Dutch atmospheric scientist Hendrik Tennekes: "I find the Doomsday picture Al Gore is painting — a 6-meter sea level rise, 15 times the IPCC number — entirely without merit. I protest vigorously the idea that the climate reacts like a home-heating system to a changed setting of the thermostat: just turn the dial, and the desired temperature will soon be reached."

what i think is funny is the fear that is being pushed on everybody. i have studied meteorology and natural geography in college and it was pointed out global warming is a naturally happening phenomenon and that there is relatively little we can do to stop it. not only that, but if the ice caps melted there would not be such a dramatic increase in water level as it has been pressed upon us, only a few inches or so. the temperatures are not going to dramatically increase that much either, what will happen is that the weather will be more stable, meaning that there will be cooler summers and warmer winters. another overlooked fact is that the most active "greenhouse" gas just happens to be the most abundant substance on the earth, dihydrogen oxide. yes hydroflourocarbons do do some damage but they are in such low number that they are not nearly as damaging as water vapor. does not mean we can trash the planet but people need to stop this doom and gloom environmentalism and just open their eyes and see what is happening is just part of earth's NATURAL life cycle. Deal with it, and live your lives.

Global Warming is a naturally occurring phenomenon, and has happened before, the world goes through a heating then a cooling, its going to happen, we will be safe, we will adapt like always, no worries.

I feel that the first three individuals who commented are sadly ignorant, and misinformed in this matter. First off hydroflourocarbons are not the largest issue; it is clouroflourocarbons (CFC's) that break the bonds in ozone (O3) molecules, which are so very necessary for life as we know it to exist. This ozone layer blocks extremely high frequency electromagnetic rays that would literally cook you alive, from reaching the surface of the earth. Yes, it is true that the sea level may only rise 5 or 6 meters (roughly 16-20 feet), however that is not the only factor that will drastically alter the planets climate. I don't believe that the sea level will rise nearly as high as some have predicted, nor I believe that humans will even approach endangerment; however it is my opinion that if there is not a global effort to reduce the level of CFC and carbon dioxyde emissions then mankind, weather it be in this century or the next, will have to face the extreme consequences put forth by this planets reaction to the actions of a destructive previous generation.

I feel that the first three individuals who commented are sadly ignorant, and misinformed in this matter. First off hydroflourocarbons are not the largest issue; it is clouroflourocarbons (CFC's) that break the bonds in ozone (O3) molecules, which are so very necessary for life as we know it to exist. This ozone layer blocks extremely high frequency electromagnetic rays that would literally cook you alive, from reaching the surface of the earth. Yes, it is true that the sea level may only rise 5 or 6 meters (roughly 16-20 feet), however that is not the only factor that will drastically alter the planets climate. I don't believe that the sea level will rise nearly as high as some have predicted, nor I believe that humans will even approach endangerment; however it is my opinion that if there is not a global effort to reduce the level of CFC and carbon dioxyde emissions then mankind, weather it be in this century or the next, will have to face the extreme consequences put forth by this planets reaction to the actions of a destructive previous generation.

Don't claim to be anyone with special degrees in the earth's sciences, yet something is happening here and all of us should be conscience of it. Oil dependancy is rediculous, we need alternative fuels, and fuels that don't cause harm to our atmosphere. Unfotunately, our government and big industry are one in the same and since those are the people that line the pockets of big politics, we may never see real change in our life time. Our foolish use of our forests, why on earth can we pass laws that say no more smoking in public places, yet we can't say start using electronic billing and/or bill pay. My guess here is we would save billions in wasteful use of trees that we depend so much on for our existance. I happen to work for an automobile manufacture, why do we insist on trimming the american worker becuase their the problem with big business profit? My guess, if you sell vehicles that were "green", more of the American public would buy your vehicles and you wouldn't have to worry about your bottom line as much or trimming factory workers who make your profits and buy your vehicles. Green vehicles more than likely save our planet the loss of ozone depletion more than any other harmful product made? It's really time regardless of whether Al Gore is right or wrong to wake up and have proactive polititions who will forget how many dollars they can get from fund raiser after fund raiser and working on our childrens future.

