The Observer has apparently gotten its hands on a formerly secret Pentagon report which anticipates drastic climactic changes over the next two decades, and beginning as early as next year. Highlights include rising sea levels engulfing coastal cities, and a Siberian climate in northern Europe (presumably caused by a change in the Gulf Stream). Here’s the source:
First question: What do you make of this news article (which doesn’t actually reprint the report itself)? Like, is the Observer one of those British tabloids with naked women on page three? Can we trust them on this? Or, do you suppose this was actually a piece of contingency speculation that got misunderstood, and it was only random luck that the Observer got this one instead of some other one imagining race riots or terrorist attacks?
Second question: Suppose it’s true. What would happen to Taiwan as a result?
So does this mean my suburban Atlanta property will eventually become prime beachfront? Cool!
At first glance the site doesn’t appear too “tabloid-ish.” But for this to happen in less than 20 years is a far cry from reality. Northeast/Western Taiwan’s low plains (where pretty much everyone lives) would be in serious trouble!
I’ll invest in some good beach chairs just in case.
The Observer is a well-respected left-of-centre Sunday weekly newspaper in the UK. Politics aside, it’s articles are usually well put together and well researched. This paper also sponsors the OSTAR (Observer Single-handed Trans Atlantic Race) or at least used to. If indeed rising sea-levels are going to be that catastrophic, they may have to look at the level of their sponsorship as this race could become significantly longer.
I saw the article earlier. My first thought was that it was yet more journalistic bullshit – deliberate misinterpretation of another Pentagon “what if?” study, in which the precondition was environmental catastrophe.
In other words, some think-tank creates a projection – “what if we enter a period of prolonged glaciation? Russia and northern Europe under ice, Canada turned into a skating rink?” Ok, starting from that premise, what military situations will arise – Russia invading China to get away from the cold, Canadians engaging in random hockey rampages, Europeans launching attacks against the U.S. for not burning enough fossil fuels.
I mean, look at the flap over Bush actually having an invasion plan for Iraq back in early 2001. My God, how could the U.S. ever think of attacking Iraq?? This must be evidence that BUSH LIED!
Except that the dumb journalistic twits forgot that Clinton officially created the policy of “regime change” in 1998. Of course the U.S. had plans – that’s what the military DOES. They have plans for how to deal with alien invasions, Mexican uprisings, and the Dalai Lama going nuclear. This is known as “being prepared”, a concept as foreign to journalists as sobriety.
I mean, face reality, people – even if the Pentagon really were expecting such nonsense, the timeframes are completely out of whack. Environmental change does not happen overnight (unless triggered by a major meteor impact, nearby supernova, or journalistic hot air).
Could it happen in 20 years … I don’t know since at what point do we say that it has taken a turn for the worse… and I do not really think many people want to wager on this and then wait and see if they were right or wrong on these predictions
In high school, climate was defined to me as the weather pattern over a 35 year period. If you look at the news you always see reports of extremes of weather such as snowing in East Turkey, flooding in the states, water droughts in Taiwan, boiling hot summers in Europe. OK these could happen as unique events but they seem to be happening within short spaces of eachother, and strange weather seems to be a recurring yearly.
Minor changes on a global scale can cause large changes on a local scale.
Is this part of the natural cycle?
Well since I was not round in the last ice age, I don’t know, but nobody else was either, so people are just theorizing. However we do know that CO2 emmissions cause a greenhouse effect. To what extenct this is impacting the planet, we cannot give exact numbers or rates of change, but we do know it is not helping
It is quite easy to sit there and blame the natural cycle of things as the cause of this, and thus we do nothing. However if these experts modelling is correct, then by sitting back we are adding to the problem.
from the same folks who spawned “the domino theory” and “mutual assured destruction”? oh goody, another reason to be afraid. have they decided how to spend the peace dividend now that the cold war is won?
Yes. I too would vote for that ‘jounalistic hot air’ theory!
[quote]‘Can Bush ignore the Pentagon? It’s going to be hard to blow off this sort of document. Its hugely embarrassing. After all, Bush’s single highest priority is national defence. The Pentagon is no wacko, liberal group, generally speaking it is conservative. If climate change is a threat to national security and the economy, then he has to act. There are two groups the Bush Administration tend to listen to, the oil lobby and the Pentagon,’ added Watson.
‘You’ve got a President who says global warming is a hoax, and across the Potomac river you’ve got a Pentagon preparing for climate wars. It’s pretty scary when Bush starts to ignore his own government on this issue,’ said Rob Gueterbock of Greenpeace.
We can easily see that Bush and the Gang are already in the driver’s seat on this one. A few little text changes in the “Patriot Act”, and they can shift gears from a “War on Terrorists” to a “War on Starving Citizens demanding relief.”
See?
When you consider what is at stake, you can see that it is also politically expedient for Bush to pretend to be a Christian so as to keep his hold on the largest voting bloc in the U.S. who do, in fact, believe in the “End of the World.” With a broader perspective, it is easy to see that monotheistic religions are the perfect tool by which the controls have been imposed on humanity, and through which, endless “belief wars” can be fought to distract the masses from the fact that there IS NO SAVIOR and cataclysms DO happen. All through their trials and tribulations, they will hang onto their faith, their hope that Jesus, Jehovah or Allah is gonna save them. And the same goes for the COINTELPRO created “New Age Religions” of alien airlifts and Allies of Humanity. All of it is designed to obstruct knowledge based ACTION.
All through the cataclysmic events predicted by the Pentagon Report, the “true believers” will follow the leader who tells them that all of these things are supposed to happen, and that they are a SIGN of the imminent return of the God or the aliens and their ultimate salvation, if they will only be good and obedient and suffer right to the end. And of course, the most insidious lie of all is that if they DO suffer right to the end, they will have a “home in glory!”
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
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