Is it realistically possible to reverse climate change?

[celticwar17]

This question has many that branch off from it...


Without reducing the world population and without being able to control or regulate other foreign countries.... does anyone really expect to be able to reduce carbon emissions on a grand scale enough to halt it's affect on global warming(if there is a definitive causation)?


Do you expect all the oil-producing countries to stop doing so?


When it comes to oil and gasoline, unless there arises a cheaper option(even then, it will always be there), these commodities will be expended until they run out permanently... until these resources become rare enough to not become a reasonable means to use.


If these are the things that are causing global warming/climate change... I believe it is inevitable, no matter own many world conventions you have that us humans will expend every last drop of oil on this planet.




What can be changed? What can be stopped? What is worth fighting for when it comes to the environment?
In my opinion...
-toxic substances like pesticides, high sulfur content in coal, acids, toxic waste, mercury, arsenic, etc.
These are all substances, with good practices, that can largely be eliminated

-Deforestation, bad farming practices, errosion
All can be done with good farming practices and alternatives

 

[sangha]

This question has many that branch off from it...


Without reducing the world population and without being able to control or regulate other foreign countries.... does anyone really expect to be able to reduce carbon emissions on a grand scale enough to halt it's affect on global warming(if there is a definitive causation)?

Yes, AGW can be halted and even reversed but it will take time

Do you expect all the oil-producing countries to stop doing so?

No.

When it comes to oil and gasoline, unless there arises a cheaper option(even then, it will always be there), these commodities will be expended until they run out permanently... until these resources become rare enough to not become a reasonable means to use.


If these are the things that are causing global warming/climate change... I believe it is inevitable, no matter own many world conventions you have that us humans will expend every last drop of oil on this planet.




What can be changed? What can be stopped? What is worth fighting for when it comes to the environment?
In my opinion...
-toxic substances like pesticides, high sulfur content in coal, acids, toxic waste, mercury, arsenic, etc.
These are all substances, with good practices, that can largely be eliminated

-Deforestation, bad farming practices, errosion
All can be done with good farming practices and alternatives

IMO, that last bit is how we will remove a lot of carbon from the atmosphere. Forests lock huge amounts of carbon for centuries, if not longer

 

[azgreg]

I answered no because I don't think you asked the question you wanted to. Climate change is ongoing from the start of time to the end. I think the question you wanted to ask is: Can man reverse his effect on the climate?

 

[celticwar17]

Yes, AGW can be halted and even reversed but it will take time



No.



IMO, that last bit is how we will remove a lot of carbon from the atmosphere. Forests lock huge amounts of carbon for centuries, if not longer

Then you agree that focusing on carbon emissions in the US and other countries from oil is futile?

 

[celticwar17]

I answered no because I don't think you asked the question you wanted to. Climate change is ongoing from the start of time to the end. I think the question you wanted to ask is: Can man reverse his effect on the climate?

Fair enough.... I had to make assumptions based on many opinions on the matter...that is why I included global warming as well.

Do you think man can reverse climate change... do you think man will?

 

[sangha]

Then you agree that focusing on carbon emissions in the US and other countries from oil is futile?

No, I don't. I don't think it will be enough to halt AGW but every little bit counts.

 

[celticwar17]

Yes, AGW can be halted and even reversed but it will take time



No.



IMO, that last bit is how we will remove a lot of carbon from the atmosphere. Forests lock huge amounts of carbon for centuries, if not longer

If you think Carbon emission is the main cause of global warming, and cannot be stopped, then why do you think AGW can be stopped?

From what you said here, is that, if we take the fight again deforestation in the Amazon and other carbon scrubber areas.... than it is possible to reverse it?

 

[Medusa]

this climate change will occur only in America like alien invasions in holllywood movies :lol:

 

[azgreg]

Fair enough.... I had to make assumptions based on many opinions on the matter...that is why I included global warming as well.

Do you think man can reverse climate change... do you think man will?

Not in our lifetime. There isn't an alternative source of energy available to replace fossil fuels on the scale necessary that I can see.

 

[joG]

This question has many that branch off from it...


Without reducing the world population and without being able to control or regulate other foreign countries.... does anyone really expect to be able to reduce carbon emissions on a grand scale enough to halt it's affect on global warming(if there is a definitive causation)?


Do you expect all the oil-producing countries to stop doing so?


When it comes to oil and gasoline, unless there arises a cheaper option(even then, it will always be there), these commodities will be expended until they run out permanently... until these resources become rare enough to not become a reasonable means to use.


If these are the things that are causing global warming/climate change... I believe it is inevitable, no matter own many world conventions you have that us humans will expend every last drop of oil on this planet.




What can be changed? What can be stopped? What is worth fighting for when it comes to the environment?
In my opinion...
-toxic substances like pesticides, high sulfur content in coal, acids, toxic waste, mercury, arsenic, etc.
These are all substances, with good practices, that can largely be eliminated

-Deforestation, bad farming practices, errosion
All can be done with good farming practices and alternatives

Only at great, great cost. But that is not the same as asking whether it is anthropogenic.

 

[sangha]

If you think Carbon emission is the main cause of global warming, and cannot be stopped, then why do you think AGW can be stopped?

From what you said here, is that, if we take the fight again deforestation in the Amazon and other carbon scrubber areas.... than it is possible to reverse it?

I said that we will not stop using oil. At least, not in the near term future.

IMO, we will eventually be forced to reduce oil consumption. Oil producing nations will continue to produce oil (which is what you asked about) but will produce less due to decreased demand (due to the economic effects of AGW)

 

[celticwar17]

No, I don't. I don't think it will be enough to halt AGW but every little bit counts.

