Actually global warming is nothing new. It has happened over and over again in the earth's history and is a completely natural thing and will continue to happen until the demise of the earth. I just attended a fascinating lecture by a geology professor (who had a lovely Irish accent I might add
) who is studying climate history.
You'd be amazed at what is known about the earth climate millions and millions of years ago from studying fossils, ice cores, rocks, and many other things.
There is a constant cycle of Ice Ages followed by global warming and then cooling back to Ice Ages...over and over again. There is nothing we can do about it. The professor spoke of SO many factors that influence this cycle that are totally beyond out control (like wind and water currents, plant life, etc.) it will never be stopped...nor should it. It is our earth's life cycle.
As humans with such short life spans in comparison to our planet, we only see a very slim slice of its life. So we see a warming trend and freak out that it spells gloom and doom. Does it spell changes for the earth? Yes. But its a pretty gradual trend. A lot the things that effect the ozone layer are natural (such as the TONS of methane produced naturally by living creatures and decaying plant material); what humans produce "artificially" is but a drop in the bucket. That is not to say that we shouldn't be mindful of what we are adding to it, but humans are not responsible for the reduction of the ozone layer and the warming we are seeing. Again, its a completely natural and predictable cycle in the earth's life
when you look at the broad picture. Our earth is NOT static! Its always changing...in minute steps over millions of years.
I wish I had a copy of this professors talk because it was truly fascinating. I learned a LOT! And this wasn't his personal "theories" but accepted data from decades of climate study on the earth thru prehistoric times by climatologists, geologists, paleontologists, etc.
So no need to squawk about global warming. The earth will warm...and it will cool again...and warm again....and cool again. We just won't be around when the next batch of humans start agonizing over "global cooling". lol And what about "continental shifting"? Think the earth looked the same 100s of millions of years ago as it looks today? No. Totally different! But nobody is talking and worrying about "when the continents collide!"
All these changes happen for a reason...and that reason is much bigger than just burning fossil fuels.
Anyway...hurricane Rita is a tragedy about to happen. I feel so sorry for the people who are going to have to go through this and for the evacuees having to go through it a second time.
Rita is a monster of a storm.