Sunday, April 19, 2009

Ice Age or Global Heat Wave?



Happy Earth Day! Fox News and several other news agencies are reporting that Antarctic ice is actually growing, not shrinking. You would think this would be big news, right?

Well, there seems to be some discussion on this topic (see the linked blog for a good conversation between several individuals). Indications show that west side of the ice is melting while the east side is expanding. Scientists are in a funk.

I highly recommend you read the above blog and feel out what the people are saying. In the end, one person suggests that the reason that Antarctic ice is melting due to an underwater volcano that is heating it up. I guess that would be contrary to evidence that it’s global warming. The pro-global warming scientist who maintains the blog doesn’t respond to this suggestion and in the end, she admits that, “there is no clear temperature trend.” No temperature trend means that any evidence of global warming doesn’t come from the Antarctic.

Some scientists believe we’re going into another ice age and others warn us about global warming. My take? No scientist is considering that the earth is a living thing too. It is a changing and independent creature. All living things change; they do not remain static.

President Obama’s science adviser, John Holdren is so worried about global warming that he and others are considering “dire” options to combat global warming. They say geo-engineering techniques that include reflecting the sun’s rays by shooting artificial volcano particles up into the atmosphere would help stem the soaring greenhouse gases. However, other geo-techs remind us that volcanoes carry their own atmospheric issues.

What can we take away from all this discussion? We have a lot of chicken little’s and no trust in God. Are we so careless to think that God won’t take care of us? Do we think that God looks at us as just little ants and He cares so little about His creation that he’ll just sit and watch us flail? This is just another indication that our society has forgotten God…not the other way around.

What should we be asking? (1) Are we looking at the global warming/cooling problem from God's perspective or is it all about us? (2) Are we looking at the earth as a living creation or something we need to control?

The conclusion: either we trust God or we don't.

Come by next week when I discuss carbon footprints and leveling. Curious? Tell me what you think that topic will be about.

10 comments:

smithsk said...

The chicken little analogy is so true! So much wisdom in those parables. Good read.

Denise Miller Holmes said...

I have also heard that global warming can cause an ice age because when the ice sheets melt, it lessens the salt content of the ocean. This salt in our oceans acts as a pump, helping the ocean to move around and, thus, circulate warm tropic waters. When there is less salt, the pump stops working and the warm water stays where it lays, so to speak. Without the warm water at our farthest north and south regions, we begin to see rapid cooling and eventually an ice age. Anyway, it's a theory.
Whatever is going on, whatever happens, I still believe God is in control, and that gives me peace.

Loretta Oakes said...

Denise:

You are right there are theories to that extent. But that theory includes the fact that some melting of fresh water is necessary to keep the balance of the salt as well. There's always a happy medium. So there's a need for some melting, but the key here is that there is four times the amount of ice building than melting.

Your last comment is perfect! God is in control! That makes more sense than us being in control.

Loretta Oakes said...

Thanks, Susan and Denise!

Jan Parrish said...

Very true. I think Global warming is ridiculous. Too many people with too much time on their hands. We are charged with being stewards of the earth and we should do our best to conserve. But lets not panic about the status of our earth. God is in control.

Joanna said...

I, by no means, am a scientist, but I'm just wondering - if we do reflect the sun's rays, where would the heat go? Would it go back to space, the sun, or other parts of our planet? Wouldn't the reflected heat cause in imbalance in a delicate system? It seems like we would be messing around with what God created and not in a good way.

Kay Day said...

People seem to need something to do.
Some way of feeling they are in control. So if they have to imagine up some catastrophe so that they can fix it, well, I guess it makes them feel more significant.
Even with this flu thing. It is so important for the powers that be to believe that they have some kind of power.

They don't. We don't. In the face of "acts of God" we are helpless. I think some people will never get that. They want to be the biggest thing on earth.

Also, I think things are cyclical and since people haven't always been keeping track of polar ice caps, it's quite possible that they go through these changes regularly.

Anonymous said...

If one takes the argument that our planet is a "Living Creation" (see: Gaia hypothesis from years ago) and whose spiritual beliefs include stewardship of the Earth, then we ought be be doing a whole lot more to make sure she's healthy and happy.

Anonymous said...
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Loretta Oakes said...

Trevtop:

You are absolutely correct. We should be doing a lot more to take care of our living creation of earth. We are stewards of the earth. Stewards mean you take care, you don't use and leave.

Thanks for your comments.

Loretta