I think it is a losing fight that only hurts the country in which you choose do hinder oil. And third world countries, who don't have the means we do, will be affected even more by carbon emission laws.


But lets take a step back...

You admitted it is impossible to stop oil from being produced until it cannot any more.

how is that every little bit counts? There isn't any change that happened...it WILL be burned no matter what...if not here it will elsewhere.

 

[celticwar17]

I said that we will not stop using oil. At least, not in the near term future.

IMO, we will eventually be forced to reduce oil consumption. Oil producing nations will continue to produce oil (which is what you asked about) but will produce less due to decreased demand (due to the economic effects of AGW)

Do you honestly think people, all around the world, will stop consuming oil to the point where oil producing countries will not need to produce as much of it???? In that case oil will become EVEN CHEAPER and increase the demand for it.

....you are not thinking this through

 

[iguanaman]

Not in our lifetime. There isn't an alternative source of energy available to replace fossil fuels on the scale necessary that I can see.

We are not talking about our lifetimes but that of our children and grandchildren. If we can cut fossil carbon emissions by 50% now we can double the time they have to find alternates. Throwing your hands up and doing nothing is not a plan.

 

[celticwar17]

Only at great, great cost. But that is not the same as asking whether it is anthropogenic.

Will people..... Every country on the entire earth...agree to this cost?

it is realistically impossible...
you cannot convince the world to do this.... you can't even convince everyone in America to do this

 

[Skeptic Bob]

I believe in AGW. I also believe we have neither the will nor capability to reverse it at this point. So instead of bickering over whether or not humans caused it let's start turning our energy to how we will cope with it in the future.

Or is being right more important than being prepared?

 

[iguanaman]

Do you honestly think people, all around the world, will stop consuming oil to the point where oil producing countries will not need to produce as much of it???? In that case oil will become EVEN CHEAPER and increase the demand for it.

....you are not thinking this through

We have cut gasoline consumption in the US to 2000 levels already and more reductions will be on the way due to new fuel economy standards. We can reduce our consumption of oil and coal.

 

[celticwar17]

We are not talking about our lifetimes but that of our children and grandchildren. If we can cut fossil carbon emissions by 50% now we can double the time they have to find alternates. Throwing your hands up and doing nothing is not a plan.

How do you do this when the population is doubling every 30 years????

You cannot cut the emission by 50% in the entire world, The demand for oil will always be there.... if you decrease incentives, it will just be sold cheaper in to combat that. Oil producing countries will not reduce their oil production because there is money to be made and increasing demand EVERYYEAR.... you cannot stop this.

 

[Threegoofs]

Do you honestly think people, all around the world, will stop consuming oil to the point where oil producing countries will not need to produce as much of it???? In that case oil will become EVEN CHEAPER and increase the demand for it.

....you are not thinking this through

Oil cant get cheaper than the cost it takes to extract it.

And by a carbon tax, we will shift the energy infrastructure to renewables, and those should eventually be cheaper than oil, which makes them more desirable.

We cant reverse climate change, but we can slow the damage down.

 

[iguanaman]

I believe in AGW. I also believe we have neither the will nor capability to reverse it at this point. So instead of bickering over whether or not humans caused it let's start turning our energy to how we will cope with it in the future.

Or is being right more important than being prepared?

We can't burn every ounce of fossil fuel that is in the ground now and claim we could do nothing about AGW. That is insanity.

 

[azgreg]

We are not talking about our lifetimes but that of our children and grandchildren. If we can cut fossil carbon emissions by 50% now we can double the time they have to find alternates. Throwing your hands up and doing nothing is not a plan.

Don't put words in my mouth. It's a sure sign of someone without an argument.

 

[sangha]

I think it is a losing fight that only hurts the country in which you choose do hinder oil. And third world countries, who don't have the means we do, will be affected even more by carbon emission laws.


But lets take a step back...

You admitted it is impossible to stop oil from being produced until it cannot any more.

how is that every little bit counts? There isn't any change that happened...it WILL be burned no matter what...if not here it will elsewhere.

OIl will continue to be used, just at a reduced rate. Reducing the amount of carbon we pump into the air while increasing the amount of carbon we take out of the air (and sequestor into the ground in the form of trees and soil) can reduce the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere.

 

[sangha]

Do you honestly think people, all around the world, will stop consuming oil to the point where oil producing countries will not need to produce as much of it???? In that case oil will become EVEN CHEAPER and increase the demand for it.

....you are not thinking this through

There is a difference between stopping the use of oil and reducing the amount of oil we use.

I don't think we'll ever stop using oil, but I think we will reduce the use.

 

[iguanaman]

How do you do this when the population is doubling every 30 years????

You cannot cut the emission by 50% in the entire world, The demand for oil will always be there.... if you decrease incentives, it will just be sold cheaper in to combat that. Oil producing countries will not reduce their oil production because there is money to be made and increasing demand EVERYYEAR.... you cannot stop this.

Of course we can stop it. There is no law that says we need to burn every ounce of oil and coal and we can choose not to for the good of mankind.

 

[celticwar17]

We have cut gasoline consumption in the US to 2000 levels already and more reductions will be on the way due to new fuel economy standards. We can reduce our consumption of oil and coal.

What has that done to the GLOBAL consumption of oil? NOTHING!!!! Asian countries have quadrupled their oil consumption.

The only thing that is decreasing consumption is the OIL itself!!! It's beginning to run out!
And it will continue to run out until there is no more.... that is inevitable