dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
I'm not whining, just trying to be realistic about potential problems with our food supply in the years/decades to come.
As stated, global warning/climate change, whatever you may or may not believe in.
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- Thread starter khris
- Start date
I'm not whining, just trying to be realistic about potential problems with our food supply in the years/decades to come.
As stated, global warning/climate change, whatever you may or may not believe in.
GenerationW
Senior Member
Hard to know what to believe in:
Watch this one change before your very eyes!
(They really should have ended MASH when Frank left.)
Let's give the last word to a man synonymous with truth.
Second_in_pie
Senior Member
^^ Sorry, I don't count Time as a reputable source of real information.
Vertical farming, whether it comes in the form of farming skyscrapers or production-oriented greenhouses on condo roofs, would also make good use of the density of a city. Excess heat from buildings or even from more suburban power plants could be used to heat crops that might normally grow in more tropical conditions, saving hugely on the cost of buying and transporting those foods.
Also is the fact that we've really run out of space to farm. To support the entire world as it is, we need much more farming capacity, not including the almost 3 billion more that we might get within a century. And while big gains could be gotten by moving away from meat production, that still leaves a lot of holes. And add in the fact that we should actually be reclaiming forestland from farms instead of the opposite, we see a serious problem. Vertical farming wouldn't be able to solve all of our food problems, but it could help, especially some of the proposals for 40-story ecotowers.
Aside from that, they would be good sources of employment, and they would be excellent as an alternative to the conventional wastewater treatment plant.
Though before the farming skyscrapers, we should just be encouraging for more farming in cities. Vegetable gardens in backyards, maybe building a greenhouse instead of an extra living room, and even just planting trees that you can harvest food from would be great places to start. Another thing I like that I have absolutely no clue why it hasn't caught on is farming in Hydro Corridors. If there could be a balance of 10%-90% in real parks-farmland ratio, it'd improve capcity, make new intercity jobs, and make Hydro Corridors a bit nicer.
Warmer temperatures mean overactive convection currents in the more southern latitudes. The increased activity here means lower pressures moving up to higher latitudes. When a belt of low pressure lands around New York or Chicago, it drags cold arctic air down towards it, resulting in cold winds coming down from the north. During the summer, Ontario's going to be getting quite warm and wet however, and we might even end up looking more like a rainforest.
At first, I was skeptical about vertical farming. But now it's starting to make more sense to me. As long as the food mainly stays in the region, it would hugely cut on the carbon costs of food and could cut costs for food as transportation costs rise.
Vertical farming, whether it comes in the form of farming skyscrapers or production-oriented greenhouses on condo roofs, would also make good use of the density of a city. Excess heat from buildings or even from more suburban power plants could be used to heat crops that might normally grow in more tropical conditions, saving hugely on the cost of buying and transporting those foods.
Also is the fact that we've really run out of space to farm. To support the entire world as it is, we need much more farming capacity, not including the almost 3 billion more that we might get within a century. And while big gains could be gotten by moving away from meat production, that still leaves a lot of holes. And add in the fact that we should actually be reclaiming forestland from farms instead of the opposite, we see a serious problem. Vertical farming wouldn't be able to solve all of our food problems, but it could help, especially some of the proposals for 40-story ecotowers.
Aside from that, they would be good sources of employment, and they would be excellent as an alternative to the conventional wastewater treatment plant.
Though before the farming skyscrapers, we should just be encouraging for more farming in cities. Vegetable gardens in backyards, maybe building a greenhouse instead of an extra living room, and even just planting trees that you can harvest food from would be great places to start. Another thing I like that I have absolutely no clue why it hasn't caught on is farming in Hydro Corridors. If there could be a balance of 10%-90% in real parks-farmland ratio, it'd improve capcity, make new intercity jobs, and make Hydro Corridors a bit nicer.
I thought that we didn't have to describe this any more! Global warming means that as a whole, the earth is warming. Region by region, things could be quite different. This is how the cold thing in Canada is working:gristle said:
Warmer temperatures mean overactive convection currents in the more southern latitudes. The increased activity here means lower pressures moving up to higher latitudes. When a belt of low pressure lands around New York or Chicago, it drags cold arctic air down towards it, resulting in cold winds coming down from the north. During the summer, Ontario's going to be getting quite warm and wet however, and we might even end up looking more like a rainforest.
gristle
Senior Member
My response was about weather. Climate trends are not based upon one cold winter or one hot summer. A climate trend can use ten, twenty, thirty or more years of data to establish a trend over a specific period of time.
Basically, there has been a slight warming over the last thirty years (compared to the 100 year average), but within that thirty year period, there has been a slight cooling over the last ten years.
On the larger time scale, there has been a slow cooling trend over the last 7,000 years - even with slight warming and cooling trends within that time frame taken into consideration.
Ocean water flows have a huge impact on arctic sea ice - far more than air temperature does.
Basically, there has been a slight warming over the last thirty years (compared to the 100 year average), but within that thirty year period, there has been a slight cooling over the last ten years.
On the larger time scale, there has been a slow cooling trend over the last 7,000 years - even with slight warming and cooling trends within that time frame taken into consideration.
