Global Warming and health

World faces hottest year ever, as El Niño combines with global warming Independent Online 1/1/07 "combination of global warming and the El Niño weather system is set to make 2007 the warmest year on record with far-reaching consequences for the planet, one of Britain's leading climate experts has warned...the forecast for the next 12 months is of extreme global weather patterns which could bring drought to Indonesia and leave California under a deluge....global warming - already blamed for bringing drought to the Horn of Africa and melting the Arctic ice shelf ...Dr Hansen predicted that global warming would run out of control and change the planet for ever unless rapid action is taken to reverse the rise in carbon emissions..."We just cannot burn all the fossil fuels in the ground. If we do, we will end up with a different planet."... "

A bit perverse to live a healthy life and ignore the sick earth. According to Dr. Hansen we have roughly 8yrs to dramatically curb greenhouse emissions, after which a tipping point occurs and this planet changes dramatically. Our children and their children will suffer miserably. Issues such as health and longevity will be an artifact of the past. Just trying to survive will be the order of the day.

There is no greater threat to civilization than global warming and researchers know we have precious little time to act. And sadly global warming models don't take into full account factors like faster melting of methane hydrates. So things could actually be worse than the most gloomy peer reviewed climate model shows. James Lovelock also believes things are gloomy. And in his book Revenge of Gaia he shows how there has been a trend to underestimate global warming in almost all climate models of the last three decades.

What we are facing as Hansen and other climatologist argue is nothing less than the collapse of modern civilization... in this century. Lovelock foresees billions dead.

We don't have time for grass roots, we need politicians that understand the science, the implications and what they need to do. If they don't fully understand global warming, and if it isn't their number one issue, vote them out quick! The number one voting issue around the world should now be whether politicians fully understand global warming and what that means for civilization. All else, health and longevity included, are contingent.