Iamon lyme:

> They don't come close to extinguishing all life on earth.

Like I said in severfal of my posts below, the problem with global warm ing is not one of ice melting and coastlines rising. The worst that could happen is that governments will have to move cities inland as water advances slowly. Some cities already under sea level will be overrun by the sea. That is not the problem here.

The real problem is the vapour pressure of water. A change of 1 degree Celsius in atmospheric temperature causes an increase in the vapor pressure of water. That means that 1 degree rise becomes an increase of 5 to 8% in the rate of evaporation of water from the surface of the earth. Now soild are drying 5 to 8 % faster than before. That will lead to a large increase in arid regions (deserts) in the planet, and an accompanying decrease in arable land surface. That means that grain will become harder to cultivate and it will become a lot more expensive. The middle class will just pay more for their food. The real problem is the poor (which make 2/3 of the population of the world). The poor will not be able to afford higher grain prices and a lot of people will go hungry.

The problem is not one of the world "ending" as they paint it in a couple of sensationalistic movies. The problem will be one of growth of deserts and famine.

People have to get out of the "end of the world" mindset, and start thinking of a growing population and less land to feed it because deserts are getting bigger every day.

People in North America are spoiled because the Prairies produce so much grain. Imagine life with half the grain we have now, all because the planet warmed up 1 degree Celcius. The grassland prairies of North America are for the most part semi-arid. They are the breadbasket of the world and a reduction in water in the soil will push them from semi-arid to arid, making them a lot less productive. That will be the true impact of global warming. Coastlines will be merely but an incovenience when compared to famine.