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RE: The World is Too Big
By LeviBeckerson on 1/11/2010 3:54:43 PM , Rating: 1
While I agree that the impact of human machinations on ecosystems, local and global, is probably greater than any other organism per capita, it should be qualified that our overall impact is probably very slight compared to the many other measurable biomasses on Earth.

Slight enough to push something too far? Who knows. How fragile IS the global eco/climate system? If we knew, all the arguments would be a moot point to begin with.

RE: The World is Too Big
By Smilin on 1/12/2010 11:37:22 AM , Rating: 2
They found during the biodome experiments that organisms in the soil produced far more CO2 than expected and they finally had to cancel the experiment when CO2/O2 levels became dangerous.

So yes there are definately other organisms having an impact out there.

To further complicate: we have an impact on how much impact they have. There is tons of biomass, carbon, and mostly dormant microorganisms buried in the northamerican and asian tundra. If this stuff gets warmed a few degrees it will become a massive carbon producer all on it's own.

That question of the "tipping point" is the big one. Scientists don't have that answer yet. I believe that they are trying in good faith to find out and not just trying to wreck financial destruction on all of mankind to satisfy some imagined conspiracy.

RE: The World is Too Big
By TheEinstein on 1/13/2010 1:29:01 PM , Rating: 2
Yes there is the question of impact. What impact does a forest fire have? What impact does a volcano eruption in winter, versus summer have?

Do we need to spend trillions solving this? No we do not.

This sort of thing would be best left in college studies, not in scientific studies, where students can correlate easily gathered data and present it, rather than the expensive means of employment we have now.

RE: The World is Too Big
By Smilin on 1/13/2010 4:41:41 PM , Rating: 2

If it's easily gathered data then it's done. The low hanging fruit is gone. Our scientists are trying to figure out what is going to happen to the climate of the entire planet decades or centuries from now. This is HARD to do.

Some professor's class ain't gonna pull it off during their semester project. No, you're going to need some team hiking off to who knows where taking ice cores, vegetation samples, programming a supercomputer etc. It's expensive but the issue is "impact all of humanity" serious.

I think you exagerate on "trillions" (with regard to _research_ costs) but *IF* GW turns out to be the real deal then trillions will be a drop in the bucket. It would cost more than a trillion dollars just to relocate New York city or 1/4 of Florida.

RE: The World is Too Big




RE: The World is Too Big
By AssBall on 1/12/2010 5:36:07 PM , Rating: 2
And!!!! You get downrated for a reasonable post, further cementing one of your article's points. [That people pretend to but DON'T KNOW SH|T].

RE: The World is Too Big
By Smilin on 1/13/2010 9:59:26 AM , Rating: 2
No kidding.

*I'm* the guy arguing with him and I would have given his post a +1 for it's thoughtfulness.

