If the global apocalypse is right around the corner, hopefully we won't see it coming.
In the 1980's we were fearful of perishing in nuclear destruction. In the 90's our attention on destruction was focused on the impact of an asteroid, then there was 9/11 and the anthrax scares. According to Discover magazine, the latest worry is plague. Powell has an interesting view on global destruction; "We are fascinated by speculation about the end of the world , I think, because it paradoxically makes us feel safe. Global destruction is so grand, so overdramatic, that is doesn't feel connected to our lives the way more immediate worries like cancer or Alzheimer's are."
Since Dr.Wieslav Maslowski denied the prediction, popularized by Al Gore, that the, "entire polar ice cap would be completely ice free in the next five to seven years", there hasn't been much media talk about it. I have read a few articles about the possibility of their demise but none seem to point to a cataclysmic event.
Reports claim that the earth's temperature has risen half a degree Celsius over the last 100 years and that minimal rise has had an effect on our planet; our seas have risen 6 to 8 inches over the last 100 years, according to the EPA. Furthermore, this warming, "may cause icebergs to melt but this would not make the oceans rise."
If the process, of the melting, continues at a slow rate, I beleive nature will make accommodations to the changes and 'fix' the necessary problems as they present themselves. It is difficult for me to envision a flash flood from the melting icebergs however, their demise would have significant repercussions for wildlife and change the landscape into an irreversible state perhaps forever.
Hi Joyce,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the icebergs melting will not cause the ocean to rise. What about glaciers (ice on land)? Amy
Joyce,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how our fears change over time. Is there anything in particular you are afraid might happen?
I have heard that the global temperature has risen 1 degree, not a half. I showed my students movie clips from Tom Brokow, Bill Nye, & PBS. They're all saying the same thing about global warming- I believe them.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteWIth regard to ice on land melting, I think there'd be a significant change that would require (if not already being researched) on-going research and data collection to prepare us for the changes. I am confident in the EPA keeping good tabs on our environment and our government being aggressive in looking for suitable alternative energy substitutes like solar and wind energy supplies. Nuclear power would be great if we had some answer to the waste problem. Hopefully we will be pro-active enough to stop the CO2 build up from raising the temperature to causing the land ice to melt.
-Joyce
MJ,
ReplyDeleteThe article I read did mention the popular one degree but was adamant that their research resulted in a half degree. I am finding, in this research, much difference in the reporting; from not separating the north from the south pole with regard to icebergs as opposed to land ice.
As our icberg experiment pointed out, icebergs melting would not cause our oceans to rise but the ice in Antarctica, if melted, would pose a threat.
I'd like to see one set of facts, from a reputable group of scientists, set the records straight and give us the facts without ambiguity and variables.
-Joyce
Hello Chemgal,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you have wandered into my grad school blog!
I am at an age where worrying about any one particular cataclysmic event is an excercise in futility.
However,I would prefer a quick demise rather than a slow one.
Hi Joyce,
ReplyDeleteWarming and cooling cycles are apart of nature and even in the last decade the US has gone through one warming cycle and one cooling cycle. We are presently are in another warming cycle. However, I do believe that we can speed up these cycles with our actions, but I don't believe that nature does not have a way of healing/defending itself.