I've been watching the ITN reports on the 6.30 news this week about climate change.  We're told that the ice is melting in Antarctica because of carbon emissions - through burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil for energy.  We're told that there are many things we can do to fight global warming - use our cars less, reduce air travel,use more energy efficient appliances and products etc.etc.

I'll admit I've never taken much of an interest in the subject but one thing does puzzle me.   Apparently there's been 8 ice ages over the last few thousand years, so, presumably this isn't the first time the ice has thawed ?
Cars, planes, fridges and light bulbs are all modern inventions so what caused the climate to warm up thousands of years ago ?
If we've had as many as 8 ice ages surely that suggests that it's something that occurs naturally. 
Perhaps I'm missing something somewhere - can anyone enlighten me ?

There are scientists who would agree with you.  I think the worry is that it is that the changes are happening much faster than they would if there wasn't pollution.  Happily the prognosis by some scientists is that after man has made the planet uninhabitable for his own survival and so eventually kills himself the planet has a wonderful way of repairing itself.  Wonder what creatures will come after us?

They never say it could be all the nuclear waste they have put deep in the sea. I think the wales are trying to warn us!!!

You're not missing anything - climate change is a normal part of the planet's cycle. There have been major Ice Ages and mini Ice Ages; the Thames used to regularly freeze in the past and frost fairs were held on the ice. During the last major Ice Age there was ice covering the whole of Scotland and the northern half of England. The planet's climate cools and warms again naturally - when the change gets too great species either adapt or die out in certain areas or become extinct entirely. It's the fear of this happening to us that's causing the kerfuffle.

Just a little fact.
We are in THE MIDDLE of an Ice age!!!!!! Not at the end of one waiting for another one to come along.
At the moment we are Inter-glacial.
Lea :)

Thanks all :)
I suppose thousands of years ago there was no Mark Austen spreading doom and goom from the Antarctic so climate changes were never much of a talking point  !!
:-D :-D

My husband is in the Falklands at the moment (due home Friday - hooray, he can do the dog walks in the rain !). Anyway, a change from his normal RAF flying - he and the rest of the crew were asked to fly and photograph an area (South Georgia I think) where new icebergs had been found. It needed to be done for maps and shipping I guess.
He phoned the day after and said it was amazing, one of the bergs is about the size of the Isle Of Wight !. It's hard to imagine areas that size breaking away. They took about 100 pics - hmmmmmmm, I'll look forward to all those then !.

And of course at the end of the day the planet will carry on producing a variety of life whether we are here or not, you could argue that it would be a lot better off without us.

The fear at the moment is that we are beginning to affect the climate whereas in the past it was natural events that would have affect the climate.  The classic example being the asteroid that hit the earth 63 million years ago which may have wiped out the dinosaurs.  Other events like super volcanoes erupting can cool the earth because of the amount of dust etc they put in the atmosphere, these can tip the planet into an ice age.  It is possible that global warming could lead to an ice age because it could affect ocean currents that would make the northern hemisphere colder, if the gulf stream was stopped we in the UK could end up with winters as cold as they get in Moscow.

>we in the UK could end up with winters as cold as they get in Moscow.

Ironic, because this winter has been the warmest in Moscow for very many years! They don't have any snow, and the Russian bears are coming out of hibernation early!

Afraid I have to butt in here and recommend a DVD for all you climate change people: An Inconvenient Truth.... yes the Al Gore movie. While he may not be Mr Charisma he does really know his stuff and if watching that movie doesn't leave you reaching for the energy saving light bulbs then I don't know what will. I saw it in the cinema and my jaw just dropped. I think it's totally irresponsible for Tony Blair to be saying science will save us from climate change (somebody too chicken to tell America to fall into line? Ohhh controversial!) and for Jeremy Clarkson to say how wonderful global warming is because "it'll be like the south of France". Yes Jeremy but I'm guessing it will be harder to present Top Gear when there is no oil left to run your cars and when your house is underwater. A few tiny changes from everybody could make a real difference. *gets off her soap box*

Anyone see the Horizon programme some time ago?  If that didn't worry folks then nothing will.  And just to add to the doom and gloom we have moved 2 minutes closer to midnight on the doomsday clock.  I do my bit towards recycling, trying to cut down on energy, looking to see where my veggies come from etc.  We owe it to the next generation to do what we can - never mind what some scientists say or not.  Can we sit and do nothing?  Sorry soapbox put away now.

>when the change gets too great species either adapt or die out in certain areas or become extinct entirely. It's the fear of this happening to us that's causing the kerfuffle

Ahhhh but maybe it's Mother Nature trying to extinct us....After all it is us humans who have done the damage...get rid of the cause maybe? :D

I couldnt help but notice during this climate change "special" that they have sent all these reporters out by PLANE. Isnt that a bit hypocritical bearing in mind the carbon footprint it must have caused to get the reporters there ?

Totally agree ;)

And what about all the pollution pumped out by ships and tankers??  How much fuel is used and pollution caused by moving nearly a hundred million gallons of crude oil around the world by sea? 

How do we know that it's not caused by the permanent scientific stations in the Antartic?  After all they've been keeping them heated for years and that must have some effect  ;)

In Wales we are being told that waste disposal landfill sites will be full in 5 years, threats are being made to charge for every bag of waste material that councils take.  Of course that will make all the difference!  It's the householders who are producing all the packaging every product is deemed to require by manufacturers and producers   There's no mention by the government that unnecessary packaging will ever attract fines to the manufacturers and producers   And all that unsolicited junk mail will still have to be disposed of

>After all they've been keeping them heated for years

Not very heated. It's an offence to go between one room and another without being dressed for the outdoors, because the corridors aren't heated and there's a serious risk of frostbite!

They never will be able to bring charging for rubbish in - fly tipping is bad enough now when collection is free!  I have stopped using new plastic bags from the supermarket if I can.  Got asked by the lad in Tesco's - 'how many points do you want' because I had 3 large reusable bags.  I have to buy biodegradable bags to put my rubbish in now!  Yet to look for biodegradable poo bags as my supply of plastic dwindles.  But as you say - to avoid packaging is almost impossible.  I dilligently seperate, wash and squash my recycling and the lorry comes and squashes it all in the back together.  Do they really recycle I cynically wonder?

My recycling lorry has separate bins - they sort the stuff as they collect it. Well we sort it for them but they don't lump it together.

We have to have four different waste collections soon- the black wheelie bin (for everything that doesn't go in the other three) collectors who will come once a fortnight, the blue box (tins, cans, bottles etc) collectors, the blue bag (newspapers, card etc) collectors and they are soon to bring in a green wheelie bin collection (garden waste).

Well done to all those who do their bit to sort their rubbish for recycling but what a fantasic point raised earlier re getting on at the food manufacturers etc to try and cut waste there too :-) 

Stacey x

We get the regular rubbish removal and have two other bins which are collected weekly, but could do with another bin.  We recycle paper and junk mail (they don't take card, cardboard, greetings cards or coloured :rolleyes: )  Glass - but not window glass or lightbulbs, and plastics - but not plastic packaging or yoghurt pots :rolleyes: )  There's still an awful lot that could be recycled that isn't because the people who collect it here aren't geared up for it and haven't got the contracts :(

We tried making compost with some of our waste but couldn't get it to compost :(  although have made leaf-litter compost by bagging it and leaving it for 2 years :)  Not that we really have room for that with our tiny backgarden :(