Krellin I don't get your point. Are you sayinig that the world is ok and we need to stop panicking? Based on what? Global warming isn't an issue at the moment - I don't feel the need to discuss it heavily. Environmental and ecological concern however is – I didn’t realise anyone was still disputing that fact.

Oil is going to run out by 2050 (this is a liberal estimate). Fossil fuels are not readily available and are finite. Pollution in the U.S. has improved but that improvement is nothing in comparison to the pollution produced by China and India, and what will be produced by developing countries in the next few decades.

What doesn't seem like a problem now IS, because these problems occur exponentially. So where our population by 2025 is estimated to be around 10 billion, those 10 billion produce more billions, who consume more resources quicker etc, making the future for our children incredibly bleak.

Children born in 2020 will face an uncertain future of an overcrowded earth with limited resources (imagine products like Cocoa, Mackerel, Bananas etc becoming luxury goods), a failing economic model (we ain't seen nothing yet in terms of depression) and nuclear-armed states including not only Iran and North Korea but potentially Japan, Turkey, Myanmar.

And you tell us we’ve got nothing to worry about.

I'm only partially joking. This asteroid was discovered a year ago next week. Should this asteroid have a trajectory of, say, New York, we would be absolutely powerless to stop it or mitigate its damages to the city. Compared to the billions we spend on fruitless anti-terrorism strategies, such as TSA and the two wars, we could be developing some kind of system to protect us from such a devastating impact.

Imagine if the asteroid WERE to have NYC as it's target. What the hell would we do? It's 160 ft in diameter, so it's not as if it's a huge thing we could simply shoot at with a missile and cross our fingers. It's also estimated that the impact (I use that term lightly, it would likely explode a few thousand feet over the surface of the earth due to compressed air creating heat in front of its trajectory) would be equivalent to roughly 70 Hiroshimas. We would be utterly defenseless and any major city would be obliterated. Compared to global warming and pollution and terrorism, an asteroid is a much bigger concern.

"Oil is going to run out by 2050..." Anyone that believes this statement is so far deluded by left-wing hytsteria there is no point in having a discussion.

You also having no reading comprehension skills. I didn't say there are no problems. I said *sensible* regulations are needed for such things as overfishing and pollution.

But, you clearly are off the deep end if you think oil will run out by 2050...that is hilarious, frankly...

Have a nice day.

What about anything I said was left-wing? Nutter.

"...a large enough supply for over 140 years at current consumption rates..."

And this is only one type of US oil reserves, does not cover, South America, Canada, Russia, etc etc etc...

http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/gas/us-energy-facts/

You know Syn...it's SO EASY to do research in this day and age...and yet you choose to live a life of hysterical ignorance. I pity you.

THat is why you are a left-wing nutter, Syn. Have a nice day. You are wasting energy with your pointless, ill-informed conversations.

I'm not left wing in the slightest - please tell me what makes you suggest that I am?

There are serious doubts about whether OPEC countries really have the oil reserves they claim. This is similar to the illusionary oil reserves that U.S. oil companies claimed to have in the decade prior to the 1973 and 1979 oil crisis.

I can find sources both that claim that the world will end tomorrow, and that there is NO energy crisis at all. Both are however false. It is widely accepted amongst experts in the field that there is an energy crisis.

"Compared to global warming and pollution and terrorism, an asteroid is a much bigger concern."

In potential damage, yes, but in probability, no. Two moving targets colliding when aimed at each other is hard enough. Since the development of the telescope in the early 17th century (400 years ago) meteor/asteroid strikes have all been small in nature. The earth is relatively small and moves so quickly that near misses have been all we have seen. Some people say "then it is inevitable" but that is like saying it is inevitable that a million sidded die will land on one million. Each throw is an independent throw and has no effect on the ones that follow nor is it affected by the ones before. Each near miss is, likewise, independent and neither affected nor affects any other. This isn't a build up of pressure underground about to cause a volcanic eruption or massive earthquake. Those build up over time and the longer it goes without a release, the mroe buildup. This is more like having ablidfold one, being spun around, and throwing a dart at a pin pong ball 20 feet way. Each is independent and each has the exact same odds of hitting.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/06/the-sky-is-falling/306807/

Okay, does anyone else think its extremely funny that on the day they predict an asteroid to have a close call, a completely separate asteroid hits earth?

"It is widely accepted amongst experts in the field that there is an energy crisis..."

No it isn't. Bald faced lie.

Hell, not even radical left-wing Democrats, or ANY government for that matter, is behaving in a way that demonstrates even a hint that there is a looming energy crisis. So...if essentially*nobody* is acting as if we are about to run out of the fuel that *runs* the world economy -- which, ifit vanished tomorrow would cause a global catastrophe -- who are all these shadowy figures that insist there is a looming energy crisis - by which we mean "we run out of energy and chaos, war, famine, etc rule the day...." <-- because that is what no energy means.

