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Louis wrote: "once again, keep in mind that the problem is climate change, not global warming." Climate change has been around for billions of years. It cannot be eliminated, though future generations might be able to control it to some extent. In the meantime society should expect phenomena such as the 1 degree C cooling experienced in the Bolivian highlands over the past 5 decades. My point is that in a rationally organized society such phenomena would not have the impacts they have today. Note that the author also says the Bolivian highlands are poorer than the lowlands. I suspect poverty, and not the change in temperature, is the underlying problem - otherwise we'd have to conclude that what the poor of the Bolivian highlands need now is more global warming! "Words to note: THE FOUR CONSECUTIVE WARM SUMMERS OF 2002 2003, 2004 AND 2005 ALMOST COMPLETELY ELIMINATED THE GLACIER." Noted, but remember that glaciers have been retreating and disappearing for thousands of years. One main reason is surely natural global warming - what you'd expect in an inter-glacial period such as the one we are living through. But the Chacaltaya story shows us that, paradoxically, cooling can also contribute to the process. The question then is whether human activity adds anything to the natural and inevitable patterns of climate change, and if so how much and with what consequences. That question is very difficult to answer. "In brief, the drop in winter temperatures is offset by a rise in summer temperatures. Paula, in the future when you are trawling for factoids to support a denialist perspective, at least take the trouble to read your material more carefully" I'm afraid it's you who should have been more careful. Andersen's article on Chacaltaya does not say that the drop in winter temperatures is offset by a rise in summer temperatures. What it says is that summer temperatures have also dropped, but *less so* than winter temperatures. The article does not tell us at all *why* 2002-2005 were warm summers, but the wikipedia page does say that 'The final meltdown after 1980, due to missing precipitation and the warm phase of El Nino, resulted in its final disappearance in 2009'. For those interested, the Andersen article on Chacaltaya is at http://www.inesad.edu.bo/mmblog/mm_20090323.htm. The wikipedia page is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chacaltaya. Paula ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
