February 15, 2005 10:26AM
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Registered: 19 years ago
Posts: 3,874
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HI Joanne,
But correlation is evidence of causation when there is a testable mechanism involved.
Go back to the birds. The correlation exists but is meaningless because there is no connection between the two events. However, if, for example, we discovered that birds were attracted to green grass, and the greener the grass the more likely it is that birds will be nearby, we have a physical, testable mechanism - correlation becomes evidence of causation (green grass causes there to be more birds) and evidence against causation (birds make grass green).
The analogies fail because the link between global warming and man-made greenhouse gasses is not simply one of correlation. There is also the knowledge that those gasses, when formed "naturally", act as greenhouse gasses. It is a known physical process. The only real argument is whether man made gasses are having a significant effect on an already-existing warming trend and how the word "significant" is interpreted. There is no doubt that CO2, whether from animal respiration, volcanoes or power stations, has a warming effect. This is based on the physical properties of the gas in the atmosphere, not on correlations.
The only real unknown is whether the 2% (or whatever) of CO2 added by humanity to the atmosphere has a negligible effect or is putting enough energy into the atmosphere to disrupt climate patterns (which is the real issue, not a couple of degrees mean global temperature increase). To claim that it is just a correlation is to ignore the physics.
Pete
God is our guide! from field, from wave, From plough, from anvil, and from loom; We come, our country's rights to save, And speak a tyrant faction's doom: We raise the watch-word liberty; We will, we will,we will be free!
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Anthony |
February 12, 2005 03:30PM |
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Joanne |
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Katherine Reece |
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Anthony |
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Katherine Reece |
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Warwick L Nixon |
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Joanne |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Stephen Tonkin |
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Anthony |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Joanne |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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John Wall |
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wirelessguru1 |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Dave L |
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Simon |
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Anthony |
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Katherine Reece |
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Katherine Reece |
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laura |
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Joanne |
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laura |
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Joanne |
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Simon |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Joanne |
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Simon |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Simon |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Simon |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Simon |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Simon |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Simon |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Simon |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Simon |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Joanne |
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Simon |
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Joanne |
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Simon |
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Pete Clarke |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Pete Clarke |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Joanne |
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Pete Clarke |
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Joanne |
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Pete Clarke |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Joanne |
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Simon |
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Anthony |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Simon |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Pacal |
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Anthony |
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Joanne |
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Katherine Reece |
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Pete Clarke |
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Joanne |
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darkuser |
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wirelessguru1 |
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darkuser |
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Lee |
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darkuser |
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Joanne |
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darkuser |
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wirelessguru1 |
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darkuser |
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wirelessguru1 |
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darkuser |
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wirelessguru1 |
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darkuser |
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lobo-hotei |
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wirelessguru1 |
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darkuser |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Joanne |
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darkuser |
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Joanne |
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Pete Clarke |
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Joanne |
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Pete Clarke |
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Joanne |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Pete Clarke |
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Anthony |
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Joanne |
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Anthony |
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Simon |
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Simon |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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Simon |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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wirelessguru1 |
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Simon |
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Tommi Huhtamaki |
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wirelessguru1 |
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darkuser |
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