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The Truth About Climate Change

I’ve come to the realization that there are a great many people out there that refute the position that climate change is a reality, that humankind is the primary contributor to climate change, and that the effects of not doing anything will be disastrous. Anywhere and everywhere you look, you will find groups and individual who contest the science of global warming. Has the message simply not been getting across? For 150 years we've come to know Darwin's theory of evolution, and have produced hundreds of thousands of scientific papers to confirm it, with no true measure of contradictory evidence. Still, more than half the population of the US still support creationism as explaining our origins.

Has science and reason lost the battle against fear, prejudice and ancient belief systems?

Like lighting up a cigarette while Rome burns, or taking a bath in your Atlantis villa. Imagine the world in 50 years with coastal cities under water, CO2 levels twice what they are now, and global temperatures 5 degrees higher and still rising. These same individuals will still be on their soapbox claiming that everything is fine, and that the effects observed are natural and nothing to be worried about.

Let’s face it - half the population does not believe that climate change is a result of human activities, particularly its impact in increasing CO2 levels. Scientists are all full of crap, right?

I am generally not one to rant about the issues of the world simply for the sake of complaining; if you are going to point out a problem with something, it is best to also suggest a solution. And so, here is my suggestion. Trying to predict climate change and its effects is difficult, and requires more computing power than is readily available to researchers. There is a technique known as distributed computing whereby your personal computer will allow a small program to run calculations in the background, only when you are not actually using the computer. The SETI@home program has been doing it for years . When it’s done, it will send results back to scientists in Oxford to be combined with other models. Over time, we will get a more and more accurate picture of our impact on this planet, and where it is going. Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/hottopics/climatechange/ to check it out. This is something both proponents and opponents of global warming can do to help better determine what WILL happen.

Rather than point fingers of who is right and who is wrong, let’s try and find out what the truth is.

No one can truly predict the future - maybe we will find solace in knowing that we're using "clean coal", and can do so for the next 900 years. Or maybe we’ll look back in 2050 and say that we should’ve devoted more time and effort to renewable and sustainable energy sources rather than putting a positive spin on a non-renewable one.

But hey... we made a few bucks and had a few laughs along the way, didn't we?