Comments on Capital Mind: Off Topic: Global Warming Emails Reveal Potential ...

In case of wind power, its quite dangerous to harn...

2009-12-14T22:11:31.977+05:30

In case of wind power, its quite dangerous to harness the wind. The energy in the wind is made to turn the rotors hence the wind loses its energy which in turn would not cause showers in some areas. So then who will be responsible?

Thanks for the comments - the GW folk have just re...

2009-12-01T10:32:36.668+05:30

Thanks for the comments - the GW folk have just released the raw data and it'll be useful to see how that has moved over the last few years. Right now there is the El Nino and La Nina effects that warm/cool the world - and the oceans are cooling though we don't know if it's that effect.

The mid-term 18,000 year cycle wise - we are not anywhere close to, or beyond the SD of the warming curve. There was a "mini" ice age about 300 years ago, and we should be warming from then regardless of human input.

This issue is too complex to discuss in a comment - shall be looking at more data as it comes along. Happy to change my view - am just skeptical, not yet convinced either ways.

Hi Deepak, While sitting in Delhi you won't unde...

2009-12-01T08:50:48.262+05:30

Hi Deepak,

While sitting in Delhi you won't understand the impact of couple of degree change, perhaps someone at higher latitudes would help you understand its implication.

Here just tab above boston, ponds use to freeze in mid oct. As a child in 70s, we could skate on them. Fast forward 2000s, we would be lucky to see them freeze even few inches on top.

Up here in New Hamsphire, maple trees do not get ready to sap until late fall (while I remember that happening in late summer).

in 70s Christmas meant snow, it was synonymous, and now we just feel gods gift if we have one.

So dipping your hand in hot water will not tell you whether it is hot or cold. It will remain hot. Because you do know what is cold. I bet you would have not seen more than two seasons (rain/hot).

Before you dish out such an irresponsible article questioning GW, you better expand your horizon and check it out in proper context. Come out our hole and look beyond your nose.

Otherwise than this, you have a good blog.

Deepak, you hit the nail. Damn right. As you said ...

2009-11-25T02:00:44.438+05:30

Deepak, you hit the nail.
Damn right.
As you said greenism has become a religion and these days people go extreme protecting their religion,however rubbish it may be.

I agree completely clean water, air and reduced pollution is welcome and required.

Good article Deepak. I myself am a sceptic and ha...

2009-11-25T01:31:11.592+05:30

Good article Deepak.
I myself am a sceptic and had similar questions. Some of them I have been able to answer, but not all.

1. 'for a GW scientist to say "there is no global warming'

Technically speaking, there is no GW scientist. There are environment scientists. Even if some new theory/model comes up which predicts global cooling / wetting/exploding or any other climatic effect, these scientists would be the most qualified to understand, evaluate and explain to us the new theory and its implications. So, it will not exactly be a career suicide.

But yes, prejudice sometimes affects a whole industry. E.g. Einstein, in spite of his genius and his best intentions, spent 2 decades in a fruitless and pointless attempt to disprove Quantum Mechanics - "God does not play dice with the Universe".

2. 'IMHO, carbon dioxide is actually good'

Very misleading. The question is not of good or bad of the gas. Excess of oxygen is as bad as that of carbon dioxide. 0.036% CO2 is good/neutral. We have just not evolved to take in CO2 levels more than 20% so that may be bad.

3. 'Wouldn't it be better to learn to live with the impact of warming'

It is easy for us to say this. But in past few thousand years when sea-water has receded because of "Global cooling", humans have occupied much of low altitude areas - e.g. Bangladesh,Maldives etc. Such people are screwed in case of global warming. Whether it is ethical to save money/effort by eliminating whole cultures/countries is debatable. Myself, I am not sure if it is right.

4. "Are we warming"
You are right, we have no clue whether we are warming. The whole field has become so politicized so it is impossible to trust any data. But general observation is of warming because - land use. One thing is certain, cutting a forest and making a concrete/asphalt jungle definitely increases local temperature. As more and more people are moving to cities, they feel temperatures are rising. And they attribute it to "global" warming, when it can possibly be "local" warming because of land use.

Bjørn Lomborg made a detailed argument through his...

2009-11-23T21:36:43.793+05:30

Bjørn Lomborg made a detailed argument through his book called "The Skeptical Environmentalist", not just against global warming, but other similar scientific theories. That did upset a lot of such scientists :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bj%C3%B8rn_Lomborg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skeptical_Environmentalist

Warming or not it will be wiser to curb unnecessar...

2009-11-23T05:14:27.261+05:30

Warming or not it will be wiser to curb unnecessary consumption and environment harming practices. Look at the pictures from China. http://www.chinahush.com/2009/10/21/amazing-pictures-pollution-in-china/
It won't hurt to keep air, water and land clean as possible.

Hi Deepak, I doubt your first statement, i feel ...

2009-11-23T00:45:25.777+05:30

Hi Deepak,

I doubt your first statement, i feel it IS getting warmer. Maybe the last 2 years may have been slightly different but as you yourself point out in your 2nd argument, we need to consider larger time scales.
Your third point is bit technical and i dont have the required competency to comment on that, however my gut feel says that since industrialization and its effects are definitely not natural hence they should effect negatively only..
Rgds,
Mayank

Timely release of such nonsense before the Copenha...

2009-11-22T13:38:34.045+05:30

Timely release of such nonsense before the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change (Dec. 7th - 18). Will it change the overwhelming opinion about Climate Change? No.

Industrialied Countries may try to use this Nonsense to counter reduction of per capita emission of Greenhouse Gases and Warming. Frugal India is one of the lowest in terms of per capita emission.

Britain (US Colony in Europe) will dish out all such Nonsense in favour of their Masters.

MK

One - If there was no warming, Maldives wouldn't b...

2009-11-22T08:36:31.875+05:30

One - If there was no warming, Maldives wouldn't be sinking.

Two - Regardless of the warming / no warming arguments, the responses towards climate change all seem to be for the better than worse.... like green energy, moving away from oil which is good for our economy, preservation of forests etc.... So might as well get on with it.