Is NGC actually going to run this program? If so, I would find it irresponsible in the extreme, on a par with every showing of Al Gore's hyperbolic film. Please, NGC, don't do it. National Geographic should be above promoting such un-scientific eco-hype. Your reputation is at stake.

Just saw the ad ... I so hope that is our future. No place on the planet deserves to be totally destroyed as much as New York City.

Dear NGC,
Play the program if anything ive learned from NGC and its constant and persitance in seeking and pervaying the truths of our earth and all its eco system the foremost that comes to mind is the exaustive investigation for facts has allways been of the highest degree.
those people who have paid little attention to the bigger sceme of "global" warming are in dire need of reading about the butterfly effect and also understand that global warming has occureed before in the past but the past was over a period of 20 million years in cyclic actions not the past 100 years of industrialization.
the cahnges we have witnessed in just the past 50 years have been dramatic and no where in history of geology occured in such a short time span.
so for those who are discrimnaotry toward beleving what 6 degrees could do on a global scale heres a little perspective.
the ice age which sent sheets and glaciers of ice down across the the lower united states and europe only took a 12 degree fall in global temps. but thats the only shre of commonality that can be eqauled. ice sheets or ice age is naturally and much more absorbable by natrul means that is the type of global warming we are facing now due to industrialization.
oh and just a note of mention to mark . im compete agreement of making green cars but not using the fact there so called green to hype there prices to a point of unaffordablity to everyone but the wealty.
lets face it if were going to get people to go green companys are gonna have to stop attermping to yank the green out of people wallets in the name of green when to them its nothing but greed. capitolism is self distructive and will and "is" imploding on itself.

Destroy NYC I hope it destroys the Middle america racist conservative oil guzzling xenophobic idiots who spew propaganda like the enviroment isnt in danger and this is liberal hype not NYC or CA where people give a hoot. you people need to give it a rest...NYC 3000 all hispanic baby hip hop #1

Firstly, the condition is know as global climate change. not global warming. The real problem is not so much that the earth is warming but that weather patterns and rainfall around the planet will be disrupted and shifted to other regions. Growing regions like California and the Mid West, Europe and parts of Africa will dry up and move North causing huge economic disruptions. We live in a highly structured world with people living in narrow ecological bands; if those patterns move to other regions, there will be massive migrations and civil wars over water and food supplies unlike anything the world has eve seen. Hundreds of millions of poor people living in low coastal regions will be forced inland and regional wars will cause massive loss of life, probably worse then WWII. The Pentagon itself recently issued a report saying that this scenario, though not assured, is highly possible and should be considered the highest priority for American national security.

Dear Don,

Dude, you are an idiot. You hip hop loving racist. Quit hatin'

we'll just have to wait and see,every one on one side or the other.not to sound care free or reckless,but it seems no one can agree on if there has been sufficiant amount of time for temp fluctuations to be manmade or natural

do agree with mark regardless of our effect on climate,why the hell are we still so dependent so much on on 30 something percent efficiant combustion engine?!

if you beleive in the so-called loopback effects would drilling for oil in the then open arctic do to the melting of the sea ice and burning of that oil and resulting co2,would that be natural or manmade?

I just hope something happens soon...like the movie "The day after Tomorrow" (something like that anyway) The only way to get CHANGE is for something to happen! I don't understand people who think Global Warming is just a naturally occurring phenomenon...why! Tell me, has there ever been HUMAN involvement as massive and artificial on Earth before?...Hum NO! Do you think humans will change their behaviors; using Ozone pollutants...hum NO! When the Polar caps are depleted and the Earth starts to warm, will you be ready? I really hope to be dead by than. I am so disgusted with the way people create No future for their future generations. I'm no specialist but I have loads of common sense, our future generations will suffer. Six degrees will happen in the next 10-25 years. 10 years for ICe and Polar meltdowns and the next fifteen for total....well use your imagination. I could go in other directions but I don't think i have the energy to care anymore :P.

No one, not even the IPCC, is predicting 6 degrees of warming. Not even close! So why is NGC running this ridiculous program? It's quite amazing how much hype there is over a gas (CO2) that currently amounts to about .038% of the atmosphere. That's less than 4 one hundredths of one percent, folks. And it accounts for all sources. The human contribution of CO2 to the greenhouse effect amounts to about 0.117%. Even if all anthropogenic CO2 could be eliminated (impossible), it would have virtually no effect on climate change. Airing this nutty program is irresponsible.

