Quote:
Originally posted by sgtclub
Forget about the if it is happening question for a second.* Is it necessarily a bad thing? Maybe, without it, we would be heading for a second ice age, and even if we are not, I wouldn't mind a few degress warmer here and there, especially the last few weeks.
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The data don't show we're heading for a second ice age right now. And if we are, we have learned ways to avoid it.
Predicting the localized effects are extremely difficult. Cletus's point about the Gulf Stream shows that--we might get colder in some places, offset by greater warmth elsewhere. While you shiver now, and hope for warm air, and in teh summer hope for cooler air, who knows how this plays out.
The reason there is a good concern is because of this uncertainty and because of hte change. There are massive costs just to change, even if they are "good" in certain respects. For example, say one has to move crops north for ideal growing conditions. So does that mean replanting all of the midwest? What about livestock--again, move it out of Texas? Don't forget coastal areas--better move those houses off the beach, and make sure the new ones have better air conditioning. It goes on and on--there's a lot of capital devoted to climate-specific needs of an area that would have to be adjusted. Perhaps the changes would come slowly enough that one can adjust without much cost, but I'm not so sure.
