I live in a Snowbelt that normally sees harsh cold winters, strong wind and whiteouts. Lake effect snow is the cause of this heavy snow. Last winter was so mild, that in January it was 60 degrees and I was cooking on the grill. Normally it would have been below zero and the grill would be buried in deep snow. Winter has not even started here yet this year. 46 degrees outside, normal temp should be maybe 10. Never even had to run the snowblower 10HP seems big but it is just normal for my area. The summer 2 years in a row had a unusual amount of 90 degree days. We got over 20, normally only 5 days are 90. Still feels like spring outside. A normal winter here is over 200 in of snow. The ski places are dying and snowmobiles are dirt cheap because dirt is what the trails look like. I fully expected to bring my 4Runner home in a blizzard. Looks like I will most likely have the moon roof open. Has the weather changed in your area?
Is the climate changing?
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Yes, it's unusually warm in the Chicago area this winter. We had almost a foot of snow on December 1. When that happened in 1998, the snow was here until mid-March. This year, it was all gone in about a week. We're still seeing highs in the 40's, and it's the last week of December!! We even had thunderstorms with pea-size hail last week. Hail of any size used to be happen once a year or even two years, but for the last 3-4 years we've had hail several times a year. I saw nickel-size hail for the first time ever this summer.
But the experts claim that these micro-level local changes are not unusual, and don't mean anything.
So we'll look to the national news, where President Bush is talking about putting the Polar Bear on the endangered species list. Why? Because the polar ice cap is melting so rapidly that even our Republican administration admits that it will be gone (yes, _gone_, not just smaller) within 40 years. With no ice, the bears have nowhere to live!
Whether it's global warming or some large-scale cyclical pattern I don't know, but I fully believe something is happening where the average temperature is rising and messing up the weather and the climate.
But the experts claim that these micro-level local changes are not unusual, and don't mean anything.
So we'll look to the national news, where President Bush is talking about putting the Polar Bear on the endangered species list. Why? Because the polar ice cap is melting so rapidly that even our Republican administration admits that it will be gone (yes, _gone_, not just smaller) within 40 years. With no ice, the bears have nowhere to live!
Whether it's global warming or some large-scale cyclical pattern I don't know, but I fully believe something is happening where the average temperature is rising and messing up the weather and the climate.
Boston_Runner
New member
According to Bush, global warming is just a myth.
Seriously, global warming IS just a myth. 30 years ago people were crying that the earth was cooling because there were a few harsh winters. If you really think that anything we do has an effect on the greater Earth itself, you're vastly mistaken. There have been several ice ages in the life of this planet. There have also been warmer temperate times for the planet. Smaller temperature swings take place in cycles between the greater ice ages. If you look on Wikipedia and read about ice ages, you'll discover, "Since then, the world has seen cycles of glaciation with ice sheets advancing and retreating on 40,000 and 100,000 year time scales. The last glacial period ended about ten thousand years ago."
Ding, ding... That means the polar ice caps SHOULD continue melting and getting smaller for AT LEAST the next 30,000 years... What a shocker.
This planet could let out a single FART (think about Mt. St. Helen's and the huge impact it had for thousands of miles when it erupted) and cause more emissions and global troubles than all of the emissions of any single country could do in a year.
We, as humans, are so insignificant compared to the forces of mother nature, there's no way we could dramatically impact the overall global climate. We are nothing more than fleas on a dog's butt if you put it into perspective of our life on this planet. Mother Nature could kill every one of us in a very short period of time if it wanted to, and we'd have absolutely no control over it. Either you adapt or you die... We should stop trying to prevent the world from changing; it's going to no matter what we do... We either adapt to it or die... It really doesn't get much simpler than that.
Oh wait, there's something about the overall human race that makes people think that human beings are the most important thing in the universe. News flash: we're not! We're just like all of the other animals on the planet, only very marginally smarter and we have reasoning abilities. That's about the only thing that makes us different.
/rant
Ricky
Ding, ding... That means the polar ice caps SHOULD continue melting and getting smaller for AT LEAST the next 30,000 years... What a shocker.
