Boa Constrictor arguments

[WingedWolfPsion]

I suggest people start mentioning that if climate changes makes the lower US habitable for boa constrictors, then natural range expansion will occur. They will not be an invasive species, they will be a native species. The last I was aware, species that naturally extend their range were not considered invasive or alien species.

Here is a range map I found to support this suggestion:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.co...onstrictor.gif

I would also like to find out how far ahead USGS's climate change model actually goes, because if they have projected the climate change to a time period where coastal cities are already under water, I believe this should be revealed openly as well. Burmese won't be in the Everglades if it is under water.

I would like to find out whether the colder winters expected with global warming are accounted for in the changed climate model. The politicians need to know this as well.

[Hypancistrus]

This is an excellent point! I hope you don't mind that I cross posted this as a quote credited to you on my Corn Snake board, where we are also discussing this.

[WingedWolfPsion]

No problem.

[Hypnotic Exotic]

Enough with the climate change arguments. Has anybody heard about Climategate? Read this:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/...n5908487.shtml

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/...ls-copenhagen/

There are serious questions regarding whether global warming is even real to begin with. By the way, we had a snow storm down here in Houston last week that lasted all day and couldn't see one city block at times. It's been cold down here for over a week and we're one of the most southern parts of the U.S. But don't let science and facts get in the way of a politician. This is about Bill Nelson making a name for himself, pure and simple. Just like that piece of crap Al Gore. They are both a waste of oxygen.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Well, there are a lot of people who hate for Global Warming to be real, because it means they have to change they way they do business. Behind every voice speaking out against it, there's a carbon-producing business.

It's also easy for people to be confused when they aren't seeing warmer weather all the time. They believe this means the earth isn't warming.

The ice caps are where the story is located. They are shrinking. They're shrinking BIG TIME, and dumping COLD water as they melt--that cold water is what's leading to cooler weather in some areas. You can't look out the window and judge global warming based on your local weather.

Glaciers? Disappearing. Ice caps? Disappearing. There's a reason polar bears are faring so poorly. They rely on sea ice to hunt. The sea ice is forming late, and melting earlier and earlier.

http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/images/qthinice1.jpg
This is irrefutable. It is happening, and it's a snowball effect, pardon the pun. White reflects light. Once the ice is gone, less light is reflected, it's absorbed, and it heats things up faster.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/...023esuice.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0216131158.htm

Did humans do it? Not entirely--we just sped it up. We can slow it down a smidgen by laying off the carbon dioxide production, but we CANNOT stop it. All we can do is buy time to figure out how to move our coastal cities. Or take after Venice. The warming cycle is simply due to begin. It's also due to end, and we have a pretty good idea of what will end it. It just won't be very pretty. Its name is Yellowstone Caldera.

The earth's been through ALL of this before. It's just that time again. We see it coming, but people are dithering so much because the real truth is really hard to take--we can't do anything about it. The real problem is going to arise when the breadbasket of the US succumbs to repeated drought and desertification begins. There certainly won't be any boas living there then.

Using climate change as an excuse to call pythons injurious wildlife is not only absurd because it's unproven, but because climate change will make the areas uninhabitable for them again eventually anyhow, even if it does happen.

[Derrick13]

Well, there are a lot of people who hate for Global Warming to be real, because it means they have to change they way they do business. Behind every voice speaking out against it, there's a carbon-producing business.

It's also easy for people to be confused when they aren't seeing warmer weather all the time. They believe this means the earth isn't warming.

The ice caps are where the story is located. They are shrinking. They're shrinking BIG TIME, and dumping COLD water as they melt--that cold water is what's leading to cooler weather in some areas. You can't look out the window and judge global warming based on your local weather.

Glaciers? Disappearing. Ice caps? Disappearing. There's a reason polar bears are faring so poorly. They rely on sea ice to hunt. The sea ice is forming late, and melting earlier and earlier.

http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/images/qthinice1.jpg
This is irrefutable. It is happening, and it's a snowball effect, pardon the pun. White reflects light. Once the ice is gone, less light is reflected, it's absorbed, and it heats things up faster.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/...023esuice.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0216131158.htm

Did humans do it? Not entirely--we just sped it up. We can slow it down a smidgen by laying off the carbon dioxide production, but we CANNOT stop it. All we can do is buy time to figure out how to move our coastal cities. Or take after Venice. The warming cycle is simply due to begin. It's also due to end, and we have a pretty good idea of what will end it. It just won't be very pretty. Its name is Yellowstone Caldera.

The earth's been through ALL of this before. It's just that time again. We see it coming, but people are dithering so much because the real truth is really hard to take--we can't do anything about it. The real problem is going to arise when the breadbasket of the US succumbs to repeated drought and desertification begins. There certainly won't be any boas living there then.

Using climate change as an excuse to call pythons injurious wildlife is not only absurd because it's unproven, but because climate change will make the areas uninhabitable for them again eventually anyhow, even if it does happen.

Right on the money with that statement! People here the phrase global warming and think it means the only change in weather will be the warming of the entire globe when in fact it will cause winters to become harsher as well. The weather in my area was odd at best but the last few years have been unbelivable and down right wrong. The seasons are about a month off in my area.

[Eventide]

"All this will happen before, and all this will happen again."

We can't actually tell if the Earth is going through a natural warming cycle or if we are causing it (or both). We'll never be able to tell because there is no way of predicting what the Earth would've done without us.

However, I completely agree with Winged Wolf on this: Way too many people look out their window, see cold weather, and proceed to scoff at global warming. The Earth is getting warmer. There is absolutely no doubt about that. Please note that the average temperature of the Earth is getting warmer. That's what global warming is. This does not mean every place on Earth will get warmer. (If you don't understand why, look up the definition of "average" in math terms.)

Weather is a whole lot more complicated that just your local forecast. Ocean currents, wind patterns, landmasses, mountains--all these things and more need to be taken into account when deciding what the weather will be like if global warming continues unabated. For example, the desert Southwest will get hotter and drier. However, some places will be cooler due to changing ocean temperatures and currents. Some places will be wetter. Some places will be completely under water!

Some references, for those more interested: Global Temperatures Plot

[WingedWolfPsion]

Overlay this on the USGS's 2100 constrictor range map, and laugh.
http://vrstudio.buffalo.edu/~depape/...americaMap.jpg

[Eventide]

Overlay this on the USGS's 2100 constrictor range map, and laugh.
http://vrstudio.buffalo.edu/~depape/...americaMap.jpg

That's for a 100-meter rise in sea levels. The predictions for the next 90 years only show an increase in sea level by no more than 0.7 meters. That's not to say it won't continue to increase, but 100 meters is quite over-the-top.

[Russ Lawson]

That's for a 100-meter rise in sea levels. The predictions for the next 90 years only show an increase in sea level by no more than 0.7 meters. That's not to say it won't continue to increase, but 100 meters is quite over-the-top.

Though for temperatures to get high enough to send burmese python to latitudes as high as were suggested on that USGS study, you would probably NEED an increase in temperature capable of causing a 100 meter rise in sea levels. Lol!