I started to leave this as a comment over at Borepatch’s place but it just kept growing and growing so I made it a post.
I was at the Natural Science Museum today, and I relearned a few things that I’d forgotten over the years. (And saw a few new things like the amazing giant sloth.)
SLOTHZILLA!!!!
In the Cambrian period, 500 million or so years ago, CO2 in the air was 20-35 times what it is today. Humans had nothing to do with it.
At the end of the Permian period, there was a mass extinction event. 95% of all life on Earth died. Humans had nothing to do with it.
In the Jurassic period CO2 levels were 4-5 times today’s level. Temperatures averaged 3 degrees Celsius warmer than today. Humans had nothing to do with it.
In the Cretaceous period CO2 was about what it is today. Still no humans.
Another huge extinction event at the end of Cretaceous period. Humans were not involved.
In the Eocene period CO2 was back up to 10 times what it is today. Antarctica was missing its ice cap. Humans had nothing to do with it.
Finally, Humans show up in the Holocene period and immediately start screwing up the weather.
Yes, climate change is real. It’s ALWAYS been happening. And for 99.9998% of the 4.5 billion years the Earth has existed, humans weren’t around to have anything to do with it.
But you see those past climates weren’t suitable for humans. Only the perfect, constant climate of the thousand years before 1950 could give rise to civilization, the renaissance, modern technology and progressivism.
Alan: You Denier!
Tim: The “perfect” temperature obviously is what you find on Campus, or outside the offices of the New York Times.
You neanderthals don’t get it – if the earth gets much warmer, the college professors will no longer be able to wear sport coats, and will need to put the suede patches over their elbows directly on their shirts.
This will make them look and feel ridiculous, and they will take their frustration and embarrassment out on their students, who will not have a positive college experience, and will then not send THEIR kids to college.
This will lead to the end of civilization as we know it, and must be avoided at all costs.
The earth’s atmosphere wasn’t breathable until about 800 mya.
Too little O2.
During the Carboniferous Period ( 295 to 360 mya ), the O2 levels were seriously high due to the extensive plant life, and the inability of insect herbivores to make a serious dent in the sequestered carbon.
Insects grew to be gigantic due to the 30% O2 level ( at that level, inefficient breathing systems worked fine at large scales ), and any fires that got started burned flesh/chiton just as easily as dried plant matter.
So, that is obviously what the greenies want:
An Earth ruled by giant insects, where any attempt to use fire results in the firemaker becoming a human torch.
Now Alan, you ‘know’ reality doesn’t play well with those folks…LOL
Correlation doesn’t equal cause. just because there were no humans 500 million years ago, doesn’t mean they didn’t cause the CO2 and glowball warming. Gaia knew the evil corporations were coming and killed off all the dinosaurs so save then the horror of coexisting with humans.
@Nguyen
That has to be one of the funniest global worming comments I’ve read in quite some time.
Racist.
Those precambrian life forms would still be around if they’d listened to Al Gore. See, that’s evidence that he’s right, it’s what he’s trying to prevent! It’s all there in the movie, if you’d only pay attention.
Hater.
You’re no fun any more.