I can not believe NGC is running this ad! Global Climate change is out of our control, it has happened for thousands of years and there is nothing we can do to change it. The arrogance of Al Gore and other "scientists", who by the way receive all of their money from the government, that we can affect and/or change the workings of nature is absurd! Actually, the most absurd thing is that a washed up, failure of a politician is driving this scare tactict. Is Al Gore lessening his "carbon footprint"? of course not!! he is participating in a carbon buy-back, which will plant a tree that will remove 1/500 of his carbon....oh yeah, that's after 50 years. I want to know how the Vikings and other Scandinavians farmed Norway and other northern countries in the 1300's if it's my SUV that's causing global warming??? What a political joke this is, and NGC should be ashamed to promote it. I can't wait to see how all of these jokers explain themselves in ten years when we are in a "new ice age"???!!!!

These first three guys should get out thier books and their life jackets.

Grego

The evidence is all here, see book "The Weather Makers" by Tim Flannery. The questions remains: How bad? How soon?
Does it matter anymore?
Based on our history of bipartisanship & procrastination as well as emerging industrialization of huge nations it's probably too late already. Already there are many plant and animal species that your children will never see. Some island nations are on the verge of submersion. Weather patterns and ocean currents are critical and at very real risk of catastrophic failure and humanity (importantly the bright and educated) just aren't getting it.
As Chief Sealth (Seattle) said "We didn't inherit the Earth from our grandfathers, we hold it in trust for our children."
Looks like we may have failed him.
Get a clue people.

WOW, I cannot believe that so many people think that gobal warming is not for real! what do they need to happen? Do they really want to see a dramtic change to our earth to prove to them that there is a problem?
I feel sorry for these people who think gobal warming is just something that gov'ts thought up to raise money.
The time has come to do something. If these people can not see the changes already, well, just let them go on claiming that nothing is wrong. when the do-do hits the fan, these will people will be the ones asking why something wasn't done!!!!!

At first I was sceptical about global warming until I visited a glacier that I had visited 15 years earlier in Alaska. I was amazed to see that it was almost gone. You don't have to be an expert to see that this kind of melting is not normal. The glacier that I visited was hundreds of thousands of years old and it's almost gone. There has to be some consequences for this kind of melting and the fact that people are chosing to ignore it, is just part of human arrogance and denial of the facts. And it is really sad, because that's why nothing significant will be done until it's to late !!!

At first I was sceptical about global warming until I visited a glacier that I had visited 15 years earlier in Alaska. I was amazed to see that it was almost gone. You don't have to be an expert to see that this kind of melting is not normal. The glacier that I visited was hundreds of thousands of years old and it's almost gone. There has to be some consequences for this kind of melting and the fact that people are chosing to ignore it, is just part of human arrogance and denial of the facts. And it is really sad, because that's why nothing significant will be done until it's to late !!!

well scientist say that to put even a littel nick into the damage thats been done would take a whole change in the way we live and why should i have to pay for what global warming i havent done if this is how its going to go down were finished no way every one is going to give up there 66 pony car or there 70 roadrunner so i say its better to burn out then fade away so lets burn the rest of our fossil fuel and let out great great grand kids fend for them selfs just like we do now

Global warming is incredibly exaggerrated. And don't bother with the whole speech about how narrow minded I am. I'm a teenager, I was built narrow minded. Al Gore and all the other ridiculous left wing psychos are trying to terrify everyone. They love terrorizing people so you depend on them. Al Gore's an idiot.
And no, I'm not going to screw myself out of a car because we just can't drill Alaska and bother the caribou. We're going to let the humans suffer for the stupid animals.
If the world overheats and blows up or floods, that's just too bad. Hopefully we won't be around, but if we are, we brought it upon ourselves. It's going to happen one way or another.
Thanks.

I just want to make one comment, Where does the Bible fit into this? Not one comment from anyone on this page talked about the Bible, ooh I forgot, you are scientist or hypocrits. In the Book of Revelations (which is in the Bible). This should be the main piece of evidence of how it is going to happen. I think you should read the Bible more often, because just not the Revelations talks about it but other books of the Bible says the same thing.

