25 November 2005

Ever wonder what Venus feels like? Coming soon to a planet near you!

Greenhouse gases at highest level in 650,000 years

An ice core about two miles long -- the oldest frozen sample ever drilled from the underbelly of Antarctica — shows that at no time in the last 650,000 years have levels of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane been as high as they are today. The research, published in today's issue of the journal Science, describes the content of the greenhouse gases within the core and shows that carbon dioxide levels today are 27% higher than they have been in the last 650,000 years and levels of methane, an even more powerful greenhouse gas, are 130% higher, said Thomas Stocker, a climate researcher at the University of Bern and senior member of the European team that wrote two papers based on the core. The last time carbon dioxide levels were as high or higher than today was probably tens of millions of years ago, said Richard Alley, a Penn State University geophysicist and expert on ice cores who was not involved with the analysis.
(Chicago Tribune 051125)

I guess this could go either way, Global Warming or Global Cooling depending on what expert you listen to, however I think the evidence is undeniable that things are irrevocably changing (climate change is FREAKIN' REAL, you naysayer losers) and most likely to create much hardship, displacement and challenge to the generations following us. We've sold out our childrens' and grand-childrens' futures to keep the greed & gluttony oil party of the present going. Shameful.

1 comment:

The March Hare said...

I very much like this post, especially the bit about what Venus should feel like... Can we set up a global discussion on this topic [pleeaaaassse]...