What Part of "Global Warming" Do We Not Get?

by Bill McKibben,Published on Thursday, October 13, 2005 by CommonDreams.org



"So far human beings have increased the planet's temperature about 1 degree Fahrenheit. Unless we do everything possible, as quickly as possible, to shift away from fossil fuels, scientists say we will warm the planet another 5 degrees before the century's end. So imagine all those numbers multiplied by five."

Comments

Rob Spooner said…
Scientists avoid crystal balls. Stating 5 degrees as a scientific prediction involves sociology, economics, and some complex chaotic global systems.

A generation ago, people were worried because the earth was cooling. At this moment, temperatures seem to be rising. I'm inclined to think human behavior is a factor, but I'd be a lot more comfortable with computer models that connect rising temperatures with rising CO2 if they could also explain the earlier experience of falling temperatures and rising CO2.
8:04 AM
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