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Global warming report: Your e-mails


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Global warming report: Your e-mails

 

(CNN) -- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- a group of scientists and government officials from more than 130 countries -- issued its most detailed report to date on the links between humans and global warming on Friday.

 

CNN.com asked its readers to share their thoughts on global warming. Here is a selection of their responses, some of which have been edited for length and clarity:

 

Jim Raye of Eastport, Maine

I think global warming is here to stay. As things get worse, governments might decide to put down the rifle and pick up a shovel. Working together, people might be able to survive the oncoming weather war. But it will take everybody working together to win. This will be our greatest challenge.

 

Lynne Loots of Cary, North Carolina

All property owners should develop vegetable gardens to provide food for themselves and their families. A more independent lifestyle will mean fewer car trips to purchase food and other life provisions. In addition the effort and work of growing vegetables will provide physical exercise to individuals. A greater understanding of the effect of microorganisms and worms in the cycle of plant production, decay/rotting, and regeneration and its importance to our survival is imperative. Worm boxes need to be in every urban household to produce soil conducive to growing food. We depend on our soil's gifts for our human existence.

 

Terry Brennen of Syracuse, New York

I think the "runaway train" is the way the press ignores the other scientist whose studies show that although we may add to a global warming trend, there will be global warming with or without mankind. We think that we are so influential as humans that we can change Earth's normal cycles. I don't think we are that powerful. I think Mother Earth will change regardless of our feeble influence. Let's drop the scare tactics and be honest. The real focus should be on quality of life -- to reduce pollution for the sake of our own health -- because as she has shown time and again over the last few billion years, Mother Earth can take care of herself.

 

K.L. Kwang of Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia

Global warming is caused by our comfortable lifestyle. We should practice the 5 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse and re-educate) and start the recovery now before it's too late. Please for our children and grandchildren's sake. Do it now, or they will suffer from our indecision.

 

Kenn Elsner of Detroit, Michigan

Global warming is alive and well here in Detroit, where it was a high of 18 degrees without the wind chill. This weekend it is supposed to be even colder. It was just last week and the whole western half of the U.S. was freezing while awaiting this report. I am not a scientist, and I'm all for doing anything reasonable to lower pollution in the air, ground and sea, but to blame humans "only" for what is an obvious history of whacked out weather since the beginning of time is just ludicrous to normal everyday people.

 

Nick of Stockholm, Sweden

I would like to see some leadership from Congress and the White House, not only through supporting new inventions that may be on the market many years down the road, but active, radical changes that reduce CO2 emissions now. Could you Americans try to convince your politicians of this, please?

 

Mariann Wizard of Austin, Texas

I believe the phrase "global warming" should be dropped in favor of "climate change." To too many people, global warming sounds good, especially here and in Europe at this time of year. We need to understand that a small change in world temperatures can result in more severe temperatures at both ends of the thermometer, as well as stronger winds, bigger storms and generally less predictable weather patterns. Failed crops are one likely outcome, and food shortages. Also, the more the Arctic and Antarctic ice shelves deteriorate, the faster they deteriorate, so that the problem increases exponentially. "Global warming" is a comfort phrase. Let's get real about what's happening.

 

Dale Nenadal of Solon, Ohio

Spend all the money you want on global warming. In reality the issue is people on the planet. There are too many of us. That is the "runaway train." Reduce the world population and global warming will correct itself. We need to control our population or the problem will never go away. No one ever talks about world population as a major contributor to "global warming."

 

Kevin Brooks of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Does it really take this kind of a report for people to pull their heads out of the ground on this issue? The real question here is what will world governments do with the information? Many are trying to play it down or discredit the report. Twenty years down the road, our children will wonder, "How could you let this happen? What were you thinking?"

 

Eric McKenzie of Lakeland, Tennessee

Global warming is the scam of the century. Just a few years ago these same scientists were saying the planet was in a global cooling. The media needs to look at both sides of the issue. There are many scientists that say the world is in a natural, gradual warming cycle not caused by man but by the natural cycle of the sun and the universe. This planet of ours has gone through these cycles since the beginning before man had a chance to make this happen. My question is this -- if man didn't cause the change in the past, how can we say we cause it now? As humans we aren't capable of such a task. If as a whole we humans were given a task of raising the global temperatures we could not do it and are not doing it today. Don't give yourselves that much credit as a species; we are not that powerful. I believe this new fad of global warming is politically motivated and scientists with opposing opinions are intentionally silenced. Manmade global warming is a fraud.

 

Collin Schwartz of Malta

Let's confront the powerful oil and car manufacturing industry lobby, who denied any link between their business activities and climate change, and heed the genuine scientists' appeals to start doing something today. We are already decades late.

 

Alex Marx of Singapore

Though the Earth might be warming, I still do not believe that humans are the sole cause of global warming. If that were the case, then the Earth's temperature should have been stable since time began. There are data anomalies that exist in the time series that are under consideration and very questionable assumptions made.

