Terrible news about the Amazon

[skyhuck]

The problem is that there are so many lies told, that its impossible to know the truth, for years we were told that an area of rain forest the size of Wales was being destroyed every day, yet all the rainforest's of the world are not 365 times bigger than Wales, so if it had been true there would be none left.

 

We were told areas where oil tankers went down would be barren wastes for 100's of years, but in reality they are back to normal within a few years.

 

I feel that the "green" thing is a new form of religion, it helps the decadent rich feel they have done penance for their greed and self indulgence and the government use it as a way to get more power, telling people the reason for some action it to save the planet.

 

I heard a very interesting argument that suggested human caused global warming may have actually saved mankind. The first actions by man that could have started this was 10,000 years ago, when the chinese started flooding paddy fields, which cause vegetation to decompose, releasing methane, then following that there has been clearance burning and the industrialization of many civilizations, its possible that without this we would have entered an ice age, wiping us all out.

 

But then I also heard that when Mount Saint Helena (sp) blow it released more GW gasses than the whole of the industrial revaluation and every car that has ever been built.

Edited February 5, 2011 by skyhuck

[Hawthorn]

IMO a lot of the problem with perceptions of environmental problems is caused by the BBC and others striving to give a 'balanced' view.

 

If 90% of scientists believe 'x' and 10% of scientists believe 'y' they give equal time and weight to a representative from each camp.

 

The problem is that this is actually unbalanced as the impression is given that half think x and half think y - when the truth is that 90% believe y.

 

All this obsession with being 'fair' and pc results in bigger problems within society.

[Mark J]

And this looks like an ice age... Winter storm: Map shows most of Northern Hemisphere covered in snow and ice | Mail Online

[John Russell]

The problem is that there are so many lies told, that its impossible to know the truth, for years we were told that an area of rain forest the size of Wales was being destroyed every day, yet all the rainforest's of the world are not 365 times bigger than Wales, so if it had been true there would be none left.

 

I think you'll find that the quote, more accurately, was "an area of rain forest the size of Wales was being destroyed every year".

 

Deforestation is a major issue and I don't think many people think it's a lie.

 

This is a... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7gpAy4ivZ0]Greenpeace film about the Amazon [/ame]

It explains that expiration by trees puts moisture in the air and creates rainfall. As the trees are cut down and the land is turned over to corn and soy growing the amount of moisture in the air drops and thus results in drought.

 

Best wishes,

 

JR

[The tree monkey]

I totally agree man. we as a race are in the ****! i just hope this world as we know it will still be around for our kids

[mdvaden]

the user comment at the bottom probably sums up my feelings pretty well

 

'So, when in two years the Amazon has returned to nominal, if not optimal conditions, will Scientific American produce a follow-up article stating as much? No.

 

By that time this magazine will have produced 150 to 300 more articles predicting the demise of just about everything else. And no one will have remembered this story. '

 

 

I was thinking along the same lines.

 

Figured that over 100,000 years, this back-to-back drought or disaster thing has happened plenty of times.

 

Reminds me of a show I saw the past month or two, about how one of the deserts - maybe the Sahara, forget the name - sort of becomes like a lake again, then goes back to barren again.

 

Mankind's biggest problem is trying to spend money fighting climate change, when its super-slow and almost certain. And it would literally bankrupt all of us if we tried to preserve every lake, mountain, river and valley in the same condition perpetually.

 

Our real problems may be avoiding fast climate change if its something we are causing and reverse. But the slow multi-millenium changes is probably something we need to adapt to.

[Amelanchier]

... it looks like we have big problems. We all need to be thinking about what we can do if the s*** hits the fan.

 

What exactly did you have in mind?

[Mesterh]

I was watching a Horizon program on this subject.

 

The general thinking was that the climate is warming up but due to man its warming up quicker than it has in the past.

 

Which apparently will cause quite a few problems.