conclude that 20th century warming is unprecedented, in both rate and magnitude, compared with warming during the past 1000 years.
But this is certainly not the case in a larger historical context as the following graph records:
gcrio.ciesin.org
If you look back 140,000 years, you'll see a tremendous spike in global temperatures, during a time when civilization or industrialization could not had any impact upon temperatures or the creation of greenhouse gases.
And if you also note, we're near a similar peak of temperature highs, generally followed by a precipitous decline in temperatures.
So the evidence is that this has happened before without mankinds "assistance", and there may be nothing we can do to stop it, even were we to completely give up producing all green-house gases.
Thus, the discussion should really focus on seeing what we can do proactively to halt or decrease global temperatures, and that leads to previously taboo discussions of weather control and terraforming techniques.
If Mother Nature is going to warm herself anyway, up to the point where she upsets her own current climate balance, we have to decide if we're going to try to oppose her and take control for ourselves. That's what I think folks should be focusing on.
Things like the Kyoto treaty, CFC elimination, or air scrubbers, are all well and good, but we shouldn't ignore the possibility that Mother Nature has it in for us anyway.
Hawk |
