Climate Science

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/amazon-rainforest-now-emits-more-greenhouse-gases-it-absorbs-180977347/ Climate change and deforestation have transformed the ecosystem into a net source of planet-warming gases instead of a carbon sink The Amazon rainforest may now emit more greenhouse gases than the famously lush ecosystem absorbs, according to new research. Long considered to be a bulwark against climate change because of its capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, a new study suggests rising temperatures, increasing drought and rampant deforestation have likely overwhelmed the Amazon’s ability to absorb more greenhouse gases than it emits, reports Cra…

My wife and I always look forward to December to see the lovely Orion in the Southern sky. We live in London There hasn't been one clear sky since December. Why would this be please? Keep well everyone

Could we build structures similar to space elevators that use water as a heat-carrying source and spray it into space to reduce the global temperature? Considering that we could one day have the technology to build the structure ( keeping money out of the question ), how much ocean water would we need to evaporate to reach comfortable global temperatures? And also could doing that really work? What would be the effects on ocean life?

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change This study is popular to cite whenever someone expresses eco-antinatalist sentiment, or otherwise blames the public for climate change by the notion that they drive too much, eat too much meat, etc... and then vote against politicians who would impose taxation on such things. But by what standard are companies that cater to consumer demand not a reflection of the general public's own culpability? One could invoke game theory, and say that if people who boycotted meat or automobiles not…

Climate scientists are concerned with deviations in the average global temperature, but what does an average temperature mean from a thermodynamic perspective? Temperature is inherently a local measurement of molecular kinetic energy, and therefore an average temperature across a large region seems to have little meaning in a thermodynamic context. At best we could try to demonstrate that global average temperature is a predictive metric for some other variable of interest, but the burden of proof would be on us. I could calculate a weighted average by volume temperature of my car by measuring the dimensions of various devices and parts in the vehicle along with thei…

"Follow the water" is the astronomer's mantra for finding life elsewhere. So let's spread the fresh water around here on Earth! What do any climate science experts think of this idea? The idea is to "colonize Earth" by means of "oasis-states." An oasis-state is a plan to decentralize humans for survival on Earth in the face of disastrous climate change. It starts with giant water pipes that carry huge volumes of sea-water to previously uninhabited, inland deserts. The desert should not be too far from the ocean so you don't need to transport the water very far. The salt water is delivered to a new "oasis-state" that begins by desalinating sea water and then the fre…

On the subject of Climate Change I was wondering how some others notice different weather in their hometowns? I have been living in Southern California, in the hot San Fernando Valley, for 25 years. This summer is strange, there has been only one real hot day of plus 100F degree heat. We are past the middle of June and the weather every day is cool, in the low 80s on the hottest day, usually overcast in the mornings, even into the afternoons, in the 60s or 70s, cool compared to the hot, hot summers that are usual for this area. Very nice weather.

A new study of water conditions in Western US from 800 to 2018 identifies 40 major droughts of which 4 qualify for the title megadrought. The most severe was 1575 to 1703, showing these last a significant length of time in human terms, importatant as we have been in one since 2000. The droughts are attributed to normal climatic cycles, but a connection to climate change is also discussed. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52312260

Is Climate change such a big issue we need to step back and reexamine the whole issue ?. One website says its a critical issue another site tells me its a hoax. I am really confused now one guy was telling me its a hoax fabricated by socialists and feminists. What are your thoughts ?

Will Coronavirus finish off coal ? Asks this BBC article on the day the UK has not burned any coal for electricity for 60 days. Apparently it says that India has https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52968716

Chapter 2 in the IPCC special report of global warming of 1.5 °C https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-2/ outlines a goal to to bring net carbon emissions down to 0. There is no technology that currently exists which would allow us to maintain our current level of energy consumption in this scenario. Not only are fossil fuels much more efficient than any other alternatives (in terms of cost and time to produce), they are more portable as well (in terms of the ease of transporting the fuel and the ease of storing it). It is likely that many people would suffer if we slashed energy consumption prematurely. In the article "Shifts to renewable energy can drive up ener…

Most climate scientists claim that elevated CO2 levels will be devastating to Earth's ecosystems. However when CO2 levels were highest some of the largest terrestrial organisms were alive, such as dinosaurs, giant turtles, etc. There must have been an abundance of caloric resources in order for such large organisms to sustain themselves. How can we claim that elevated CO2 levels and higher temperatures will lead to the collapse of ecosystems, when under those very conditions the most demanding organisms in terms of caloric requirements were able to thrive? Based on historical evidence it seems like ecosystems would be more vibrant when CO2 levels and temperatures are high…

Many effects of Global Warming might speed up Global Warming. But is their an effect that slows down the warming?

