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Ezzie.
31-05-2007, 12:12 AM
NASA: Danger Point Closer Than Thought From Warming

'Disastrous Effects' of Global Warming Tipping Points Near, According to New Study

By BILL BLAKEMORE

May 29, 2007 —

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. Its lead author is James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.
The forecast effects include "increasingly rapid sea-level rise, increased frequency of droughts and floods, and increased stress on wildlife and plants due to rapidly shifting climate zones," according to the NASA announcement.

Recent Climate Reports Underestimated How Soon

By heralding the new research paper, NASA is endorsing science that places considerably more urgency on the need to reduce emissions to avoid "disastrous effects" of global warming than was evident in the recent reports from the world's scientists coordinated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The new NASA release emphasizes the danger of "strong amplifying feedbacks" pushing Earth past "dangerous tipping points."
Scientists have been warning for several years that such tipping points are the greatest threat from manmade global warming and what makes it potentially catastrophic for civilization.

'Potentially Uncontrollable' Feedback Loops


As the tipping points pass, "there is an acceleration, potentially uncontrollable, of emissions of vast natural stores of greenhouse gas," according to Hansen, who reviewed the study for ABC News today.
Hansen explains that dangerous feedback loops are being tracked in various regions of the planet.
Many studies have reported feedback loops already observed in thawing tundra, seabeds and drying forests.
Hansen also points out that dark and therefore heat-absorbing forests are now expanding toward the Arctic, replacing lighter-colored areas such as tundra and snow cover.
The NASA research also reasserts the importance of the disappearing Arctic sea ice and snow, whose reflectivity has helped cool the planet by bouncing warm sunlight straight back into space.
The disappearance of that bright sea ice and snow is uncovering more and more dark water and bare ground creating another dangerous feedback loop.
These feedbacks all produce more heat, thus all reinforcing each other, leading to evermore thawing and thus releases of natural greenhouse gases (including CO2 and methane) in a viciously accelerating circle.

450 Parts Per Million

The recent IPCC summaries entertained "scenarios" of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere ranging from 450 parts per million (ppm) up through 550 ppm and 650 ppm.
This new research says "C02 exceeding 450 ppm is almost surely dangerous."
Hansen told ABC News today he believes the upper limit for avoiding dangerous climate change "could well be much lower" than 450 ppm.
In the NASA announcement, Hansen said, "'business as usual' emissions would be a guarantee of global and regional disaster."
Earth's CO2 concentration is currently 383 ppm, up from 280 ppm at the start of the industrial age.
Studies released earlier this month report human-made emissions now spiraling upward at an accelerating rate much faster than scientists expected only a few years ago.
The NASA release points out that a 1992 treaty was "signed (and ratified) by the United States and almost all nations of the world," which "has the goal to stabilize atmospheric greenhouse gases 'at a level that prevents dangerous human-made interference with the climate system.' "
NASA says this new study thus helps "define practical implications" of that 1992 treaty the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The study says that "only moderate additional climate forcing (which would mean only moderate additional warming from such emissions) is likely to set in motion the disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet" dubbed WAIS by polar scientists.
Many scientists say a disintegration of WAIS would mean catastrophically rapid sea-level rise.
The NASA/Columbia study is co-written by 48 scientists in the United States and France.


Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures



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http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3223473&page=1



What're your views on this?

I personally think we seriously need to sort this out: quit pumping so much pollution into the air and get our act together:@

-Soph-
31-05-2007, 06:23 AM
I think it's too late to do anything worthwhile...

Ezzie.
31-05-2007, 03:28 PM
I think it's too late to do anything worthwhile...

Well cutting down carbon emmisions would sure help but most people will be pig-ignorant until they're drowning ^_^

Dan2nd
31-05-2007, 03:34 PM
meh I don't care to be honest unless a law is passed saying how much carbon emmisions I have to cut down on I aint gunna alter the way I live

-:Undertaker:-
31-05-2007, 03:36 PM
Hahaha.

Pointless report by NASA as Global Warming is natural and not our fault.