Anonymous:

I can not believe that most of you people think that 6 degrees wouldn't do anything to the Earth. Global warming does occur naturally, but that is just a little. Most of the percent of global warming is man-made. And there are ways to lower the co2 levels. ONe way to lower co2 levels is to just take the first step."A journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step. To me I think that if you don't care about global warming than when something major does happen it will happen to your city and state first.
P.S. I'm 11

It is always funny to read opinions of people who believe their opinion to be fact. If only because it's their opinion and they're never wrong.
Use common sense and whatever education you have to make up your own mind. And then, please, keep it to yourselves!
Because I have an opinion as well. And I too, am never wrong!

I am writting this after seeing an african country where life of the people is unstable but the mother nature is resting in peace.the developed countries of the world has exploited our earth to the bottom.first they tested the nuclear weapons and disturbed the eco system and now they want everybody to take the initiative.developed countries are dumping their non-bio degradable waste into poor & under developed countries so that they can have aclean country how fooooooolish!for your won benefit keep greens of poor country in green condition only

I am writting this after seeing an african country where life of the people is unstable but the mother nature is resting in peace.the developed countries of the world has exploited our earth to the bottom.first they tested the nuclear weapons and disturbed the eco system and now they want everybody to take the initiative.developed countries are dumping their non-bio degradable waste into poor & under developed countries so that they can have aclean country how fooooooolish!for your won benefit keep greens of poor country in green condition only.

I"m not saying that everybody should give up there cars, but there are many other much better fuel sources available to us. But because of all these oil companies that don't want anything to interfere with there profits we keep polluting the planet. And I keep reading how people won't change, but the changes that are taking place are so dramatic that these changes inthe planet are going to happen alot sooner than we think not in our grand childrens time but in our time and the people that are saying that thay won't give up there cars are going to be the first ones begging for help. I also have a car but that's only because I have no choice, car's can be made to work just as good on alcohol' electric, solar power, natural gas,ethinol, or even cooking oil>But the problem with this is the oil companies wouldn't have a monopoly on the industry, and that's something that they can't have. SO THE PLANET KEEPS SUFFERING !!!! IT'S ALREADY TOO LATE !!!!

Nector, it's never too late!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a dream. Too most people it's more like a nightmare. But to me it thount me something,it thought me if toon't stop hurting this planet something horride will happen. So please stop hurting the planet. PLEASE STOP! "A journey of one thousand miles begins with the first step"-Bruce Lee!Just stop even if you don't care STOP before something happens!!!!

-By: Someone who cares!

"Nat Geo" sucks for playing this ad. The first one i saw was the wind storm in Texas.. I only saw it starting from it's halfway point so I thought it was real! Every other one I've seen since, although I now know it's not real, still scares the crap out of me! What about old or hard of hearing people who may believe that the events are actually taking place? I cant believe no one else has brought this up.

It is to late already!!! A domino effect is already occuring the glaciers are retreating and that will create other problems like more land being exposed witch will cause the ice to melt faster under the heat of the sun because ice reflects sunlight way more than the land and as a result more methane from the oceans will be released witch will make it even hotter!!!!Man has made the earth into a laboratory experiment over the years and not even the best scientist know what the end result will be !!! And that is very terrifying!!! GOD BLESS US ALL !!!!!

Bill Leslie wants NYC to be destroyed that means he is a terrorist. I hope CIA waterboards him executes him and then I hope he burns in hell.

I feel its wasted energy to be calling other people names or associating them with terrorists. Just be mindful of what you do to help the environment. Remember that Alaska was not always covered with ice and neither was Anartica and oceans at one time were in areas that we people find it hard to imagine. The Mayan calendar predicts a demise of some kind in 2012. The sun is suppose to be closer to the center of our universe and a whole lot of galactic things may well happen and effect things here on earth. In the New England area I live in the winters are warmer though this year we have had more snow. Who is to say that global climatic change isn't coming and isn't part of the normalcy perhaps pushed by us as it has been by other species for millions of years. Its a part of the life cycle deal with it. Ours is a nano second compared to the earths. Earthquakes, volcanoes, Asteroids have cause cand effect on our planet.Lets concentrate on being the decent to one another because at sometime in the future we may find we need one another more than ever.