 

Thus it makes the bold statements about what the temperature will be 50 years hence rather pompous on the part of scientists. The West has strangely become a slave to science and the pronouncements of scientists without realizing that they too are human have their own frailties. Think back to the '70s and the pronouncements of an impending ice age by scientists.

 

Anyway, I would prefer heat to cold. I also believe that we will adapt and by saying we, I mean the entire planet. It is a system that adapts. I am not a believer in Malthusian doom. Everything will work out just fine.

 

Aleksandar Shulevski of Bitola, Macedonia

Global warming is intimately connected with our habits, with our consumerism and our fear of lifestyle change. I believe these are the issues at the heart of the problem. As long as the profit-driven economy pushes the care of the environment or human life to second and third place, we will face these problems. Global warming will ease off once we learn to "ease off."

 

Craig Mellin of Exeter, New Hampshire

Ahhh ... another report on global warming by the "scientists." Those are the clowns who brought us "the world is round" and "revolves around the sun" and who can forget "evolution." I really hope that we have one of those fair and balanced debates where some PR guy funded by the coal industry and has a marginal scientific background gets to debate some Ph.D. from NASA on this -- because all opinions are created equal.

 

I also can't wait to hear all the people who have no idea what they're talking about say how in 1964 there was a day that was hotter than a day this past year, so global warming can't exist. Let's debate this issue for another 25 years, and once we have destroyed the ecosystem maybe we can all reach a consensus.

 

Jeremy Thornton of Johnston, Iowa

Global warming is the most significant threat to the human race at this time. It's preventable, and the U.S. and world for that matter are not doing enough to slow or reverse the effects caused from global warming over the past 40 years. This needs to be a worldwide priority.

 

What the U.S. government is saying now, along with many nations across the world, is that money is more important than essentially everything. What good is all of this money doing the businesses, government and people with money if the world is brought to its knee's by global warming? Global warming could have much greater consequences for the entire world than terrorism. People need to regain sight of what's most important to them -- their homes, families, friends and all of the things they enjoy. Which happen to be on planet Earth.

 

Neill Glancy of Chicago, Illinois

I think it's really apparent now that we have damaged our world, our home. I feel the question that's unclear to most folks is what can we do about it now, and in what time frame will this make a difference, if at all? It seems like a world issue. Everyone on the planet would have to make a change to really help the planet heal, if that's even possible. It's not going be enough for folks to switch to hybrids. I think that's the sad part, because the world can't agree on anything -- we may have sealed our squabbling fate. Maybe when we are all gone, the Earth will heal, and a more intelligent species will replace us.

 

Ross from South Africa

We are seriously jeopardizing the future of life on the planet. If we do not act now it will be too late. America as a global leader must realize that it has to set the ball rolling in the adoption of alternate fuel sources. I don't think enough is being done. It is time [for] America to curb your consumption and set an example. It is ignorant to think that we are not responsible for global warming. I can't believe that this is only now becoming a realization.

 

Jay Gladieux of Crawfordville, Florida

First it was an impending ice age, now it's global warming. I think it's all hogwash. The Earth is an ever-changing planet, and I believe the changes we are seeing would have happened if there were no humans on this planet. The scientists are all saying what they think the people want to hear in order to continue to collect government money.

 

Robert Todd of Fårevejle, Denmark

Many believe that it is too late to do anything about global warming. It is never too late. Each small [step] we take as individuals may seem insignificant but are not if enough of us do things. Last year we heated with oil. This year we use a wood-burning stove, a fuel alternative that is CO2 neutral because it releases the same amount of CO2 whether burned or decomposed. I'm sure we could come up with a hundred small ways to cut our CO2 emissions individually. These efforts will make a difference.

 

Richard Keller of Toronto, Ontario

My thoughts to combat global warming:

1. Start converting water from the ocean to fresh water to be used on land.

2. Make a law that requires houses to produce some of their own electricity.

3. Require gas stations to have alternative fuel sources.

4. Change roofs of houses/buildings to include solar panels and gardens.

 

Adam Cleary of Atlanta, Georgia

I'm no scientist, but I wish this report would explain the drastic global warming and cooling that occurred before humans roamed the Earth. Also, I saw nothing mentioning the fact that in some Arctic areas ice sheets are actually growing in size rather then shrinking and sea levels are shrinking. It's hard to go against the educated masses, but at one time in this world everyone thought the Earth was flat.

 

Michael Wang of San Diego, California

The U.S. and China need to take action. Laws must be passed to discourage automobile makers from selling gas-guzzling vehicles and invest more in researching alternative fuels. What little nature that remains must be preserved, and we must create several committees to find ways to replenish our natural habitats, decrease pollution, encourage environmental consciousness and drive against global warming.

 

We need a president that will take drastic measures to lead the world in a positive direction and not into war. We need the people to vote for such a president and support every step toward this goal. I am fresh out of college, and already I fear for my future children's health and the future of mankind. I certainly do what I can to help, but there is only so much I can do. I am writing to you because I believe the media can greatly increase awareness and encourage action. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/02...back/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

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