Liam!
31-05-2007, 03:38 PM
Hahaha.

Pointless report by NASA as Global Warming is natural and not our fault.
No it's not?

It's caused by too much pollution, fumes from factories ect.

-:Undertaker:-
31-05-2007, 03:47 PM
No it's not?

It's caused by too much pollution, fumes from factories ect.

No, it's caused by Solar Flares and Tilt of the earth.

Just like it has happened numerous times since the Earth was created.

Dan2nd
31-05-2007, 03:58 PM
We all know if its not terrorists its bird flu if its not bird flu its Global warming soon they'll come up with a new way we're all gunna die.

Jamesy
31-05-2007, 08:41 PM
WERE ALL GOING TO DIE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!

Mario
31-05-2007, 08:45 PM
global warming is not 100% our fault, animal waste is more to blame than we are, global warming's been going on for 100's of years but we just havent noticed it because of global dimming. - i think :S

Luckyrare
31-05-2007, 08:48 PM
Thats a nice thing for them to say, since they are a large part of causing the problem.

:Liam
31-05-2007, 08:58 PM
To be honest we arent fully to blame, it is a natural process we just speed it up.

Ezzie.
31-05-2007, 09:16 PM
Animal farm(factories)=tons of pollution=we're the ones producing the animals thus our fault.

Whoever says it's mainly not our fault is just..eurgh..

Seriously.. the amount of junk we're putting into the air is ridiculous- where exactly are you getting this global warming is a myth theory from anyway? NASA believe in global warming- and they have some of the most intelligent minds on the planet

-:Undertaker:-
31-05-2007, 09:23 PM
Animal farm(factories)=tons of pollution=we're the ones producing the animals thus our fault.

Whoever says it's mainly not our fault is just..eurgh..

Seriously.. the amount of junk we're putting into the air is ridiculous- where exactly are you getting this global warming is a myth theory from anyway? NASA believe in global warming- and they have some of the most intelligent minds on the planet

Wait a minute, how can NASA be intelligent by giving us lectures on how bad we are when they have giant fuel filled rockets flying around?

What about all the ice ages and hot periods in our history before?, there were no factorys then.

Jamesy
01-06-2007, 09:17 AM
it is the natural cycle of our planet. Heat iceage heat ice age. And i agree, NASA can tell the world all this but we alredi know, they need to get the US government to beleive it. :P I mean some parts of america refuse to teach about evoloution, so they have a bit of a hard job :P

Virgin Mary
01-06-2007, 11:24 AM
I think it's funny cos people don't worry until something does happen. When the Earth does flood, the Dutch will be begging us to let them in, similar to the way when the .nl hotel closes they rush to .com or .co.uk

maroon
01-06-2007, 11:35 AM
No it's not?

It's caused by too much pollution, fumes from factories ect.
No, that just speeds it up.

Jamesy
01-06-2007, 12:15 PM
I think it's funny cos people don't worry until something does happen. When the Earth does flood, the Dutch will be begging us to let them in, similar to the way when the .nl hotel closes they rush to .com or .co.uk

lol ur nice XD "hehe millions have lost there homes and country"

Virgin Mary
01-06-2007, 01:27 PM
lol ur nice XD "hehe millions have lost there homes and country"
Oh well, something has to counteract overpopulating.

Ezzie.
01-06-2007, 02:00 PM
Wait a minute, how can NASA be intelligent by giving us lectures on how bad we are when they have giant fuel filled rockets flying around?

What about all the ice ages and hot periods in our history before?, there were no factorys then.

The rockets they use actually don't cause alot of pollution-I believe they use a hydrogen based fuel? Not entirely sure: also considering space travel is pretty important- finding new worlds possible new life-forms

and that is a natural occuring event of course- but to say there wasn't "factories" then is abit misleading- huge methane pools and volcanoes spouted out more ( I think) pollution than that of today

Putal
01-06-2007, 02:02 PM
They must of known about global warming years before we were informed. Why didnt they inform us sooner!