Ocean water flows have a huge impact on arctic sea ice - far more than air temperature does.
GenerationW
Senior Member
Time really isn't the point.
khris
Senior Member
A lot of forecasters are predicting that our snow is going to come in the last half of winter, due to El Nino. El Nino tends to make the the storms we'd normally get, go a bit further south. Just this past weekend, Oklahoma got hit with snow and ice for example.
We've had just over 20 cm of snow since the beginning of Winter. Definitely not a common occurrence in the GTA.
Temperature forecast for the next 3 months.
Precipitation forecast for the next 3 months.
We've had just over 20 cm of snow since the beginning of Winter. Definitely not a common occurrence in the GTA.
Temperature forecast for the next 3 months.
Precipitation forecast for the next 3 months.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
I sure hope so but I'm hoping more that Vancouver gets the snow before us, they really need it!
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Yes, but more to the point ... what does Wiarton Khristopher predict?
khris
Senior Member
I predict more of the same of what we've had. I do think we'll get one fairly big storm before winter is over, giving us at least 15 cm of snow. To go by one winter without one big storm like that would be beyond strange.
I think we'll end up with a lot of those slushy type scenarios in March. Snow/rain mixtures. I have a feeling Spring will be a little slow coming along.
I think we'll end up with a lot of those slushy type scenarios in March. Snow/rain mixtures. I have a feeling Spring will be a little slow coming along.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Thank you. I'll plan accordingly.
Long Island Mike
Senior Member
The rough month of February 2010 and other observations in the Northeastern USA...
Everyone: Remember the storm tracks last winter which protected the Atlantic coast but caused large snowfalls in places like Toronto,Buffalo and Cleveland and other locations in the Eastern Midwest?
Judging by this winter this must have shifted to the Northeastern US judging by the December 20-21 Blizzard and now the rough month of February so far with two major storms in Philadelphia,Baltimore and Washington,DC setting all-time snowfall records
-especially true about Philadelphia which has set a record for the snowiest recorded winter-with February only approaching half-over! There have been three major snowstorms this Winter - with two of them occuring just days apart in the last 10 days!
On Long island the area in which I live received two feet of snow in the December storm. We dodged last weekend's major storm
due to a blocking high to our north causing a pronounced cut-off of snow S of LI and across central New Jersey-below that point
areas received up to two feet of snow in places. In the middle of this week the second storm formed burying LI with between 12-16 inches of snow and adding further insult to injury further S in cities like Washington.
In other parts of the USA...
Yesterday and Today a major southern USA storm has dumped snow on the Deep South-like a foot in Dallas,Texas- and snow was on the ground as far S as Mississippi,Alabama,Georgia and extreme northern Florida. Places like these rarely see snow in the way this storm has dumped on them...
An interesting observation posted at Yahoo mentions that all 50 US States have some snow cover at this point today including the highest Hawaiian peaks on the big island. This is practically unprecedented as was noted...
In closing I am wondering if areas that went thru last Winter with an easy season are getting "paid back" by Mother Nature?
Thoughts and observations by LI MIKE
Everyone: Remember the storm tracks last winter which protected the Atlantic coast but caused large snowfalls in places like Toronto,Buffalo and Cleveland and other locations in the Eastern Midwest?
Judging by this winter this must have shifted to the Northeastern US judging by the December 20-21 Blizzard and now the rough month of February so far with two major storms in Philadelphia,Baltimore and Washington,DC setting all-time snowfall records
-especially true about Philadelphia which has set a record for the snowiest recorded winter-with February only approaching half-over! There have been three major snowstorms this Winter - with two of them occuring just days apart in the last 10 days!
On Long island the area in which I live received two feet of snow in the December storm. We dodged last weekend's major storm
due to a blocking high to our north causing a pronounced cut-off of snow S of LI and across central New Jersey-below that point
areas received up to two feet of snow in places. In the middle of this week the second storm formed burying LI with between 12-16 inches of snow and adding further insult to injury further S in cities like Washington.
In other parts of the USA...
Yesterday and Today a major southern USA storm has dumped snow on the Deep South-like a foot in Dallas,Texas- and snow was on the ground as far S as Mississippi,Alabama,Georgia and extreme northern Florida. Places like these rarely see snow in the way this storm has dumped on them...
An interesting observation posted at Yahoo mentions that all 50 US States have some snow cover at this point today including the highest Hawaiian peaks on the big island. This is practically unprecedented as was noted...
In closing I am wondering if areas that went thru last Winter with an easy season are getting "paid back" by Mother Nature?
Thoughts and observations by LI MIKE
nfitz
Superstar
Well, there is so little snow here this winter, that I'm actually yet to lift the shovel. There's the occasional cm or so and I just push the snow on the sidewalk, and it falls over (as opposed to being lifted up) the edge onto the road. The grass blades have been visible all winter (not that I have the shortest grass around ...).
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
I'm aching for a major snowstorm. Just one and I'll be happy. I've seen some coverage in the US and seeing kids make 10' snowmen in Dallas makes me, um, jealous.
doady
Senior Member
I agree. Cold winters are depressing without snow. I want a blizzard!
nfitz
Superstar
I think this is a great winter! I'm very happy not to have to shovel.
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