i think there will be a little change maybe more than we thought but they're making it worse than it seems and we already are working on lowering global warming so no big deal

I wish they would show both directions heating and cooling. IPCC's data is badly flawed using 90% terrestrial stations (over 70% of the planet is covered by water!) thus skewed data. Remember folks the surface temp data is from point stations. Thus the temperature only applies to that point (does not take into account urban heating or forest cooling). The only reliable data is satellite data of which we only have 27 years worth...hardly enough to make a climate trend statement (by the way we are cooling since beginning 2007..noone is mentioning this?) Sea ice extent is at record highs, Antarctic snow accumulation is exceeding ice loss.
Applying linear thought/science to a non-linear system is silly.
The global heating and cooling cycle is right in sync with the last 650,000 yrs (runs in ~130,000yr cycles) we are at the peak heating and probably coming down. Just a note..the peak heating is nowhere near the record highs of the last 650,000 yrs. (see ice core data). Several scientists are now warning of an upcoming cooling trend (iceage?).

Anyone that argues on here like they know what they are talking about are extremly ignorant. No one knows what is going to happen, there are no facts to prove this anyone right. The Earth was around billions of years before we got here, who is to say this hasn't happened before.

Reading everyones comments have made me extremely dizzy. No one really has much proof of anything and it is stupid that you are all argueing with each other it makesthese even harder to read.

Personaly after reading everything I think that we should do what we can to help what we are contributing to Global Warming and let everything else take its course.

P.S I am also 11

Plus no matter how exagerated the program is I think it's pretty cool.

I think we're going to die eventually. Sorry that's just my opinion

In the beginning GOD created the Heaven and the Earth, we need to keep that in mind all the time. What ever happens GOD is still in control. So I trust GOD for my daily movements and surroundings.

omfg im really scared
buh i have a question.
is anything bad going to happen in chicago.ill where i live?

wow
this actually scares me
buh i knew the world was guna end
god is the only one that knows not scientists
those nerd effers
:DDDDD

wow
this actually scares me
buh i knew the world was guna end
god is the only one that knows not scientists
those nerd effers
:DDDDD

lick my anus earth!
:D

All I can say is try to do your best to help the planet. It's like living creature I believe. I make sure I recycle to do my part. Global warming could happen any way but should still give are best. We don't want to increase the odds of it happening or being really bad and we can't forget our future for our kids in this world.

Follow the actual science(in other words, nothing Algore et al have to say)
Read anything and everything from Dennis T. Avery, particularly his material at the Heartland Institute.org
And get your paws on the movie that made rounds in the U.K. but not enough people in the U.S. have had the balls to air--particularly PBS! The movie is"The Great Global Warming Swindle"

Stay curious.

Luckily we have this studious and reasoned debate here in the comments. Surely, we are now closer to a solution.

For all you who believe that this episode of climate change is within the limits of natural variability, I ask you to google "Siberian lakes releasing methane." Does no one watch what's happening in the Arctic or in Siberia? Permafrost, by definition, stays frozen all the time. Sadly, the permafrost in the Arctic is thawing out and in the process releasing CO2 and methane. the extra GHG's then provoke more melting of permafrost in the following year. Google YEDOMA if you are interested in learning about the real weapon of mass destruction that this generation and the next one will be struggling with.

Wow, I am blown away at some of comments made by some people in here. It is people like this who will be the hardest to convince, It will truly take complete destruction to change the view of the world. Global warming is natural occurance.. except its over thousands of years. not a century. If everyone thinks we are hurting the earth...your wrong...it will fix itself over millions of years...but its what exists on earth that will be gone.....I am sad to know this is what we have done...its everyones fault and we are maybe not to gone to fix the problem...but we are to far gone to convince everyone that those comfortable living styles are wrong....Think anyones gonna give up driving cars....eating burgers...no chance...If you ask me...we deserve to be extinct each and everyone of us....every other species on earth would be far benefit from our non-existance....I feel bad for the polar bear who is already in huge trouble...and for all you GOD lovers out there, ask him for a safe place when 6 or 7 degrees hits and your friends become enemies because they are eating your resources....bet he wont give it to yah....

