This video GOOD News: Climate Change Changes Climate Change - Video is rather silly in appearance, but the news in it is not. This is a rare example of a negative feedback loop in climate change - melting ice releases minerals which increase photosynthesis in plankton, thus absorbing CO2.
Unfortunately, much more common are examples of positive feedback loops, such as the melting of the permafrost in the tundra releasing vast quantities of methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas. But my hope is that there are in fact myriad negative feedback loops that we either a) have not discovered yet, or b) have not been publicized.
I will continue to search for examples in advance of Global Blog Action Day (or whatever they call it)!!
7 comments:
Increased CO2 by itself has both negative and positive feedbacks, and no one knows which will win out, although the evidence seems to be higher warming. But increased CO2 alone increases plant maturation, speeds growth cycles, which fixes more carbon dioxide.
And why do people complain about Carbon? Carbon isn't bad. It's carbon dioxide which is opaque to IR. Otherwise, go bury that diamond and all your pencils! (just a minor linguistic pet peeve there)
Princeton Univeristy Scientists and others disoute global warming entirely.
Maybe we can make "atmospheric diamonds!" Cool, yeah, we develop technology to recapture CO2 from the air, then we squish it into diamonds! Presto, instead of wearing a symbol of death, war, and environmental ruin on our fingers, we can wear symbols of hope and renewal!
;)
That's why wife's diamond comes from Canada, and was purchased from a retailer and wholesaler who do not business with conflict diamonds. A trifle more expensive, but worth it.
From another venue: this is where I stand now.
*****************
From a strictly scientific point of view, there is no reasonable debate (meaning only persons incapable of reading and arithmatic will debate) that the earth has been warming. There is very little debate that anthropgenic warming is occurring. This will soon be beyond dispute at the same levels that smoking causes lung cancer is. That hasn't been 'proven' either. But the models all agree. And they have predictive value.
It may be that anthropogenic warming is insignificant compared to non-anthropogenic causes.
There remain reasonable disputes about whether anything can be done, and whether anything should be done. And if so, what. There remain lots of reasons to say: America shouldn't do anything until India and China are brought into the fold. Etc..
*************************
I believe in leading by example.
I do too, as long as it doesn't put you at risk of massive economic and military disadvantage which could be taken advantage of by your enemies.
Post a Comment