It is said (the WHO) that 'food waste' accounts for 10% of our greenhouse gas emissions. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51450727 So how much do you think you waste?

In the attached graph, which I think is from NASA but I don’t for sure, how is temperature of past centuries and thousands of years ago determined? When I studied environmental physics 20 years ago, I was taught that CO2 content of Antarctic ice core samples was correlated directly to temperature. Was a different method used here? Can someone please direct me to some peer reviewed info on atmospheric effects? I’m specifically trying to find information on how much of the infra red radiation from the sun is prevented from reaching the earth’s crust and inner atmosphere by refraction or similar. I want to know if increase in atmospheric CO2 could yield any decrease i…

The climate warming has been thrust front and center this year with Greta T and Australia. There is a lot of rhetoric about the urgent and immediate need to do something to reduce greenhouse gases and such . Some even get a little specific . But I don’t think I have ever seen a detailed plan on how to accomplish this and what the resulting world will look like . Hence this thread . So, imagine the US has created a cabinet level position on the crisis, as we did after 911. Secretary of Climate Resolution, if you will. The position is given near dictatorial power, with the ability to enact laws single handedly along the lines of executive orders . You are recruited to…

You know, I feel like the odd man out on this man made global warming thing. Is it an actual thing? I don’t know, maybe. It appears to me that all information I’ve seen consists of attempts, through various models, to correlate atmospheric green house gases generated by human activity with global temperature change, specifically warming. — Correlations, where they can even be demonstrated at all, mean little to nothing because correlation does not mean causation. Only actual experiments can verify whether a correlation is in fact the result of some cause and effect. — However, no truly accurate, controlled experiments can be done to verify or falsify any observe…

If there were enough solar panels installed across the world, besides give us lots of cheap energy would this also reverse the effects of global warming? If so, how many would be needed? cheerz Gian

... the earth is heating faster. than anyone expected in the past. The New York Times

In part 1 of this topic, it was closed down to debate because I couldn't download the information I wanted to. So I will just tell you what it was. It was part of something pertaining to the amount of CO2 humanity is now producing and the amount of CO2 that was being produced that led to the Permian extinction. Which is about the same. But there is a wild card in all of this. If I could download graphs, I would download one that shows that for a very long time, the earth has been getting cooler. As you can imagine, when things are cooler, methane and methane hydrate ice can more easily form. And with our rapidly warming climate, there is much of it just waiting to …

I'd love to see solar power get cheaper and take over the job of providing our energy needs. But at the moment, the true picture is never being told. Solar power is subsidised by fossil fuel. People need electricity when it's dark, and solar power doesn't cut it. There are ways of storing power during the day and releasing it at night, but they would make solar power hugely expensive. So fossil fuels have to do the hard bit, and solar power does the easy bit. But that means that fossil fuels are subsidising the shortcomings of the solar industry. If the solar industry had to supply all of it, they would be losing a fortune at current prices. The same applies to wind power…

Dear All! Do you know any ecologic products and/or inventors who have finantial trouble by selling or producing them? Do you wnat to talk about all of them in this topic and give them a support? Thanks for each answer. email deleted

Hi, Im new to this site and this topic but I understand sucking carbon out of the air and converting it to a solid has been talked about before and the limitations being that it costs a lot of energy. Is there a study about that I can learn about more? Or could someone elaborate on the feasibility and constraints of this? Thanks!

I heard in the news the Trump asked if he could use nukes to stop hurricanes. Every time I saw it reported there was no argument against it, just scoffing at the idea like it was obviously ridiculous. I realize that much of what Trump says is ridiculous, but I'd appreciate an explanation of why it is not a good idea to nuke hurricanes. I suspected in my limited understanding of physics, that a fission bomb would irradiate vast amounts of water that would be an environmental catastrophe, and the prevailing winds would take the radioactive fallout right into the USA. But what about a fusion bomb? Would a hydrogen bomb generate as much radioactive fallout as a fissi…

Hi, Im new to the scientific aspects of climate change but interested in learning more about it from a scientific, math, as well as practical/solution oriented approach. Could anyone suggest a few good books on the topic? Would it just be best to learn physics and chemistry and then delve into more practical books? Thanks!