Climate change or Global Warming - natural cycle or man made. Are we facing extinction?

Very few of us that pontificate on the effects of the weather are actually experts in the subject. It seems to have become a political platform which is easy to use, primarily because no one can prove its validity one way or the other. Meteorology is far from my forté, but I understand enough to know that world climatic changes are cyclical. Ignoring the major shifts, into full-blown ice ages, the climate of our part of the Northern Hemisphere is reliant, to a great extent, on the vagaries of the Gulf Stream.

Consider, for a moment, that, in the UK, we are significantly further North than Canada and logically, during the winter, we should be much colder. To illustrate the point, during late November/December, in certain parts of Canada, the temperature can be minus 30-40°C. Add to this the wind-chill and we are looking at minus 60°C plus. (Exposed flesh freezes in minutes). However over the same time in our most Northerly area of Scotland we are only looking at plus 5 to minus 5°C.

The difference is as a result of the Gulf Stream flow – the warm waters of the Caribbean and Gulf swing up the east coast of the USA, then arc across and down, bathing the UK and part of Western Europe. Climatic changes in the past have caused this flow to slow or even stall which has resulted in fierce winters in the UK (hence the Thames freezing in Victorian times and many times previously, in roughly 100-150 year cycles.) The recent effects of “El Ninio” and its siblings have nearly stalled the flow several times recently. Only by luck, so far, we have escaped the consequences, but the changes in flow and water temperature has greatly affected the fish stocks. The Government seems to feel that an excuse of “over fishing”offers an easy answer without them putting any effort into the problem. However, fish follow the feeding grounds which are greatly influenced by water temperature, we are feeling the effects here and in the Southern Hemisphere the lush fishing grounds off Peru have moved further South to the coasts of Chile, Argentina and the Falklands.

Everything to do with the oceans is a fine balance, generally man is so insignificant, compared with Mother Nature, that our crude attempts to destroy the world is shrugged off with contempt.

Forget also the nonsense about the “hole in the ozone layer”. Real research has shown that the density of the ozone layer has varied over aeons and has little or no bearing on CO2 emissions or chlorinated hydrocarbons. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t underestimate the ability of man to really screw up the world – he has done it before, several times, but that is a whole different subject, worthy of in-depth discussion at some later time, when the secrets of Antarctica will be revealed. This is an article I am working on and will publish as soon as I have sufficient verifiable information.