What would you do if your 4th grader wrote a doom and gloom report on Global Warming?

Lin, there was a global recession in 2009, so a bounce-back of everything (including fossil fuel consumption) in 2010 was to be expected. Just like 2009 was a huge up year for the Dow Jones index (after it crashed in 2008). Such short term bounces are not an indication of a change in the long term trends.

We are indeed screwing up the climate big time if we continue business as usual, but only gradually (like the frog who boils to death in slowly heated water). Our great grandchildren will curse today's deniers like Germans today curse the Nazis, but global warming isn't likely to be a hot button issue in the 2012 U.S. elections. Edit: Ian here is a typical YA know-nothing denier.

Of course big oil and big coal have been behind the INSTIGATORS OF (but not those suckered by) the anti-science denial and deception campaign. Limbaugh, Imhofe, Rick Perry, etc. are hardly lying stupidly for the hellofit. And, of course, not even the dumbest oil executive would waste a penny "buying" and "paying" for any of the low-level dupe deniers found on YA.

From the article: "Boden said the latest figures put global emissions higher than the worst case projections from the climate panel. Those forecast global temperatures rising between 4 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century with the best estimate at 7.5 degrees." I'm going to crunch some numbers here.

Let's look at previous temperature trends using Wood for Trees HADCrut3 index: last 10 years: +0.01C/decade (Edit: actually -0.005C/decade) last 20 years: +0.17C/decade last 30 years: +0.16C/decade last 50 years: +0.12C/decade last 70 years: +0.10C/decade last 100 years: +0.08C/decade last 150 years: +0.05C/decade A best estimate of 7.5F which is about 4.7C (minus the 0.7C rise which has already occured) and warming for the next 90 years would require a rate averaging +0.44C/ decade. We're going to need a couple of big "turnaround" years on the temperature front. A couple of 1998 El Ninos in a row to get things going.

Because temperatures are just not anywhere near trending to near half a degree per decade. Edit: For a visual of this, look at this HADCRUT temperature graph. Picture an add on to the right that extends it to 2100.

Then picture the Y axis going up to 5C and visualize what sort of upward acceleration would be required: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/14/... Note: Numbers have been rounded to make a point not to achieve three decimal place accuracy.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.