# Global Warming: Guess What? It Looks Like We're Boned **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 17, 2007, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016 "2007-10-17T10:26:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/1 "2007-10-17T10:26:52Z")
[We might just have crossed the “tipping point” threshold **two years ago!**](http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ji18lPpTcmkbLlayqCSS3kygCvrwD8S5K5NG0) > [@](#): > > Scientist Tim Flannery told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that an upcoming report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will contain new data showing that the level of climate-changing gases in the atmosphere has already reached critical levels. > > Flannery is not a member of the IPCC, but said he based his comments on a thorough review of the technical data included in the panel’s three working group reports published earlier this year. The IPCC is due to release its final report synthesizing the data in November. Can’t say I’m surprised by this. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/2 "2007-10-17T11:12:49Z")
Climate tipping is like cow tipping. When the climate wakes up, it will get back on its feet and start… climaxing again. Not to worry, the humans are just adolescent country bumpkins having a little fun. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/3 "2007-10-17T11:13:45Z")
When the climate wakes up, doesn’t that mean…oh…I don’t know…“ice age”? ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/4 "2007-10-17T12:33:06Z")
I once thought I knew exactly what was happening with respect to global warming, what caused it and what could be done about it. That feeling lasted just long enough for me to put the DVD of “Inconvenient Truth” back in its Netflix envelope. New and conflicting information is coming out every day about just how badly we have or have not raped the planet and whether there is anything we can do to salvage our climate, or even whether we need to. Honestly, I don’t think the experts really know, and they certainly don’t agree. I do what I can every day to diminish my carbon footprint. That’s all I can do. Beyond that, I just don’t have time to worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/5 "2007-10-17T12:41:40Z")
[QUOTE=Sunrazor] New and conflicting information is coming out every day about just how badly we have or have not raped the planet and whether there is anything we can do to salvage our climate, or even whether we need to. Honestly, I don’t think the experts really know, and they certainly don’t agree. [/QUOTE] “Something unknown is doing we don’t know what.” Arthur Eddington ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/6 "2007-10-17T13:42:16Z")
Whether it’s our fault or not…does it really matter? The planet was here long before we were, and it will be long after we’re forgotten. Earth has ice ages, pole flips, ET object impacts–it’s a busy place. Given that global catastrphe is sort of “business as usual” on this rock, it’s a little like crying because the sun is rising as a result of our waking up. Whether it’s our fault or not shouldn’t our efforts be focused more on preparing our technology to help us adapt vs. shutting everything down and hoping Earth forgets to freeze again? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/7 "2007-10-17T13:45:36Z")
[QUOTE=Sunrazor] Honestly, I don’t think the experts really know, and they certainly don’t agree. [/QUOTE] I don’t consider myself a skeptic on this issue, but neither am I convinced that what we are being told is what’s actually going to happen; because the experts do not agree on almost any part of it. Over here in Australia, the best suggestion the experts have to save all our lives from this global environmental disaster, is to replace our light bulbs with more energy efficient ones. What a load of bollocks. We hear so many different ideas on what is happening, and when it will be happening, and whose fault it is, and if we can prevent it. In the end, we either survive or don’t, be it a natural event or our own fault. It is what it is, and that’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/8 "2007-10-17T13:46:48Z")
We’re screwed anyway - because even if we haven’t reached the tipping point, even if there was something we could do before reaching it, we won’t do it if it seems easier not to bother. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/9 "2007-10-17T13:54:32Z")
On Monday, I read a letter from my grandfather to his mother and he mentioned that the temperature of the water in the Gulf of Suez was 91 degrees, and this was in December and the captain of the ship had never seen the water so warm at that time of year. This was 100 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/10 "2007-10-17T14:17:14Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] On Monday, I read a letter from my grandfather to his mother and he mentioned that the temperature of the water in the Gulf of Suez was 91 degrees, and this was in December and the captain of the ship had never seen the water so warm at that time of year. This was 100 years ago. [/QUOTE] That settles it! Global Warming is a myth! ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/11 "2007-10-17T14:21:25Z")
I suspect that all politics aside, we reached the tipping point on this before we even knew we had a problem. It is hard to imagine that deciding it was a problem in (say) 1960 could have averted major problems. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/12 "2007-10-17T15:34:01Z")
I know this has been debated to death in other fora here (Pit and GD), with me assiduously avoiding most such threads, but most of the “experts” who pooh pooh the theory are typically paid shills for the current administration or big business. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/13 "2007-10-17T15:39:45Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] We’re screwed anyway - because even if we haven’t reached the tipping point, even if there was something we could do before reaching it, we won’t do it if it seems easier not to bother. [/QUOTE] I agree, I think the forces of greed/politics plus people’s laziness makes it inevitable. I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my impression. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/14 "2007-10-17T15:39:49Z")
Hey come on we’re not boned, just our offspring! ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/15 "2007-10-17T16:27:12Z")
[QUOTE=pool] Hey come on we’re not boned, just our offspring! [/QUOTE] Our kids will be fine, it’s our great grandkids who’ll have to face the [Thunderdome](http://imdb.com/title/tt0089530/) ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/16 "2007-10-17T16:50:10Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] That settles it! Global Warming is a myth! [/QUOTE] No. It means it is absolutely true. Just that we have been ignoring it for longer than we thought. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/17 "2007-10-17T17:39:01Z")
Hey, if it’s too late to do anything, then we don’t have to do anything. Fire up the Hummer! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/18 "2007-10-17T17:46:43Z")
And get to work on those space colonies! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/19 "2007-10-17T18:27:44Z")
Now would be a good time to invest heavily in Siberian real estate. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016/20 "2007-10-17T18:32:05Z")
But honestly, what is “tipping point” supposed to mean? It’s not like there was some amount of atmospheric CO2 that would have no effect, and if we go over that amount we have an ecological catastrophe. The tipping point meme is silly and counterproductive. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/global-warming-guess-what-it-looks-like-were-boned/423016.md?page=2)