Confused Canary

[dgriffin]

U.N.: Glaciers shrinking at record rate
March 16, 2008 -- Updated 0614 GMT (1414 HKT)

• Glaciers are shrinking at record rates, according to U.N. Environment Program
• Scientists say 30 glaciers around the world showed record ice loss in 2006
• UNEP warns ice loss could have dramatic consequences particularly in India
• Glaciers lost an average of about a foot of ice a year between 1980 and 1999

"There are many canaries emerging in the climate change coal mine," UNEP's executive director Achim Steiner said in a statement. "The glaciers are perhaps among those making the most noise and it is absolutely essential that everyone sits up and takes notice."

tinyurl.com/2nbq7a

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Excuse me, but my canary is confused. I knew the glaciers were melting, but then a few months ago they were reported healthy and to again be gaining weight. And now they’re melting again? Is there a climatologist in the house?

[Clipper]

I am as confused as "your canary". The "facts" seem to swing from one exteme to the other from one week to the next. I have to believe that no matter what "man" does, the earth is going to evolve as it has for millions of years. There have been ice ages and thaws in the past, and evolution has brought us to where we are today as a world.

I agree that we need to conserve, preserve, and do what we can not to damage the ecological future of the earth, but on the other hand, I think man is most likely wrong in their self important thinking that we as a race will have that much impact on what will happen over a period of several million years.

Along those same lines, I have seen a picture circulated on the web of a "frozen wave". One place that it was posted, claimed that it was in antarctica, and the other said it was on Lake Michigan. Hmmm. Nice picture of a really wild phenomena, but where the hell was it actually at?

I no longer have the email in my computer, and can't remember a link to it, but I am sure some of you probably saw the same picture somewhere.

[rrogers40]

I think what it comes down to is how you interpret the facts- Its amazing how two people can look at the same info and come up with completely different interps.

[frankcor]

Evaluating climate change takes more patience than most people have today.

[rrogers40]

Yea people bring up that the average temp was down 1 degree this year- but it is still gone up a few since the turn of the 20th Century. Even if we did not cause it we still need to understand it- and its causes. How are we going to colonize mars with out that knowledge?

[frankcor]

That's right. This global warming is just us practicing to terraform Mars.