Korean Job Discussion Forums

EFLtrainer · Joined: 04 May 2005

There are those that try to make a case that teh warming of the globe is not affected by human activity, or that if it is, not significantly. While they may recognize there is an issue, such people don't seem inclined to do anything about based, I assume, on their assumption that it is beyond the control of us humanoids. They also often tend to talk about these issues as if they are slow, slow, slow processes.

However, never in the past has there been a significant human addition to the equation. What this does to natural cycles we are only going to find out by going through it. Does it bring the tipping point a little sooner? Much sooner? Does it do something freaky to the process so that we end up doing a fast double tip so we go through a greenhouse then rapid cooling cycle in rapid (relatively) succession? Does it just make the cycles so much more extreme that survivability for humans, or vital ecological components (but aren't they all?), comes into question?

We don't know. And that is the point I find most compelling. Since we don't know, why mess with it? It takes us decades to build a few freeways, so how long is it going to take us to deal with dozens (hundreds, thousands?) of communities threatened by rising oceans all at the same time, if the time frames end up being mere decades? How will we pay for it if it happens so quickly? Many scientists think this century alone will see massive upheaval.

Let's add to that the storms, drout, floods, unfrozen permafrost, etc., etc. What about massive population migrations? What about shifts in the balance of power? Etc. Can we deal with it? Not as nations, but as a species?

But back to the first point: if the carbon dioxide level is higher than at any time in the last 650,000 years, how does one make a serious argument that it is *not* due to human activity? And, is that not a strange enough number not to get people thinking seriously about what we might be doing? How do you explain it? But most of all: is it worth the risk of doing nothing?

canuckistan · Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 9:27 am Post subject:

Humans being furless mammals I have to wonder what the general response to encroaching global cooling would be instead.

caniff · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: All over the map

Anybody read "Dune" by somebody-last-name-Herbert when they were in the middle school sci-fi stage like me? Could be we only need the magic spice, or something. Confused

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

To me the world is being driven into oblivion by humans- a bit like having a group of 5 yr olds at the hands of a space shuttle. The ability to destroy our environment is totally disproportionate to the level of knowledge we have backing us.

The basic assumption widespread is that we can alter and modify the long-evolved earth to suit ourselves, and on a massive scale, overnight, without there being any consequences to our actions. because "the world is bigger than all of us anyway'. most people have no, zero awareness of the millions of other species we share the planet with, and how everything is designed to interract and be co-dependant. We destroy universes without opening our eyes to what is around us.

Only today we have the largest area of intertidal estuary in East asia, at Saemangeum, finally reclaimed. 100.000 birds of some 40 species depended on this area for their existence. the place will be concreted over for a golf course, so some korean businessman can make a big profit.

This is the kind of ignorance and greed that will ensure humans destroy the natural world, themselves and everything else. It will be a deserved and overdue extinction, when the last homo sapiens finally succombs to the mess we've created.

EFLtrainer · Joined: 04 May 2005

If this becomes the standard.... do we have (globally) the resources to respond? Time will tell whether this is a rhetorical question or not.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060419/ap_on_re_us/wildfire_outlook

canuckistan · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:49 pm Post subject:

One of the biggest problems could be when global warming and its effects could start displacing large populations--how do you relocate hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of people without starting a war?

More competition for food + water in a smaller space. Then there's the politics of it. Could get really ugly.

caniff · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: All over the map

I think everyone is overlooking the 'Dune' thing. In the book, they had these suits that trapped moisture and then you could drink it again. Korean business suits with tubes? Not a stretch.

And, because of the spice eaten that was raised due to the arid climate everybody got blue eyes.

Stay in Korea. Teach English forever.

You'll be okay. Confused

bignate · Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Location: Hell's Ditch

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

Seriously i've been posting on this topic to deaf ears for so long, its good to see a few people starting to research it and wake up. oh you stubborn, stubborn species: rapidly bringing about your own destruction and ignoring those who know better.

As the last bedraggled, ragged warlord tribes of the once great homo sapiens get fried in the runaway greenhouse effect, they'll be groaning "Why did we not listen to rapier all along on that message board?? he was right about everything he posted!!!
Oh well, too late now. Lets just eat eachother. Last one surviving please put the fire out".