Hey, guys.  Just wanted to get your opinion on a couple issues I've been thinking about with respect to the global warming debate:

If global warming is a bad thing, why do the meteorologists always act so thrilled when temperatures are above-normal?  Don't get me wrong, days like yesterday are beautiful but if global waming is such a threat to our future, aren't a lot of above-normal temps a bad sign?  If this is the case, you'd think that mets would know better than anyone not to be happy over this.

Does anyone else get the impression that global warming and "going green" is starting to sound more and more like a money-making gimmick or fad?  All these companies are coming out with enivronmentally friendly products, "organic" products, "green" products, etc.  Makes me a little skeptical.

Devilsfan, good question. The conventional answer is probably that changing weather patterns would seriously disrupt or change current agricultural and economic structures. Changes usually leads to chaos, at least in the short term. However, the accuracy of those forecast changes would need to be factored. Further, there are so many wrong "facts" being thrown around I wouldn't even know where to begin. One very common one is the belief that global warming will lead to the flooding of coastlines due to rising water levels as the north pole icecap melts. The truth is that the melting of the icecap would have no impact on water levels for the same reason that a glass of ice water does not overflow as the ice cubes melt.

personally i think it is BS.  should we be "green"?  why not. just please stop ramming this stuff down our throat.  robbbs good point on with the ice.  i heard another doom and gloom scenario over the weekend..the bee situation.  cell phone use is disrupting bees and depleting their numbers.  if there is no pollination, then no life (in a nut shell)  that sounds a little unsettling.  have to research some more.

  found the bee thing, i posted it under climate folder