Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Ayeeeeee! Another doomsday scenario!
I admit it - I am a sucker for doomsday scenarios. So I feel compelled to bring you the latest, which carries the same health warnings as the posting a couple of days ago about global warming causing massive extinction of flora and fauna (can you have mini-extinction?).
According to Thom Hartmann, we are in danger of being hit by a new ice age. Anytime soon. Real soon. I'll give you the details in a moment. I don't know how good Mr Hartmann's science is, but I should preface this by saying he appears to be very anti-right wing politics (not that an ice age will take any notice of anybody's politics). But it does mean he favours a left-leaning view of the world, which is committed to global warming theories. And, of course, not all scientists are convinced that global warming is an established fact.
So here's the scenario: In quick summary, if enough cold, fresh water coming from the melting polar ice caps and the melting glaciers of Greenland flows into the northern Atlantic, it will shut down the Gulf Stream, which keeps Europe and northeastern North America warm. The worst-case scenario would be a full-blown return of the last ice age - in a period as short as 2 to 3 years from its onset - and the mid-case scenario would be a period like the "little ice age" of a few centuries ago that disrupted worldwide weather patterns leading to extremely harsh winters, droughts, worldwide desertification, crop failures, and wars around the world.
Okay, so the choice seems to be: a) dismiss Mr Hartmann (at your peril, perhaps); b) lay in very large quantities of fuel for the winter (and the summer); c) move house - but goodness knows where to.
I admit it - I am a sucker for doomsday scenarios. So I feel compelled to bring you the latest, which carries the same health warnings as the posting a couple of days ago about global warming causing massive extinction of flora and fauna (can you have mini-extinction?).
According to Thom Hartmann, we are in danger of being hit by a new ice age. Anytime soon. Real soon. I'll give you the details in a moment. I don't know how good Mr Hartmann's science is, but I should preface this by saying he appears to be very anti-right wing politics (not that an ice age will take any notice of anybody's politics). But it does mean he favours a left-leaning view of the world, which is committed to global warming theories. And, of course, not all scientists are convinced that global warming is an established fact.
So here's the scenario: In quick summary, if enough cold, fresh water coming from the melting polar ice caps and the melting glaciers of Greenland flows into the northern Atlantic, it will shut down the Gulf Stream, which keeps Europe and northeastern North America warm. The worst-case scenario would be a full-blown return of the last ice age - in a period as short as 2 to 3 years from its onset - and the mid-case scenario would be a period like the "little ice age" of a few centuries ago that disrupted worldwide weather patterns leading to extremely harsh winters, droughts, worldwide desertification, crop failures, and wars around the world.
Okay, so the choice seems to be: a) dismiss Mr Hartmann (at your peril, perhaps); b) lay in very large quantities of fuel for the winter (and the summer); c) move house - but goodness knows where to.