This planet could let out a single FART (think about Mt. St. Helen's and the huge impact it had for thousands of miles when it erupted) and cause more emissions and global troubles than all of the emissions of any single country could do in a year.
We, as humans, are so insignificant compared to the forces of mother nature, there's no way we could dramatically impact the overall global climate. We are nothing more than fleas on a dog's butt if you put it into perspective of our life on this planet. Mother Nature could kill every one of us in a very short period of time if it wanted to, and we'd have absolutely no control over it. Either you adapt or you die... We should stop trying to prevent the world from changing; it's going to no matter what we do... We either adapt to it or die... It really doesn't get much simpler than that.
Oh wait, there's something about the overall human race that makes people think that human beings are the most important thing in the universe. News flash: we're not! We're just like all of the other animals on the planet, only very marginally smarter and we have reasoning abilities. That's about the only thing that makes us different.
/rant
Ricky
sharp4runr
New member
Here is a good bit of debate on this already: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20548&highlight=global+warming
Here in Colorado the weather has changed to the very cold and snowy end. I live in the foothills west of Denver, normal year brings about 90 inches of snow. Before the current storm, we were already at 78 inches; we had another 27 inches in the last 30 hours and more on the way this weekend. It was coming down at a rate of 3 inches an hour for a few hours last evening. So I guess the answer to the original post is "yes", the climate is changing.
Haven't had the runner out to play in the latest round of snow, opted to drive the Subaru with snow tires on it yesterday.
Grill me a brat and drink a cold beer for me!
Haven't had the runner out to play in the latest round of snow, opted to drive the Subaru with snow tires on it yesterday.
Grill me a brat and drink a cold beer for me!
Uneek
Super Moderator
007Runner,
Yes, it has. In 2004, we had a lot of resorts were opened already after Halloween--early season. Typically, they're opened around mid-November, lots of skiing and snowboarding by Thanksgiving. Last year and this year, many resorts were struggling to open by Thanksgiving (most opened after Thanksgiving and early December) and conditions weren't even ideal for their snow making. As of now, the resort I'm going to isn't even fully open. The last storm or two, it wasn't cold enough and it rained, making it slushy.
RickyCRX is right, the earth usually goes through climate cycles. Over the past thousands of years the average temperature of the earth has risen and fallen. IMO, his view is pretty hilarious.
wiseguy,
I wish the sierra here will get some of the snow you're having. Must be great if you enjoy winter sports, or it sucks major *** if you don't.
Yes, it has. In 2004, we had a lot of resorts were opened already after Halloween--early season. Typically, they're opened around mid-November, lots of skiing and snowboarding by Thanksgiving. Last year and this year, many resorts were struggling to open by Thanksgiving (most opened after Thanksgiving and early December) and conditions weren't even ideal for their snow making. As of now, the resort I'm going to isn't even fully open. The last storm or two, it wasn't cold enough and it rained, making it slushy.
RickyCRX is right, the earth usually goes through climate cycles. Over the past thousands of years the average temperature of the earth has risen and fallen. IMO, his view is pretty hilarious.
wiseguy,
I wish the sierra here will get some of the snow you're having. Must be great if you enjoy winter sports, or it sucks major *** if you don't.
People have short memories. The media has an even shorter memory and loves to stoke fear. Weather goes in cycles.
What always makes me laugh are comments in the media that say something like "It's been the warmest December since 1891 and this is further proof that global warming is accelerating," apparently missing that fact that there was a warmer December over a century ago that sort of disproves the wild scaremongering about global warming.
For the record, however, I'm in the "global warming is happening" camp. I'm just not a great fan of the simplistic media coverage of it. Research continues and I think we have yet to figure out exactly what will happen down the road.
What always makes me laugh are comments in the media that say something like "It's been the warmest December since 1891 and this is further proof that global warming is accelerating," apparently missing that fact that there was a warmer December over a century ago that sort of disproves the wild scaremongering about global warming.
For the record, however, I'm in the "global warming is happening" camp. I'm just not a great fan of the simplistic media coverage of it. Research continues and I think we have yet to figure out exactly what will happen down the road.
