Ancient global warming suggests high sensitivity to carbon dioxide

[WhiteTara]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-12/10/content_5463119.htm

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Global warming from 55 million years ago suggests that climates are highly sensitive to carbon dioxide, according to a study published by the latest issue of Science.

Scientific studies show that a massive release of carbon into the atmosphere caused the ancient global warming event known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) that began about 55 million years ago.

The resulting greenhouse effect heated the earth as a whole by about 9 Fahrenheit (5 Celsius) in less than 10,000 years, geologic records show.

The increase in temperatures lasted about 170,000 years, altering the world rainfall patterns, making the oceans acidic, affecting plant and animal life and spawning the rise of our modern primate ancestors, according to the study by Mark Pagani, associate professor of geology and geophysics at Yale University.
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"The last time carbon was emitted to the atmosphere on the scale of what we are doing today, there were winners and losers," said Ken Caldeira, a co-author from the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology.
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me thinks we'll be amongst the losers in this deal.

[wtmusic]

1. There is a not-so-subtle message from Xinhuanet here

Global warming is a natural phenomenon. It would happen whether or not we built the 1,400 coal-fired power plants we are slated to build.

[lvx35]

2. I vote for the cockroaches as far as winners go. nt

[jgraz]

3. I gotta go with rats

Unless nukes start flying, then roaches have the edge