six degrees can make a differance. The thing is the world is an incredible place of cause and effects, checks and balances, with the green house effect over the ice caps sure the ocean may rise, but with heat and evaportion and us not using those fumes that depleted it in the first place, all those vapors and chemicles from the sea are probably the very thing that are goin to repaire it, any way the six degrees can just as easily be countered in onother part of the world, so devestations don't occur the mind is a powerful thing, and prediction of mass quantity may be able to cause things to occur wich people may think is impossible. example: If enough people concentrated on one object would it rise. Similer case scenerio with beleiving in what dosn't exist it may happen in all minds that believe, but those who know will see the world as a beutiful sunny day, while the others may be drowned in the manifestation of ther own mind, by belief in others somthing like hypnosis if made to believe you died would you die? or the body or would one loose the other with out even knowin it. I don't suggest you find out becuase 6 degrees is nothing to this do not tamper with the forces of nature work with them, and remember the mind is part as we are all connected both inanimate and animate. You know what they say about time travel move fast enough an things look like they stand still every thing breathes in its own way.
love ya.
Ps. Connected hydrogen oxygen build blocks of society created by the infinite mind of the creator.

I just hope many accept christ before its too late.

and thats the truth

I think we should do all we can to make this earth a safer healther place to live and aslo i agree with the last two people as long as we accept christ in our lives we have nothing to worry about because he will protect us and watch over us like always!! ;]

Truely i can't believe how stupid some people could be. I really believe that if this is going to happen then only god wants that put like god says we men and women are not perfect and like humens we don't know what is expected untill we really see when he comes. Another thing is that truely i think that when the time comes no one is going to believe it because we have been playing with this idea and its just stupid.

I can't believe you people! I just watched the show and it is amazing! I live in MO. and we've hardly seen any snow this year. My high school is doing a recycling and pollution project and we have got more facts than most of you have brains. America alone produces at least 200 million metric tons of carbon dioxide just for a 1 year supply of cheeseburgers!! Nat Geo has always been a reliable source. Every time something interesting came on or something that we wanted to watch we agreed with it wholeheartedly, but now as Nat Geo posts a natural disaster on the horizon we tremble in fear and say it's wrong. We are human after all, we only believe what we want to and if it doesn't correspond with OUR life and OUR plans then it must be wrong. We are a selfish species, and when all the other, still eco friendly animals, head for high ground I'm goin with them. Most of the comments I've read are from before the show aired and you were all counting your chickens before they hatched. How dare you diss something that you obviously know nothing about!! The world is not over, we have never gone through something like this and whoever posted the thing on every opinion being correct is right. P.S. Im 15 and am totally with the NYC hater.

the thing is that people are forgetting one thing about global warming, well yeah it is a naturally occurring thing but we are causing most of it with all of our burning of fossil fuels. the one thing people forget is The Greenhouse Effect where all of the carbon dioxide that comes from burning fossil fuels goes up in to the atmosphere and stays there and keeps all of the heat from the sunlight inside the atmosphere and gradually heating the world up, this is also a naturally occurring event like global warming, but we are contributing to this which will probably help speed up global warming. the greenhouse effect is a good thing it keeps the world warm and at a constant temperature so that the Earth does not freeze over. what i think is that this will probably be the future but i probably wont live to see the day. and when the arctic and antarctic ice caps melt they will not cause the ocean levels to rise drastically but they will rise about 10-15 feet. i was reading the comments above and i saw something about the ozone layer and i was amazed that people did not know that the ozone layer has nothing to do with global warming, the ozone layer is just part of the atmosphere that filters out UV rays like UV-B, UV-A, and UV-C and has nothing to do with the global temperature to rise.

I just watched this last night and it seems to me something ought to be done about the environment. Its unfair that we as people think our presence here is of the utmost importance. That's pretty absurd of us. The ecosystems across the planet are going to shift and change and survival is going to become more basic than ever. It may not happen in our lifetime but its very much a possability for my children or their children. I realize the yellow journalism involved in a special like this, and the media's compulsion to sensationalize matters like this, however, one would hope National Geographic wouldn't do this to its viewers..