What is the Proper Temperature for the Planet?
One unanswered question continues to torment my mind in the global warming debate. What is the proper temperature for planet Earth? Even if we assume that the Earth’s temperature has risen 1 degree over the past century as it is commonly claimed, was the temperature from a century ago the right one? I say assume since they did not keep extensive worldwide records like we do today.
The activists seem to think we can adjust the Earth’s temperature like a thermostat. Who decides how far we should go with it? Do we all get a vote? We know we have had ice ages and global warming to end the ice ages. Obviously we have had every temperature in between. Out of all the choices can we really know which one is optimal? How did the planet survive and rebound from the great extremes of the past?
If one degree off of the proper temperature can throw the planet into turmoil, it seems we need to be very careful. Lets assume people have caused a rise in the temperature of the Earth. Since there have always been fluctuations how do we know how much we have raised it? What if we’ve created an extra 2 degrees, but the actual temperature has risen by only 1? Doesn’t that mean that the planet is actually cooling off and human activity is preventing a drop in the temperature? Could overreacting swing things the wrong way and send us towards an ice age? Could it be humans are saving the planet from global cooling instead of destroying it with global warming? If we are going to buy into the man-made global warming logic these are questions that need to be answered.
Aren’t there more uninhabitable places on the planet because of extreme cold than extreme heat? There aren’t too many places people can’t live in because it’s too hot. As long as there is water to drink and some kind of shelter people can survive in most warm climates even without air conditioning. There are a lot of cold places where humans can’t realistically survive even with modern technology. Without heat and winter clothing much more of the planet would basically be uninhabitable. How do you grow crops in ice? Seems warmer does have some advantages for the survival of a growing world population.
I still have more questions. If we are causing terrible hurricanes, who is causing the enormous hurricane taking place on Saturn? That thing dwarfs anything we’ve ever seen. Who is driving the gas guzzling vehicles there? Who was driving them back in the ice age that caused global warming to come along?
What happened to all the dire predictions about the 2006 hurricane season? That was supposed to be proof of global warming. It fizzled out badly to the disappointment of the global warming enthusiasts. Does that mean the theory was wrong or is it another “just wait till next year?” Would anyone except for meteorologists and weather buffs even remember hurricane Katrina if it never made landfall? Did global warming cause it to seek out a direct strike on New Orleans?
When I was a kid I used to wonder what would happen when it was really cold out if everyone opened their windows and doors and let the heat outside. It didn’t take too long to realize that probably wouldn’t work too well. However, if heat is actually being trapped should people be allowed to heat their homes? Not only is using various fuels contributing to the greenhouse problem, but the heat generated must be raising the temperature to some extent as well. I’m trying to use the logic of the global warming theorists. Playing by their rules, if you will.
There are so called experts who say it’s already basically too late to save the planet. Some, such as Stephen Hawking are even saying we should make plans to leave the Earth and inhabit other planets. Let me know how that one works out. I’ll put my money on giant outdoor air conditioners before I will a mass evacuation from Earth. For some reason I just had a vision of Cosmo Kramer and a giant rubber ball filled with oil. Not sure if I’m still allowed to make Seinfeld references. The outer-space escape would be an ironic end to life on Earth. Imagine watching environmental extremists piling into rocket-ships that get 20 inches to the gallon. At least some of us will die laughing.
What about sunspots and volcanoes and the like? We know they can have a major influence. Can we accurately predict their effect on the weather over the next few decades? I hope it’s more reliable than this year’s hurricane predictions. I’m still looking for an accurate 5 day weather forecast. What if we set the earth’s thermostat too much one way or the other and don’t properly compensate for those factors? What about nuclear winter? So many theories, so little time. Meanwhile we’re frying like ants under a magnifying glass and the sky is falling…
April 10th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
[…] Richard S. Lindzen, the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has answered the question I’ve had for a very long time about the global warming hysteria: “what is the proper temperature for the planet earth?” This is what he has to say on the subject in his article for the April 16 Newsweek issue: The earth is always warming or cooling by as much as a few tenths of a degree a year; periods of constant average temperatures are rare. Looking back on the earth’s climate history, it’s apparent that there’s no such thing as an optimal temperature—a climate at which everything is just right. The current alarm rests on the false assumption not only that we live in a perfect world, temperature wise, but also that our warming forecasts for the year 2040 are somehow more reliable than the weatherman’s forecast for next week. –Richard S. Lindzen, the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology […]