From: spike66 (spike66@attbi.com)
Date: Sat Apr 13 2002 - 22:38:08 MDT
Harvey Newstrom wrote:
> On Saturday, April 13, 2002, at 12:08 am, spike66 wrote:
>
>> Australia is as new as the US. We can move stuff back a few meters
>> if we
>> have to. Both continents have plenty of land. All the other
>> continents do too.
>
> We can't do that in Florida. The whole state is flat and only a dozen
> feet above sea level.
I admit my old home state will have a rough time. But we can do it.
> I doubt it will come to that, however. If global warming really
> exists, it will be slow.
Roger that, in spite of Hollyweird's version, Soylent Green and AI two
examples.
The statue of liberty torch sticking out of the sea, give me a break.
>> I was a scout, I agree with that philosphy. This planet is too cold and
>> there isnt enough CO2 in the atmosphere for optimal plant growth. We
>> could remedy both situations, leaving the campsite better than i was
>> when we found it.
>
> Spike, I can't tell if this is just your sense of humor, of if you
> really believe it.
I admit I am faaaar too silly on extropians, but yes, I do believe this
planet
is colder than optimal for life.
> Do you really think we have a low-temperature problem and that we
> need to raise it?
If possible, yes, about 5 degrees C. This attitude should be no
surprise coming
from a lifeform which evolved in Africa. That continent is warm and wet
mostly,
and we are all African transplants. A planet with a more Africa-like
climate would
allow humans to inhabit nearly all the land instead of our current
paltry fraction.
> Do you really think that air quality has too much oxygen in it, and
> we need to push the balance toward CO2?
We need not fool with the oxygen content. Keep that at its current 150 torr
partial pressure. Adding a bit more CO2 would not be noticed even by
our athletes and would help the plants, as well as perhaps raising the
thermostat a bit. Currently we have, what, 320-ish parts per million,
up from 260 before the industrial revolution? We could go to 1000 ppm.
>
> These disasters were not duds because they were false. We faught
> these threats, and we won.
Agreed, and we will do likewise with the current threats. But I do not
see climate change as necessarily a threat.
Harvey, my attitude is shaped by Robert Bradbury's vision of converting
the solar system's metals to computronium. The human brain is the closest
thing we have currently to computronium, so the first step is making way
for as many humans on this planet as we can. Humans are Africans, Africa
is warm, so why not terraform this planet to be warmer? So what if we lose
a bit of real estate in the deal? We can deal with that, especially if
we get
back Siberia, Antactica and the Sahara in the deal. Yes I will miss
Florida,
if cryonics works. But in the long run its a great trade. spike
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