[Coral-List] Bleaching

Eugene Shinn eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu
Sat Apr 9 17:59:35 UTC 2022


Doug, I maintain that reducing present levels in 8-years clearly is not 
realistic. I  said, "if Co2 were stopped today it would take about half 
a century for Co2 levels to drop to pre-industrial levels." I was being 
conservative because I am too lazy to look up the correct figure. Phil 
Dustin wrote me and assured me because of the half life of Co2 in the 
atmosphere it would actually take 125 years to reach pre-industrial 
levels. Now think about it. Do you really believe we humans will be 
around 125 years from now to appreciate coral reefs? The way things are 
going now we will be lucky if our culture last another 2 generations. 
History shows (except for ancient Egypt) it takes more than 100 or 200 
years for a culture to peak but they fail within about 2 generations. I 
am now 88. As I watch what is happening  I suspect we reached our peak a 
couple of generations ago already. We do it to our selves. We just can't 
help our selves. I suppose if we are gone the reefs might come back as 
they have throughout geologic history. Gene

On 4/8/22 3:08 PM, Douglas Fenner wrote:
> Gene,
>     I'm curious.  You long criticized evidence of global warming, then 
> that humans caused it, and it sounds like you are now saying we 
> shouldn't do anything about it.  I say "sounds like it" because as 
> usual, you don't say it clearly.  Sounds more like you are trying to 
> distract people and obfuscate.  I think you prefer to call yourself a 
> "skeptic" than a "denier."  Skeptic sounds more legit.   But it's in 
> the same cause, obviously, stopping any action on climate change. All 
> you have to do is spread enough doubt.
>     So I'm wondering, how about it, are you still skeptical of global 
> warming, climate change, humans causing it, it killing coral or 
> threatening corals worldwide, and think we shouldn't do anything about 
> it?  In other words, are you still a skeptic or denier?
> Cheers, Doug
>
> On Wed, Apr 6, 2022 at 1:22 AM Eugene Shinn via Coral-List 
> <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
>     Thanks Austin, I have become so used to broken promises by governmens
>     and businesses that it just bounces off. I recall many climate change
>     authors claiming that if all sources of Co2 were stopped today it
>     would
>     take about  half a century for Co2 levels to drop to pre-industrial
>     levels. Reducing present levels in 8-years is not realistic. Gene
>
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