[DRSpeed85]

I was in the library studying for my international political economy quiz and I somehow got myself to eavesdropping in a pretty interesting topic people were discussing nearby.

They were talking about how global warming could increase productivity in northern countries like Russia, UK, Canada and Scandinavian countries and boost their economy due to better working conditions. They were also saying that this could lead to easier access to oil reserves of Canada and Russia that aren't being tapped mostly due to harsh environments. Obviously that would further accelerate global warming but how resilient would the world be on cheaper oil supplies?

Is there any truth to this? These were strangers I don't know so I didn't barge into their discussion but I'm pretty intrigued. In the current political climate any positives from global warming is complete blasphemy. Are there really positive aspects of global warming?

 

[plus_c]

It is a plausible theory, I think. I could definitely see a boost in productivity in those areas because the climate becomes more temperate. However, how does that stack up against the "shadow costs"? How do you balance the increase in productivity against things like species going extinct because their ecosystem has become too warm and changed?

Those are actual questions, by the way, not rhetorical.

 

[Lumient]

I'm sure that there are many positive things connected to global warming. But I'm also dead sure that nobody can calculate or estimate correctly if they outweight the negative ones.

Also when talking about global warming one must not forget that there are many other issues connected to it. Things that cause global warming can also cause many other negative things besides global warming. For example heavy industry also pollutes environment and air which lead to many negative things.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

There is truth in that harsh conditions prevent the exploration or tapping of oil in places like Siberia. The cold causes metal to become overly brittle, and the oils and hydraulic fluids in machinery to freeze fast. Constant bad weather also makes transportation a nightmare.

Warming of those regions would fix some of that, however from what I understand the consequence of global warming doesn't equal a rise in temperature everywhere, and that one of the bigger effects being seen right now is erratic weather worldwide. Storms during the wrong time of the year, hurricanes coming early, winters ending late, things like that. It could easily mean bigger and longer snow storms that occur more often in those cold areas.

 

[strungoutt1]

Ive done a lot of research on global warming in the past year or so.....


And the thing is that nobody knows for sure. Its definetly the largest experiment humanity has ever taken part in.

Heres just one possibility. As the atmosphere starts to hold in a little bit more heat due to the green house gases, the glaciers will melt. This will put a large amount of cool water in places it shouldnt be. Many feel that this cooling effect will stop the warm current of water called the gulf stream. Without this warm current of water, the continents of North America and europe could be plunged into a new ice age.

Trust me, this problem is so vast and unprecidented... that there will be few winners. Maybe a few areas will inherit some "likeable" qualities, but in the end they will all be adverse effects.

And no MATTER how much oil we find..... we are, if we have not already, about to hit peak oil extraction. This means no matter how hard you try, there will always be less and less oil extracted from the earth. Hubbert predicted in the 60's that USA would hit peak oil at about 1970(when it did), and his most optimistic forecast was hitting global peak oil at about 2010. The oil companies are VERY smart, so there is a reason they are not spending money on finding/extracing new oil. Its because it simply is not feasible. Add to the fact that India + China are on their way up with a lot of the worlds population. As they make their way into the areana of superpowers, the demand for oil will only get greater. This will have insaine implicaitons on our production possibilites and we will see large increase's in the production costs of all items due to oil.

I could go on for days.... I just wrote a 12 page paper on how I felt on the issue. Deep stuff when you really get down to it. We used half of the earths oil in 150 years, and I bet the next half will be gone even faster.

 

[braillediver]

IBTL

Global Warming is Political. It's a theory at best and flimsy to say the least.


Not really them realm of topics suitable for Head-Fi.


Thanks Mitch