Global Warming or Not?
I sometimes wonder what to believe when it comes to speaking about Global Warming. I just finished reading a very disturbing but not unbelievable story about polar bears becoming cannibalistic because of the ice melting and contributing to their losing their natural habitat, which in turn messes up the ecologically available food supply.But then I read the Farmer’s Almanac which paints an entirely different picture for the United States. It says we had one of the coldest winters in a long time last winter and that we can expect another cold winter this year.
It’s not ‘global’ warming then is it, if we are going to be colder? It sounds more like the continents are switching roles. Are we not going to be considered ‘sunny California’ in the future? Will it become ‘sunny Antarctica’?
Also another ecological dilemma I do find curious (although it has nothing to do with global warming) is a shortage of salt. Because I live in the East Bay, not far from the local salt ponds, it has become a ritual to remember to turn on the inside air circulation of my car as soon as I approach the Dumbarton Bridge and not turn off the inside circulation until I am well past Sun Microsystems and on Marsh Rd., ready to merge onto 101 because of the smell of the salt ponds (especially in summer) which is where you find brine shrimp (aka: Sea Monkeys, remember them?).
It is mind-boggling to see all the salt there now, especially in the bay right next to Sun Microsystems. When I worked there it was beautiful blue sea water and now it is blinding white and yucky muddy brown salt. I preferred the water, but what the hey!
On my trip to Bonaire last summer there was a nice big salt mine operation going on there. Where does that salt go? They have apparatus for loading up ships to haul it out. Although I do admit it is a very small island and probably expensive to ship the salt out of there, Bonaire looks like it could use the money because I would guess that the island’s income depends mostly on tourism. Do they use the salt in Venezuela which is just 50 miles off the coast of Bonaire? I think I will investigate where that salt goes, just out of curiousity.
I have been to the salt factory in Newark and it is fascinating. Plus there are some geocaches (one of my favorite fun outdoor activities) there that I have found. There are a lot of houses for sale in the Fremont, Newark, and Union City areas of the East Bay right now and because they are close to the Bay these cities have a pretty temperate climate all year round. Not too hot in summer and not too cold in winter. Plus the prices do tend to be cheaper than on the Peninsula. You just have a bit of a commute if you work on the Peninsula and live in the Tri-Cities. But with the temperate climate (whether it is helped/hurt by global warming or not) we certainly do not need the salt for our roads right now.
REAL ESTATE TERMINOLOGY:
Frontage – A term used to describe or identify that part of a parcel of land or an improvement on the land that faces the street or a body of water. The term is also used to refer to the lineal extent of the land or the improvement that is parallel to and facing the street.
anon said:
Your confusion over warming is exactly why most scientists and policymakers now refer to what we used to call “global warming” as “climate change”—since you’re right, it’s not necessarily about getting warmer in every part of the world. The changing patterns are a very real concern for the Bay Area, though, and many of the cities across the region are currently completing climate action plans to help plan for the impact of these changes. (Napa County is also looking specifically at the implications for their grape growing region.) While I don’t think we’ll see dramatic climate shifts in the near future, it’s definitely worth checking out what sorts of policies your city is putting into place, how it’s preparing for the future, and what that means for you as a resident.
September 23, 2008 11:25 PM
brewster said:
Every time a glacial sheet or mountain ice-pack retreats to some “all time historical never-before low”, it uncovers remains of human activity and settlements. Apparently, there were ancient civilizations who actually lived UNDER the glaciers and ice-packs. Maybe the mythical Atlantis just froze over?
Either that, or the climate change alarmists don’t have a clue what is going on, whether the glacial sheets and ice packs have ever retreated so far, or how many times in the past million or so years they might have done so.
25,000 years ago, CHICAGO would have been covered by the Laurentide ice sheet. The nearest thing to an SUV 15,000 years ago were Mastodons and Woolly mammoths. They must have been an extremely flatulent bunch to have ‘emitted’ enough greenhouse gasses to result in the loss of one thousand miles of glacial ice sheet before the industrial revolution.
September 24, 2008 2:13 AM
anon said:
The point is not that there aren’t natural cycles of temperature patterns across earth’s history—certainly there are—but that evidence suggests that we may be hastening this particular one by impeding the earth’s ability to mitigate these changes itself (adding significantly to the natural load of CO2, additional contaminants, etc.). Whether you believe it’s human impact or just Mother Nature, though, it’s certainly happening, and—seeing as this is a realty blog—has a very real impact on people looking to buy homes, especially those along waterfronts (check out Galveston, where the sea has risen enough post-Ike that some people no longer own any land at all—and no, insurance doesn’t cover that!) or in other areas especially affected by our changing climate. Even very slight shifts of a few degrees, if they’re consistent shifts, can be death knolls for an industry like wine—and at the same time might open up other lands for different uses in a more positive way.
September 24, 2008 8:26 AM
Sue said:
Anon & Brewster, Thank you for both of your posts. Yes, the change in the weather patterns has been happening and most definitely affects the real estate industry because it is what we do with the land that has a big impact on our environment including living creatures. I sometimes wonder about the way we humans seem to be squeezing out the natural plants and animals. How much does this affect the global climate change? – Sue
September 24, 2008 3:01 PM
Alex said:
Some people have suggested that global dimming may be even more a serious threat to our environment than that of global warming. I suspect the two are worth considering seriously. Thank you for your post.
September 26, 2008 5:15 PM