Mad Mike on Global Warming

Courtesy of Michael Z. Williamson

Short, Succinct and Brutal

Test question 1: is the Earth warming?

We're recovering from the Little Ice Age, so yes.

We're recovering from the Last Glacial Maximum, so yes.

Geologists who specialize in tectonics say that we're moving away from a landlocked polar ocean, without which there is no basin for a cap (North), and a continental pole surrounded by water (South), without which there isn't a platform for a cap, so yes--for the next several million years. During most of the Earth's history, these conditions did not exist, and there were no poles. It's currently colder in general than anytime in the last 300 million years, and the average is 5-8C higher than now, based on a 500,000,000 year analysis. 500,000,000 > than the 6000 Creationist nutjobs claim, which is > than the 30 years AGW nutjobs claim for their average.

The Sun continues to put out increasing radiation as it ages, so yes. In fact, sometime in the next 50-100 million years, that level will get high enough the Earth CANNOT compensate and will bake.

According to currently known solar cycles, we're in a slight dip, so no (a small dip in all the other increasing vectors).

This is an example of how complex the field is. Don't let anyone try to point at one thing and tell you it's the answer.

2: Is man responsible? Certainly a small part of it comes from our industrial tools if nothing else.

3: Is there anything we can do about it?

We have no control over 999.9 parts of it.

So, among REAL scientists, there is no debate. The Earth is going to generally get warmer, and there's fuck-all we can do about it.

4: Test Question Two: Morally, should we do something about it? Nature dictates that NY, San Fran, Florida, London, et al are destined to sink beneath the waves, do we have any moral basis to try to prevent the course of nature?

If you say "Yes," you are voting to put people above nature. I agree with you. However, that means you have NO MORAL ARGUMENT to make for reducing any human-caused warming, since it seems to be in our interest.

If you're looking for words for what just happened, I just seized your moral high ground, sited my artillery on it, and launched a TOT salvo that destroyed the low ground.

You're welcome.

'Bout sums it up.