Yes, the planet is heating up Hottest year on record; more to come

[RamboLiberal]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/30/WARMING.TMP

Northern California, withering under last week's punishing heat, wasn't the only hot spot in the world this year -- thermometers have spiked throughout much of the United States, Canada and Europe, and scientists are predicting more intense, longer and more frequent heat waves in the future.

While leading climate scientists have been reluctant to link regional heat waves with rising temperatures in the world's atmosphere and oceans, they say the recent weather patterns are consistent with computer projections for global warming.

In the United States, the first six months of 2006 were the hottest recorded in more than a century, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center. Canada reported the hottest winter and spring since it started keeping track about a half-century ago, while England, Germany and France are sweltering, and the Netherlands is recording the hottest month since temperatures were first measured 300 years ago.

"The current heat waves throughout much of North America and Europe are consistent with the predictions of our global climate models," said physicist John Harte, a professor and researcher in UC Berkeley's Energy and Resources Group and the Ecosystem Sciences Division.

"In the future, we can expect more intense, more long-lasting, and more frequent heat waves as a consequence of global warming. If you warm the planet as a whole, as we've been doing, it's likely that any particular heat wave is going to be hotter with global warming, and any hurricane will be more intense. You warm the whole, and you warm the parts," Harte said.

[babylonsister]

1. But it's cyclical! All will be well in 10 years, more or less!

:eyes:

[ChoralScholar]

3. I do remember, though in 1980,

it seemed SOOOOO HOT. The interstates were blowing up, it was so hot.

[Redstone]

4. Everything's coming up roses, so they say, nothing to worry about,

tra-la, tra-la. Yup, just wait ten years until we'rve been out of office for a while so nobody can blame us.

(Pssst: Don't let them know you're on to them. They can be dangerous when cornered.)

Redstone

[Straight Shooter]

5. Yes, but that's ten GOD years, not human years. n/t

[babylonsister]

8. Well, HEck, what does that mean? God, after all, reigns.

Or sumntin'. :evilgrin:

[mom cat]

10. Could be. By then, all humans might be dead, or wishing they were

dead.

[ChoralScholar]

2. well, you know....

"When you think back to biblical times, when Adam and Eve talked to that snake 6,000 years ago...You didn’t hear Adam and Eve running around talking about emissions standards or hybrid cars. In fact, Adam and Eve drove an Excursion."
--Will Ferrell as G.W. Bush

http://www.badmash.org/videos/videos_flv.php?v=e2a112005ferrell384K_Stream.flv&t=Will%20Ferrells%20Dubya%20on%20Global%20Warming
As absurd as it is, Bush's (Ferrell's) statements on Global Warming are pretty spot on to this administration's stance.

[tandot]

6. Oh Please, the reports about Global Warming are utter BS -

Rush Limbaugh, the White House, and about 5% of climate scientist say so. It doesn't matter if these climate scientist have been paid by Big Oil or the Coal Industry. These industries have only OUR best interest in mind and wouldn't do anything just for profit. Only a minority (95%) of climate scientist think that global warming is happening and that it is caused by us. Why would you believe them? Dubya is God...he is smart and is always right ...

[Joe Bacon]

11. now don't forget John Stossel

Yeah, John talked with that renowned climate expert Jerry Falwell. Jerry assured him it doesn't matter because Jesus will be here in a week or 2 to float off all the rich white Republicans.

[soothsayer]

7. There's evidence that the whole solar system is heating up.

Even Pluto!

[gorbal]

12. In that case, I'm moving to Pluto

I hear the health care system there is much better than ours.:)

[Porcupine]

9. Isn't EVERY year the hottest year on record?

I seem to recall that has been the case for some time now. So if nothing is changing why should we worry? Last year was the hottest year on record; next year will be the hottest year on record also.

Why should we worry if nothing is changing?