Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbie
...It was the same thing I've been saying: the data didn't take into account the Earth's ability to adapt.
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Hi Robby,
Your fallback argument against climate change is that the earth can adapt. As a basic concept, yes "the earth" can adapt, but you are missing the bigger picture.
"The Earth" is made up of various gasses in the air, plant life, animal life, ground, and radiation from the sun. All of these together in the past have done ok for themselves in the past. The very best example of this are places like the amazon and other forests, where animals co exist in harmony with plant life.
What Carl Sagan and climate scientists are saying, is that not only are we polluting the earth at an alarming rate, but we are also taking away "The Earth"'s ability to heal the damage.
First, We are dumping more crap into the air and water than ever before, and number 2, we are cutting down more and more rainforest, and 3, we are polluting the ocean more and more. You should consider the Air, land and water to be "The Earth".
By taking away the trees, you disrupt the exchange of gases such as carbon between the air and the earth. By polluting the oceans you disrupt the exchange of gasses between the water and air, and also disrupt the natural temperature difference between the two.
By polluting the air, you disrupt all kinds of things of course, but one of the "hidden" problems is the amount of soot in the air from cars, factories, oil disasters and forest fires which are now being deposited on Ice in the Arctic and Antarctic. The soot is black, and it is darkening the color of the ice. Darker ice absorbs more sunlight than lighter ice, which means it melt faster.
"The Earth" used to be able to heal itself as you put it, but we are taking that ability away from it.