[purnima]

Ok, I realize that this is a heated topic, and people on both sides of the argument are espousing their opinions supported by both logic and raw emotion. However, when we look at past record and average temperatures, does the past data show a pattern of global warming and cooling as a natural cycle? ______________________ spam links removed by moderator

[bopack]

Past warming and cooling and its causes are irrelevent if increased CO2 now will cause acidification of the oceans.....among other things.

[seawallrunner]

In a nutshell, I believe that climate goes through cycles. The most recent cooling trend was during the Little Ice Age, between 1450 and 1850. Now we are inside of a warming trend. However, our activities and rate of consumption are cause for concern as well.

[bopack]

Heating and cooling is not the issue. Of course the planet goes through trends.

http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/acidification/aboutthefilm.asp

[Bug]

From my reading, it is already too late to save the earth we know. As John Muir noted, everything is tied to everything else. I can't prove this on NW Hiker, obviously. For an introduction to how this might play out, read Bill McKibben's book EAARTH (misspelled intentionally). We've been pushing the envelope since the start of the industrial revolution and there is no more slack in the system. We seem to have gone past the tipping point ("for want of a nail, a shoe was lost...")

[bopack]

It won't stop me from caring and trying to do something. If not for all the people that do care like McKibben, we wouldn't even know. I realize it's late in the game but you never know, there could be a turn around point of somekind - some kind of intervention - some kind of critcal mass awakening

[Tom]

Locking this one since the initial post was spam. The spammers are getting more creative in disguising their links. Feel free to discuss in the main global warming thread.