> I am somewhat surprised at what appears to be a lack of understanding of the basic >science involved in climate change.

As a lurker who relies on this list for up-to-date summary and
analysis of the latest in beekeeping and biological science I am
frankly appalled to hear repeated suggestions that there is no
scientific consensus on climate change.

http://sci.tamucc.edu/~lsci/lsci/uploads/KWithers/climatechangescience.pdf
Short literature review

http://monthlyreview.org/2008/07/01/the-scientific-case-for-modern-anthropogenic-global-warming
Extended lay article which addresses many of the items brought up in
this discussion, including Milankovitch cycles.

Of course climate changes over time, independent of human activity.
Doubtful that anyone would suggest, however, that life on Earth has
never affected the climate (advent of blue-green algae, or peat, or
belching herbivores, for that matter).  And the climate record shows
that such changes as emerge from feedback between biological and
inorganic systems can occur surprisingly quickly on geological time
scales.  Look at the past temperature record and note the steepness of
the drop in temperature at the beginning of a glaciation period.

Given that we know there are tipping points that trigger re-alignments
in climate, but do not know exactly where those tipping points are,
and given that humans are having a serious effect on a wide variety of
biological systems, it seems absurd to assume that human activity
could not cause climate change, whether directly or indirectly.  If
algae can do it, so can we.

The ice core record indicates that there have been periods in the past
both colder and warmer than today that our civilization would find
acutely inhospitable.  Perhaps we should try not to rock the
atmospheric boat, and prepare for the effects of change no matter what
its origin.

Catherine Adamson

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