Actually I haven't commented here yet, but all this talk about global warming, I don't believe it is happening, rather I think the earth is starting a cooling trend and within a few years at most will go into an ice age again.
The earth is on its cooling down cycle now, I think, like it has done before, throughout history earth has had cooling periods and warming periods, and for the past two years temperatures have actually been colder not hotter.

The sun not just the atmosphere effects the earths temperature, as does the angle and trajectory of the rotation of the earth too, as this effects wind and current flows.

This is of course my observation and theory only, I have no scintific facts to back up what I am saying, but I think we will start to see more and more colder winters and summers from now on, although I don't think this coming 08/09 winter will be all that cold in Japan anyway.


Even if the earth does cool, it is still good to try and stay green, because clean air means a healthier body anyway, which equates to a better life!

I see.

snowdude it sure didn't feel like that this summer.....are you sure?

Snowdude, are you denying Global Warming?! You sure are brave to write such a thing on this forum. I have given up, tired of people arguing with me. This is a very sensitive topic for some and they take it as if you are trying to deny their god.

If you look up on the web there is some scientists that are predicting a cooling period similar to the one 400 years ago. Apparently, the sunspot activity is at its lowest since that time (dunno how they know) but this correlates to temperature decreases on Earth. Some people say it will happen, some not! Who knows. One positive is that the north pole didn't break last years minimum cover record. Gives the poor auld polar bears a chance, so this is good. Lets hope it is cooling.

I believe global warming is happening, but then in the 1970's I would have believed that global cooling was happening. In any event should we take risks with the environment. Thats the question.

No of course I am not sure, but then neither are the scientists either, like I said in my post, but I don't believe the earth will continue to warm. Like I said that is my observation only, like I also said I have no scientific evidence to back this up, only my observations.
But put it this way throughout history the earth has had cooling and heating periods with the last mini ice age around 400 years ago or so I believe. And for any who are into this topic, may also know that the sun effects the earths temperature on earth and the weather conditions more than anything else, the sun controls everything!
The sun can also cause a rise in Co2 gases as well, especially when the earth is on a heating cycle.
I certainly don't think it has anything to do with the man made green house effect, because if so why was the earth as warm as it is now if not more so, years ago, way before any polluting industry existed.
Now I know we have the el-nino patterns that effect the weather of course, which could explain the recent weather, but the weather is constantly going crazy and out of sync that this tells me something else maybe at play.
The earths orbit may also move a little, that is another one of my theories. Imagine the size of the earth if it moves even a fraction of a degree from its orbiting trajectory it can effect the flow of the sea currents, wind patterns, thus causing a change in weather patterns. It may take thousands of years, but I think the earth moves slightly from for example -0.25o - .25o, this can be more than enough to change the weather. As the earth goes slightly out of sync, it throws the weather patterns off, as it pulls back to the zero position the weather becomes more stable and remains stable, until the earth moves the other way towards the minus area, thus causing unstable conditions once again along with a change in temperatures.

This summer was hot for sure, but not what you would call any record breaking temperatures, not for Japan. We have had longer, hotter and drier summers than this year.
The UK has had two very cool and wet summers in a row too.

And in case I am not mistaken, these forums are for discussions, if every time I discuss something I am going to get jumped on by everyone, then I will not bother anymore.

Please do bother.

I was just being friendly, and commenting on how hot I felt all summer!

Snowdude, opinions are always welcome. So what is the consensus on the topic, should we eat less meat or more kangaroo??

it's gonna be a coupla years of ice-age. Let's just get the pain over with quick and rebuild.

Only 2?? Thats the only summers the UK EVER have!!

Lol! Actually yeah the UK summers suck that's for sure, but I think recently they are getting colder and wetter, at least when I used to live in England we would get a few weeks of good weather in total, now it seems it's a few days in total.

I say eat what you want, and be happy!

Snowdude, whether WE feel hot or cold has bugger all to do with climate change. It's the study of all manor of things from beetle breeding patterns in North America to the life cycle of frogs in the Amazon to 800 year old ice cores to satellite images of the polar caps to plankton studies in the indian ocean.

Scientists has all but reach consensus that the global temperate has ridden about .6 deg. That would hardly be noticeable to anyone and yes we have had major temperature rises and falls in the past. At the end of the last ice age the earths temp rose by 5-7 deg. over a period of 700 years. This time around we are expected to see a similar rise but over a period of just 100 years!

It's the rate of change that's the problem, nature just can't adapt quick enough.

Don't be put off posting your opinion here, debates are always healthy.

actually, the .6 degree rise is a global average. Temp change is much more drastic at the poles than at the equator, so while people who are in warmer climes and have the buffer of the ocean to keep things somewhat stable (unless you live on a paific atoll that is being swallowed up by the ocean) you won't notice it much.

But the Inuit certainly notice the change, as well as the scientists and military that monitor the thickness and size of the arctic ice cap. Its disappearing, and may only be a couple years before it melts away completely in the summer. Which has HUGE implications for anyone and anything that lives in the area.

In the short time i have been alive and skiing/snowboarding, i have seen the season at my local resort shrink by weeks, and the snowfall decrease drastically. This is even more drastic when you talk to older people anout the winters of their youth.

Even here in Japan, there are tons of stories about how people used tho flood the rice paddies in the winter and ice skae, which tey can't do anymore, or see older buildings in rural Fukushima with exit doors on the second floor, because the snow used to get that high.

Oh my, even i am suprised at the amount of info on this unpopular subject.

This time the culprits are the raving hippies at TIME magazine

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1839995,00.html




and in news related to the health of our planet

1 in 4 mammals are f#cked.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4942RX20081006?sp=true

The statistic that blows me away is believethat the global population has doubled from 3 billion to 6 billion in the space of 1 persons lifetime. If you can get your head around that then the rest isn't too hard to beleive.

Pretty wild isn't it.

I wonder how the population of cows has altered.

What's the latest bs from GW environmentalists and the Al Gore crowd. Just read and enjoy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/11/16/do1610.xml

Interesting read. I'm not convinced that a short period of temperature anomaly (one month) from a long standing trend, is enough to convince me that GW is BS.
Also
> The figures published by Dr Hansen's institute are not only one of the four data sets that the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) relies on to promote its case for global warming, but they are the most widely quoted, since they consistently show higher temperatures than the others.<

I'm not surprised he is the most quoted as he is probably the loudest. What about the other three data sets? No mention of them. Perhaps they don't support the anti-GW cause.
BTW. If the GW goes the way some scientists predict. The UK's temperature could plunge as much as 10 deg. This have more to do with the movement of the Gulf Stream.

This is why some scientists don't call it Global Warming anymore.

It is not such long standing trend it seems. The 1930s were actually the warmest decade, although as the article says they didn't want you to know that.

It has nothing to do with whether October was cold or not, but rather with the inconsistencies of the major data sets used over and over to proof that the world is heating more than ever. It was easy to find the contradiction this time, because this year's october happened to be especially cold around the world and North Pole (not only UK, or Europe) so it was bizarre when they said it was actually the hottest. But how many inconsistencies are there that we know not about in other years where it wasnt as especially cold?