This is how you get things done people !

[sunburnwilly]

Richard Branson takes a problem that affects us all and throws a bunch of money at it !

He is sponsoring a 25 MILLION DOLLAR prize to whoever can come up with a solution to the greenhouse gas problem . It might take a year , it might take 50 years . But dangling a big cash prize on it will get some people thinking !

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/ci_5201037

[Guest " "]

It will take 125,000 years. As the warming of the earth is a cycle, which occurs every 125,000 years. Evidence of this lies in both the north and south poles in the layers extracted from ice core samples.

There are various websites sponsored by the scientific community in the form of contributed facts.

Unfortuately, the general public is totally confused and has begun a general sense of acceptance that the current warming trend is strictly man made, and caused solely by the use of fossil fuels.

Opportiunist, and folks who benifet by continuing to feed this mis-belief would rather play it in their favor, rather than unbark on a simple public awareness camipaign.

There are a lot of folks who stand to make a lot of money if non-fossil fules and products become attractive under the pressure of an impending doom.

There are no heros here, just folks looking to make a buck.

[sunburnwilly]

So Fritz , are you saying that we are not harming the ozone and that this is just a cycle the earth is going through ?

Heck , Branson owns an airline company . Even he realizes that emissions need to be reduced .

Awe heck , let our kids and grandkids worry about it . We will all be dead before it affects us . []

[Guest " "]

sunburnwilly

Is the ozone hole a result of an expanding atmosphere due to the 125,000 year cycle of global warming? You can only spread that jam so far.

The ozone layer is thought to block harmful UV type rays which are harmful if exposed long term.

[Fish]

I know I can hardly wait till they solve the warming issue,I'm freezing to death in Indiana.The global warming gang needs to work outside more often in the winter.I'm predicting global cooling.

[Guest " "]

"Even he realizes that emissions need to be reduced . "

Thats a technology driver...which is a money maker.

Nothing can slow down or reverse the 1250,000 year cycle of global warming. Man and his fossil burning fuels present or not.

We are headed for some global warming, global cooling, ice age.

[sunburnwilly]

You know the problem with the 125,000 year cycle theory is that it does not take into account how much we are screwing up the environment .

I mean how long have we been industrialized , 150 years ?

[jacksonbart]

I am hoping that I will be owning ocean front property here in PA in the next few years.

[jheis]

It's coming, practice holding your breath.

James

[fini]

The ozone layer is thought to block harmful UV type rays which are harmful if exposed long term.

You think he doesn't know this?? Cripes, his name is sunburnwilly...

[DrWho]

greenhouse gas problem

I didn't know it was a problem...last I read it was just some whack theory blown outta proportion.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for green science and green industry, but let's not forget the awesomeness of our ecosystem and its ability to adapt.

[Jay481985]

sunburnwilly

Is the ozone hole a result of an expanding atmosphere due to the 125,000 year cycle of global warming? You can only spread that jam so far.

The ozone layer is thought to block harmful UV type rays which are harmful if exposed long term.

those cfc's and freon attacked primarily ozone in the atmosphere though...... Hence why we stopped manufacturing it.

[Jay481985]

greenhouse gas problem

I didn't know it was a problem...last I read it was just some whack theory blown outta proportion.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for green science and green industry, but let's not forget the awesomeness of our ecosystem and its ability to adapt.

I remember that if there were only 10000 human being the fact would be the human could pollute as much as they wanted without having much of an effect on the environment as the earth will heal itself just like it does after natural disasters like volcanes, floods, fires etc.

But remember in the last 100 years the population has increased exponentially (from 1 billion to 6) so I am wary to say that we should blatantly say that the ecosystem will handle it. We are in uncharted territory to say one way or another but by reducing emmisions we can atleast not speed up any process that we thing may happen. Ok that sounded terrible but its 3 am here...... But I do not like to test the waters so to speak. Sorta like I rather when walking on ice be sure that its frozen over solid then dancing on thin ice.

Also a pretty weird but good movie was Children of Men. This was the movie that Clive Owen chose over being the next James Bond. It was unreal at the same time makes you wonder. I will not spoil the plot so you have to watch it to understand what I mean.

[pauln]

You guys do realize that we are still coming out of the forth ice age, have been for the last 12K years and still have about 300 years more to go - ice melting, sea levels rising, deserts expanding, global warming...

[theplummer]

I'd like to insert my two cents here.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for new technology, or even existing low polution alternatives (like Nuclear powered electricity) I know everyones afraid of the radioactive waste here on earth with a 500,000 year half life. That's an easy fix, just load that crap into a solid fuel rocket and shoot it into the sun, see all gone.

But seriously, did you know that when Mount Saint Helen's erupted back in the 80's, that volcano eruption spell put more pollution into the air at one time, than ALL of the entire pollution that the industrial age has put into the air. Seems like mother nature can take care of its own pollution, but we have to carpool. Seems like Al Gore is still trying to sell his own brand of Snake Oil.

[jacksonbart]

I'd like to insert my two cents here.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for new technology, or even existing low polution alternatives (like Nuclear powered electricity) I know everyones afraid of the radioactive waste here on earth with a 500,000 year half life. That's an easy fix, just load that crap into a solid fuel rocket and shoot it into the sun, see all gone.

But seriously, did you know that when Mount Saint Helen's erupted back in the 80's, that volcano eruption spell put more pollution into the air at one time, than ALL of the entire pollution that the industrial age has put into the air. Seems like mother nature can take care of its own pollution, but we have to carpool. Seems like Al Gore is still trying to sell his own brand of Snake Oil.

That is it, I am going into the garage and pry off the catalytic converters from both cars.

Question, does the Mount Saint Helen emissions count againts the United State's total allowed emissions per the Kyoto Treaty? If so that is a rip.

[Jay481985]

I'd like to insert my two cents here.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for new technology, or even existing low polution alternatives (like Nuclear powered electricity) I know everyones afraid of the radioactive waste here on earth with a 500,000 year half life. That's an easy fix, just load that crap into a solid fuel rocket and shoot it into the sun, see all gone.

But seriously, did you know that when Mount Saint Helen's erupted back in the 80's, that volcano eruption spell put more pollution into the air at one time, than ALL of the entire pollution that the industrial age has put into the air. Seems like mother nature can take care of its own pollution, but we have to carpool. Seems like Al Gore is still trying to sell his own brand of Snake Oil.

and when russia exploded a 100 megaton nuclear bomb above ground it wasn't very nice to mother nature either.

[ZAKO]

I would rather have Globle warming that Globle cooling.....The Scientist calculate the population would suffer & half the people would parish. A ice age would cut into food growth faster. Another scientist calculated we need to reduce world population by 90 percent....Who wants to go first?

[sunburnwilly]

The ozone layer is thought to block harmful UV type rays which are harmful if exposed long term.

You think he doesn't know this?? Cripes, his name is sunburnwilly...

Good point .

I definitely burn easier now than I did 30 years ago when I started surfing . Back in the mid 70's the only sunscreen available was zinc oxide . But even with all the fancy sunscreen options available today , I still burn easier now than I did back then .

I still applaud what Richard Branson is doing . Even if the prize is never won there should be some good ideas coming from it .

Maybe someone should put a 25 million dollar prize on an exit strategy for Iraq .

[Myhamish]

Here's a scenario I read about a couple of weeks ago. A limited nuclear engagement (if there could be such a thing once the genie is out of the bottle) of about 40 weapons would create a nuclear winter to negate the global warming trend. Heck of a world we're leaving our kids. Hamish