are a fair number of sceptical environmentalists that might disagree with that.
However, you do KNOW that it will lead to increased costs for motorists!
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In the 1960s and early 1970s the climatologists said we were going to be entering another ice age. Now they are suddenly saying we're all going to burn instead. I do wish they'd make up their mind! There is also talk of the gulf stream moving south so the UK would get much colder anyway so if these predictions of global dimming are true our temperature could stay pretty much what it is now.
The volcanic eruptions going on around the world also blast out tremendous amounts of dust, which was again glossed over. The biggest generators of CO2 are the construction and power generation industries. Transport doesn't even come into it. Methane producing cows are also quite a contributor! The more the world population grows the more the problem increases. Luckily the Americans are doing a great job of sending themselves to an early grave through obesity related diseases so that should make a difference if they all shuffle off in their SUVs sooner rather than later....
teabelly
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"The biggest generators of CO2 are the construction and power generation industries"
over 90% of it is naturally produced - we can do nowt about it!
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Well, according to the programme (which I finished watching after my first post) it gets even more connfusing. Apparently the pollution caused by cars etc. (and other things like jet vapour trails) is causing the clouds to reflect more light from the sun back out into space. This is countering the greenhouse effect which is caused by other emissions from cars and a wide range of other things. Doing the easier job of cleaning up the particulate emmissions is therefore going to make the true extent of global warming become dramatically apparent with all the climate changes and freak events which have been happening. So it seems for the time being at least there a very good reason to keep on emitting particulates etc. in order to protect ourselves from the greater danger of global warming. That is until we've tackled the causes of the greenhouse effect or (perhaps more likely) some other expert has come up with another theory which totally contradicts all of the above.
Until then, I'm going drive my diesel feeling happy about the contribution I'm making to preventing this country either disappearing under water or becoming a dustbowl :)
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I am upset that I will not be around to reap the benefits of global warming.
Imagine England with a mediteranean climate. Hot days, warm nights, pavement cafes, open top cars, olive and citrus groves, white painted houses. Lovely.
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The volcano on the island os La Palma isn't a supervolcano, it's a normal volcano. The high level of water contained in the volcano means that when it erupts, it may cause the flank of the volcano to collapse into the sea, causing a mega-tsunami to wipe out the east coast of the United States.
There is a supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park in the US. If that goes off, then most of North America will disappear and we'll be plunged into the natural equivalent of a nuclear winter.
I, for one, would not like to be around to see either.
Andy
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Can't resist offering those seriously interested in volcanoes, not least those of the Canary Islands, the opportunity to pursue the subject in more depth:
www.terrapublishing.net
I trust that this innocuous non-motoring link won't offend the moderators.
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Thanks for that link Roger, kept me occupied during my lunch hour. I've always found geology/earth processes/natural phenomenon etc fascinating.
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Thanks for that link Roger. Is the pdf document restricted to personal use only do you know? Should not like to infringe someones copyright by printing it and giving the finished hard copy to a friend if this would be illegal/unethical???
Phil I
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>>"The biggest generators of CO2 are the construction and power generation industries">>
What about trucks, trains and planes?
One 747's flight from London to Sydney creates the same level of emissions as two years of the F1 motor procession (sorry racing) programme.
>>over 90% of it is naturally produced - we can do nowt about it!>>
Not only cows, humans as well...:-)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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In the 1960s and early 1970s the climatologists said we were going to be entering another ice age. Now they are suddenly saying we're all going to burn instead. I do wish they'd make up their mind! There is also talk of the gulf stream moving south so the UK would get much colder anyway so if these predictions of global dimming are true our temperature could stay pretty much what it is now.
I am confused as well. Global warming and yet the UK could have permafrost when the gulf stream gets destroyed by fresh water from the melting ice sheets.
Volvo, I also caught Horizon last night. Not pleasnt viewing, but you and I should be well past it by the time anything happens but maybe not our kids.(PS we should hook up shortly)
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As I viewed it, there seemed to be half a chance of global warming and global dimming cancelling each other out.
The other option seemed to be a catastrophic combination of the two.
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Having seen last nights Horizon, I would say that Horizon has become more of what is called a docu-drama now than the respected and serious science programme it used to be, ie more in the vain of the "What If" series.
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"I would say that Horizon has become more of what is called a docu-drama now than the respected and serious science programme it used to be,"
My feelings exactly - used to be educational, now increasingly Daily Mail sensationalist
" Not only cows, humans as well...:-)" anything that has lived, and is now dead, and many things that are still living. If you want to stop producing CO2, please stop breathing and please don't rot when you die!
"What about trucks, trains and planes?"
Someone will correct me but figures that spring to mind are that 97% of CO2 production is natural and of the remaining 3% cars, trucks and plains are responsible for 10% of it
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I find the idea of global dimming, explaining the widespread overuse of foglights, very convincing.
My impression is that there are definitely more dim people around.
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I find this all rather confusing.
It rains a lot = Global Warming
It doesn't rain = Global Warming
It gets hot = Global Warming
It doesn't get hot = Global Warming
It is windy = Global Warming
Oh for the days before Global Warming, when the weather was perfect all the time!
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