"There are serious doubts about whether OPEC countries really have the oil reserves they claim. This is similar to the illusionary oil reserves that U.S. oil companies claimed to have in the decade prior to the 1973 and 1979 oil crisis. " SERIOUS DOUBTS BY WHAT CREDIBLE SOURCE? My god...I have given you links to scientific publications on CO2, links to energy estimates...but yes, they are all lies by people who really know we will run out of oil in a short 40 years and they are just making these predictions about oil reserves to fuck with people.

You are a sad, sad little delusional man, Syn...I mean seriously, get a grip. I know it's hard to give up your religion of environmental doom and gloom, and I know that it's easier to believe the scary propganda because you aren't educated and researched enough to believe reasonable truth...but seriosly...the evidence of behavior of those *in the know* ought to suggest that maybe...JUST maybe...there is an industry (i.e. $$$$) built around doom and gloom. Al Gore has become a millionaire because of it...so you think he woudl spill the truth tomorrow if he learned it? Or teh "scientists" at East Anglia? No...then they lose their jobs.

It's funny...the left always claims the right-wing, the energy producers, etc are only in it for the money. And yet, IF your claims are true, and we will run out of oil, then these fossil fuel energy producers woudl be shifting to energy production that is NON-fossil fuel based, so that they could keep going. BUT..they aren't...so, what, they are just pretending that we have oil reserves, but are lying...for what purpose? Why would an oil company lie, when, if there truly WERE depleted oil reserves, they could be charging 100 times teh price per barrel if we were in danger of running out. APPLY LOGIC, and you see it makes no sense.

On the flip side, why would the environmentalists lie? Because, their lies do no harm...first, because nobody pays attention to them, so their impact on society is nill,other than to create enviro-zombies like yourself...and as long as enviro-zombies like you exist, and will keep funding their bogus, pointless "research" (of cooked data..), they keep getting paychecks...so no harm, no foul...they can lie all they want and it doesn't matter.

But if the energy producers lie they go broke when the oil runs out...which makes no sense.

So no matter how you look at it....whether it is the *actual* data (and you have produced no counter data...), or the logic of behavior...you don't have an argument.

@GOLDFINGER -- Clearly this is Obama's doing. Secret mission to the moon...they broke off a chunk and hurled it at Russia because Putin's a bitch and won't take his calls...

*skims thread about asteroid*

*krellin is saying someshit about Obama*

http://25.media.tumblr.com/c07e5395fc8b0a35f5460494aea219ad/tumblr_mgc13aURp81qjvsoxo1_250.gif

""Oil is going to run out by 2050..." Anyone that believes this statement is so far deluded by left-wing hytsteria there is no point in having a discussion."

As a proud left-wing nutjob, I'd like to say even I don't believe oil will ever "run out". Long before it runs out, it will get so expensive as to make alternatives relatively affordable. This will naturally create economic problems and instability, but it won't be like waking up one morning to find out the wells have all gone dry.

I'm not one to believe that the invisible hand of the market will solve all our problems, but if there's one problem the market is good at solving, it's scarcity.

Krellin - I know this might be a novel issue to you - but not everything can be condensed down into Left-Wing Liberal Douche vs Angry Conservative Redneck.

I am in no way left-wing, I repeat. To be concerned about environmental degradation is not left-wing policy.

@goldfinger - A meteor hit in Russia today, but no completely different asteroid. You need to understand the difference.

Caring for the environment? LIBERAL SCUM

Caring for the environment - The ethical behavior of every human being

Believing junk science, especially went confronted with actual scientific evidence to counter your demented beliefs makes you a sucker and a fool.

Still waiting for you to provide some evidence of your beliefs.

Good news, guys. It didn't hit us.

Left-wing doucbaggery is when you IGNORE facts and hold tight to hysterical, unsupportable beliefs...such as "we will run out of oil by 2050" even when I provide you evidence that *one* type of US oil reserves alone has enough for 140 years. And TRUTH is that MOST oil estimates are *conservative*...ie LOW. So...you are just emotionally tied to a doom-and-gloom belief.

It's sad, really. I pity you.

"IT" didnt' hit us...but the foul alien life-forms which will infest all humanity and start the zombie plague are now spreading on the winds over Russia...and will sooner-than-you-think be in a neighborhood near you..

Kind of like the alien bacteria that came back with the probe in Andromenda Strain only more evil and virulent.

Lol you think that believing in something about oil reserves is left-wing.

NO....I think that believing something anti-energy about oil which is spewed by the radical left WHICH IS CONTRARY TO DEMONSTRABLE EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY

....IS left wing nutt-baggery...

.errr...excuse the misstatement of double negatives...errr...yah...

SYN -- why don't you just try this...READ something contrary to your emotionally-held religious environmental beliefs -- because you don't believe in science, you believe in a new form of modern day religion -- read something contrary to this...you know, like the papers I linked you to which I *know* you did not read...or the energy link I provided which I *know* you did not examine...

Do yourself a favor and read these things with an open mind - it'll ease your hysterical mind to accept some soothing truth. But that's the problem, as I stated before -- You aer *totally* unwillig to even consider *facts* that oppose your *belief*.

THAT is why I call your beliefs a religion - because they fit the definition of religion - hysterical mindless worship of a belief for which there is no supporting proof.