Global Warming-Fighting Computer Turns Out to Be Polluter

The Daily Mail reports that the almost $50 million IBM machine, which houses 15 million megabytes of memory and requires 1.2 megawatts of energy to operate, is one of Great Britain's most egregious polluters. According to a report from the Department of Communities and Local Government, the machine, which is designed to eventually perform 1,000 billion calculations per second and uses enough energy to power 1,000 homes, contributes 75-percent of the Met Office's annual 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Those numbers qualify the weather center as one of the U.K.'s worst polluters.
While it may seem ironic that a machine designed to help people understand and predict global warming could possibly be contributing to said phenomenon, it gets worse. The machine might not even be accurate. Researchers earlier predicted a dry "BBQ summer" in England based on the computer's calculations, but those predictions turned out to be overwhelmingly wrong.
But, since the machine did take two months to boot up, and it won't actually reach peak performance until 2011, the Met Office crew will hopefully have plenty of time to work out the bugs before a catastrophic weather event occurs. These criticisms and condemnations will disappear and be forgotten, if the machine does in fact "save millions of lives." [From: The Daily Mail]





Whitney Houston Autopsy: Cause of Death Determined?
Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina: Late Singer's Daughter Hospitalized
Adele Five-Year Break? Singer Plans to Focus on Relationship, Write 'Happy Record'
Jennifer Hudson Whitney Tribute: Grammy President Reveals Why Singer Was Chosen for Musical Memorial
Grammy 2012 Winners' List: Adele Sweeps Music's Biggest Night
3 Economic Misconceptions That Need to Die
5-Hour Energy: A Success Equal Parts Caffeine, Chemistry and Meditation
People With Easy-To-Pronounce Names More Likely To Succeed, Study Says
Katy Perry Grammy Performance 2012: Did the Diva Diss Her Ex-Hubby With Revealing New Song?
Whitney Houston Dead: Stars React to Legend's Sudden Death














Comments
10
Subscribe to commentsMarkAug 29th 2009 9:33AM
This is the 4th coolest year on record in the United States and these Satanists(democraps) keep pushing so-called global warming. The ones promoting the global warming lie are the ones tho stand to make the most money from it.
elliiotAug 29th 2009 11:24AM
You clearly don't understand what global warming is, or that Republicans have ruined the United States recently. Global warming is the warming of Earth's atmosphere. This doesn't mean everywhere gets warmer, but that the average temperature increases. Global warming causes the weather to change sporadically, like sixty degree weather in Chicago on New Years Eve. Global warming is fact. It has been estimated that within forty year the Midwest United States will be all desert. Stop being an ignorant bastard and do something besides hate people based on what you're told. Do some research for yourself.
AshleyAug 29th 2009 12:25PM
Agreed. Global warming is not a fact, it is a "theory" almost every day this summer in eastern Wisconsin the temperature has only been around 70 with an exception of only a few days where it was in the upper 80's. Definitely a very cool summer indeed. Definitely all hyped up.
jrdAug 29th 2009 6:58PM
yep, global warming is a demo myth, and the glaciers aren't receding at a rapid rate ..... global warming aint this year or that year being cooler or warmer ... you are foolish indeed to keep dissing global warming in the face of the overwhelming evidence, just to make certain Al Gore is not gioven credit for his bringing notcie to the FACTS of global warming .... keep drinking the repub koolaid ...
alscotti57Aug 29th 2009 1:35PM
the earths temp. is constantly changing, global warming is a flawed theory at best and most likely a hoax. its a political charade to whip up tree huggers and liberals,make people (al gore) rich ,and tax the middle class. look up younger dryas and medieval warm period. most climate scientists say there will be another ice age, how can that be if theres all this global warming?
mobeck8Aug 29th 2009 2:31PM
Look, what does it matter if the thing is a piece of junk and pollutes worse than the things it predicts about? What matters is the good feelings and intentions that take place around all this. Besides, the world will end in 2012 anyway so why not run a multi-million dollar computer so the scientists can have fun until then! Ciao!!!!!
ThayneAug 30th 2009 5:12AM
I take it none of you have read a JW Watchtower or perhaps seen the movie THE OMEN, ie The Beast, and he shall rise in the Green Isle...
Scott A. MandiaAug 30th 2009 7:30AM
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/global_warming/
Historian of science, Naomi Oreskes of UC San Diego, states "Scientific knowledge is the intellectual and social consensus of affiliated experts based on the weight of available empirical evidence, and evaluated according to accepted methodologies. If we feel that a policy question deserves to be informed by scientific knowledge, then we have no choice but to ask, what is the consensus of experts on this matter."
Climate change has been extensively researched and the overwhelming majority of climate scientists agree that the observed modern day global warming is unprecedented and is very likely caused by humans. Although there is little serious debate between climate experts, many in the general public still think that these scientists are unsure about climate change and the role that humans have played in modern day global warming. The Website above summarizes some of the key research that has led scientists to their overwhelming consensus while also addressing some of the unfounded claims by climate change skeptics and denialists.
The only plausible explanation is that today's warming is primarily due to human activities. The increase in greenhouse emissions can easily account for this warming. There is robust evidence for the man-made global warming. There are no other known sources of warming that can explain the observed modern climate change. People that claim there is no warming or that the warming is not caused by humans have offered no credible alternate hypotheses. Yes, these folks make claims but none of the claims has stood up to scientific scrutiny. Because I see/hear much disinformation from well-intentioned folks, I feel it is my duty to try to educate people on this very important matter. Unfortunately, it is an uphill battle because most of the real science is discussed in hard-to-read scientific journals and most of the bad science is easily accessible on Web pages, blogs, and other forms of mass media. Worse, there are political organizations such as The Heartland Institute that present themselves as scientific organizations but these organizations are directly and indirectly funded by the fossil fuel industry and others that stand to lose if greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
It is fine to be skeptical, but it is never fine to be a denialist. A skeptic is willing to hear both sides and is honest with his assessment of the information. A denialist blindly accepts everything that supports his opinion and immediately discards everything that does not. Carefully read my Global Warming site with an honest, open mind. Then weigh what I am discussing with what you have heard and where/who you have heard it from.
smokin3000gtAug 30th 2009 11:24PM
So if the world goes through natural cycles, it MUST be global warming? What brought us out of the ice age? What made it get that cold for that matter? Nobody knows. All we know is we are on a big rock flying around a huge fireball at enormous speeds, and we think that there aren't going to be any fluctuation over thousands of years? Let's get real people.
Scott A. MandiaAug 31st 2009 8:07PM
Please view my Website and read the page titled: Natural Causes of Climate Change found at: http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/global_warming/natural_causes_climate_change.html
Ice ages are caused by climate change due to natural causes (particularly Milankovic Cycles) on the order of THOUSANDS OF YEARS so the recent change in climate which has occurred in DECADES has no relation to those long-term cycles. Furthermore, as my site details, the RATE of global warming since 1880, especially in the last few decades is unprecedented in the climate record.
All of the narural cycles are still there but they are being dwarfed by human greenhouse gas emissions. The evidence is quite robust when one voews the real data from the experts in the field.