I think it's just a fart in the climate cycle. Question is short term or long term. I have never seen two mild winters in a row. We usually get hammered with snow. The big reason I bought a 4Runner was so I did not have to live my life around the snow. If this keeps up I will sell it and get a sports car. It has been almost 2 years now since I even used the snow blower. The grass is not growing, but wow it is so green. The finger lakes (wine country) is about 2hours from me. The vines have buds on them. Next time we get a good freeze, if it does freeze before winter ends the entire crop will be wiped out. Bring on the beer.
Jeff Kleb
New member
1.
Global warming may or may not be occurring, but we cannot look at in terms of five, ten or even a hundred years. Climatic changes of any magnitude happen over centuries and millennia - not years or decades.
It is possible to be in a short-term warming trend while entering a long-term ice age. The planet is more than four billion years old, and the short time that man has walked the earth amounts to mere tenths of a second compared to several hours.
2.
Even if it is soon proven beyond any reasonable doubt that global warming is indeed occurring, there is still a huge "cause and effect" problem. Is man responsible for it? Does driving an SUV contribute to climate change? My dog barks in the morning before the sun comes up, so he probably thinks that he is responsible for daylight. If he chose not to bark, does that mean the sun would not rise? I think not!
Do we even have the ability to slow or stop any upward (or downward) trend in temperature? If the "average" temperature has increased in one place, is it possible to have a corresponding drop in temperature elsewhere? I remember back in '96 or '97 when we had an extremely mild winter here in the USA, while people were freezing to death en masse as Europe underwent blizzards and freezing temperatures they supposedly had not experienced in centuries.
What type of "measurement" will be used anyway? Too often, a lot of scientist types will pick a desired result and then construct a model or method that will arrive at their desired conclusion. This is more easily done with a dumbed-down public, which is rapidly becoming the norm in our country.
3.
Could this "global warming" stuff just be a ruse? Remember the ozone hole debacle of fifteen years ago? We jumped through hoops to ban R12 (Freon) because it contained chlorofluorocarbons - CFCs - that were supposed to eat ozone (unstable oxygen molecules known as 0[size=small]3[/size]). DuPont scrambled to find a substitute - R134a - which they happened to invent just before their patent expired on R12. Coincidence? I think not!
R12 was outlawed in the USA, Western Europe and Canada; but they are pumping the stuff out like crazy in Africa, China, Mexico and other parts of Asia.
Additionally, only about 4% of CFCs come from man-made sources anyway. Most of it comes from the oceans, volcanos and natural phenomena. Skeptically, I say that most of this stuff is more about money, politics or power - than actually trying to save the planet.
:bash:
4.
There are definitely a lot of questions about this issue, and there will undoubtedly be much debate in the coming years. Just follow the money and look at who is trying to get "research grants" and who gets hosed (the US taxpayer, in most cases). Rather than trying to clean up their own messes, many of the UN member states will find more ways to blame our economic prosperity - rather than their own socialist, tyrannical nightmares - for all the world's problems.
They have been after our guns and our Second Amendment rights at the UN, and now they probably figure it is time to come after our sovereignty with more bogus treaties (such as the ill-fated Kyoto (sp?) Protocol) that we should avoid like the plague.
I say, "Physician, heal thyself!" to them.
<End of Rant>
Cornfed
New member
Cows! Cows are the cause of global warming! Cow farts, cow feed, cow urine, it's a COWspiracy!:rolleye2:
I'm not kidding, they must be stopped!:cannon:
CowSpiracy
I'm not kidding, they must be stopped!:cannon:
CowSpiracy
greasefingers
New member
Falls said:
Now that was funny :bash: Gore and his rock & roll music hater wife
Tucson T4R
New member
Snow around Tucson....gotta be climate change. 
Tucson T4R
New member
jharris2 said:
Close, The first picture is along the same mountain range (Catalinas) to the west near Finger Rock. The other pics are on the back road to Mt. Lemmon on the north side.
Boston_Runner
New member
One thing that is for certain is that the amount of carbon dioxide has increase by quite a bit in our atmosphere. We all know that carbon dioxide traps heat. It is not that hard to put 2 and 2 together.
