Re: References? (was Re: Global Warming)

[Rick Tarara <rtarara@SAINTMARYS.EDU>]

Jim,

You're awfully glib about the loss of human habitat (and lives).  Some
scenarios put up to a billion people in jeopardy from rising sea levels.  It
is not a simple case of  'OK then move them to Siberia'.  Major loss of land
could trigger new territorial wars and major bouts of starvation.  The
article at
<http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2001/03.22/09-mccarthy.html> cites other
effects as well.  All in all the scenarios are NOT favorable to
many--especially those in 3rd world countries.

Rick  (Who actually likes to go to Florida over Xmas break!)


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Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
rtarara@saintmarys.edu

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----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Green" <JMGreen@SISNA.COM>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: References? (was Re: Global Warming)


> > I'm pretty confident that the Globe will survive the next few
> > warming/cooling cycles.
> >
> > It's the various organism ON the globe that will have to adapt.
>
> 0You are likely quite right.  But I do not see compelling evidence that we
> humans can do much about this.  Glacial periods have been occurring for a
> whole bunch of years -- since long before humankind.
>
> But even on the short term -- a period of a century or two -- could
someone
> please say what the _net_ worldwide harm would be from any competently
> projected so called global warming.  OK maybe the people of Bangladesh and
> Miami (It is hard to tell the difference) would get ticked, but the people
> of Siberia and Canada (Its hard to tell the difference) would be
delighted.
> The net grief might be <0.
>
> The main question here is "What should we physicists do about this issue?"
>
> Anything?
>
>
> Jim Green
> mailto:JMGreen@sisna.com
> http://users.sisna.com/jmgreen