Jamesy
01-06-2007, 02:03 PM
its oxygen and hydrogen liquidised. i dont know what the solid fuel is, but i htink they may be pollutant a lil. and GOD some poeple really dont have a sense of humour on this thread :P

-:Undertaker:-
01-06-2007, 02:17 PM
The rockets they use actually don't cause alot of pollution-I believe they use a hydrogen based fuel? Not entirely sure: also considering space travel is pretty important- finding new worlds possible new life-forms

and that is a natural occuring event of course- but to say there wasn't "factories" then is abit misleading- huge methane pools and volcanoes spouted out more ( I think) pollution than that of today


We still have methane pools and volcanos and the earth still changes temperture, it's not as if we have got rid of the volcanos and replaced them with factorys.

People say we're speeding it up, so just because the earth is heating up faster this time than last means it's our fault? - Don't think so.

It's all a load of absolute rubbish and I laugh at these people who hold protests against coal/nuclear power plants.

Did you know that the sea levels were something like 1 metre higher in the 1700's than they are today?

Eckuii
01-06-2007, 02:25 PM
Global Warming? Im not worried to be honest.
I arent gonner die because of Global warming, so why would I care? :s

Great Britain contributes to about 0.2% of the Carbon Emmision, yet we are been taxed for it, whereas China dont really care about it because there economy is booming, so why should we do anything about it?
Obviously we will do sommat about it because this country wants to tax us for everything they can, that money will probably be spent on improving the shoddy education and NHS in Britian :S.

I cant wait to get out of this country when im old enough, you people believe all this stuff and we contribute nothing compared to other countrys, so dont preach to the British people.
Thx

-:Undertaker:-
01-06-2007, 02:27 PM
Global Warming? Im not worried to be honest.
I arent gonner die because of Global warming, so why would I care? :s

Great Britain contributes to about 0.2% of the Carbon Emmision, yet we are been taxed for it, whereas China dont really care about it because there economy is booming, so why should we do anything about it?
Obviously we will do sommat about it because this country wants to tax us for everything they can, that money will probably be spent on improving the shoddy education and NHS in Britian :S.

I cant wait to get out of this country when im old enough, you people believe all this stuff and we contribute nothing compared to other countrys, so dont preach to the British people.
Thx

I will probably leave if it continues like it has under Blair.

Also Labour Tax and Tax but nothing gets better.

Things did only get worse.

Jamesy
01-06-2007, 02:29 PM
it must be very hard to get another country to try and do what u want in a way, without causing tension and war. So i dont think you can ENTIRLY blame tony blair for all of it. All the i do think he could've done a bit more here at home

Jesus-Egg
01-06-2007, 04:10 PM
Global warming is nothing to be worrying about. The Earth is constantly changing, and we are just in a period where the Earth is warming up slightly. In the past, the Earth has been a lot warmer than it is now. In the 70's, everybody thought they were all going to die from global cooling, but that turned out to be a load of crap, and now the Earth is warming up slightly, everyone thinks we're all going to die from global warming. In a few decades the Earth will probably start cooling again.

As for global warming being caused by us: the amount of CO2 produced from factories is nothing compared to the amount of CO2 that is produced from the respiration of all the animals and plants on the planet.

Never
01-06-2007, 04:26 PM
Yay! :D Death & destruction.

Why don't we learn? We're still using cars now, well earth's ******.

Ezzie.
01-06-2007, 04:28 PM
We still have methane pools and volcanos and the earth still changes temperture, it's not as if we have got rid of the volcanos and replaced them with factorys.

People say we're speeding it up, so just because the earth is heating up faster this time than last means it's our fault? - Don't think so.

It's all a load of absolute rubbish and I laugh at these people who hold protests against coal/nuclear power plants.

Did you know that the sea levels were something like 1 metre higher in the 1700's than they are today?

Err... there were more volcanoes thousands of years ago than there were now- as in more active ones - which is why there was so much pollution

Your logic fails on the second bit- surely if its speeding up faster then it is showing we are giving bad effects?

the rest:

lol.

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