25 March 2013

Birthday

D.C. Fontana b. 1939

Many happy returns to the writer best known for her work on Star Trek.
 

Prediction: Much of Florida could be underwater if the oceans rose 15 to 25 feet by the mid 21st Century.

Predictor: S.H. Schneider and R. Chen in 1980, reprinted in The OMNI Future Almanac in 1982

Reality: We are now about halfway between 1980 and 2050 and the oceans haven't shown anything like this kind of increase yet. If you read my math blog, you'll know I have been looking at climate data for about a month now and I've come to three conclusions.

1. The climate is changing, with most of the planet warming, some of it much faster than the rest, notably in the polar regions.
2. Humans are making things worse.
3. The worst case scenario stuff about increases in sea level haven't taken place yet and it's not given that they will in our lifetimes. Knowing what little I do about complex systems, it's not easy to predict how things will fall apart due to a changing climate.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Tuesday is Robert A. Heinlein day, and I'm in a good mood so I'll find something from Sensible Bob.

Join me then... IN THE FUTURE!