Nova (TV Series) Dimming the Sun (2006) User Reviews

Complex Issue

[eschry · 8/10 · 9 August 2008]

This episode shows that global warming is not a simple issue. Clouds increase the planet's albedo causing measurable temperature drops but greenhouse gases prevent heat from escaping to space. We're losing important carbon sinks like the Amazon rain forest to development. Over the past 50 million years the planet has been cooling as CO2 levels have gradually fallen. There have been exacerbating events like the explosion of Mount Toba 65,000 years ago. Now with the industrial dawn of humanity that 50 million year cooling trend has reversed big-time ! Ironically about 2 billion years after the planet's formation and then again between 600 and 700 million years ago our planet froze over completely effectively decoupling the atmosphere from the oceans. What saved our planet from these 30 million year snowball events was CO2 from volcanic activity. This episode is not junk science or left wing propaganda. We do have something to worry about and the most sobering thought of all is it may already be too late to save ourselves from what's coming.

this is food for thought

[lacunacoil1 · 10/10 · 16 September 2008]

to think our pollution might actually be helping forestall climate change is rather ironic . i've read the comment by the rather amateur vulcanologist and I'm sorry to say she is rather misinformed . study your history before making silly childish politically motivated comments . think TOBA , think TAMBORA , TOBA erupted and almost eradicated life on earth . TAMBORA erupted and caused a the little ice age . we have a very tough road ahead as a planet and need to pull together . head in the sand time is over .

what Nova has shown us is how very complex the world and its environment is . what we can do if anything is the more complex question . Nova has shown solid evidence dating back to the mid 1940's as well as two other collaborative and different sources to show the Sun has been affected by our atmospheric pollution (tho it has been (strangely)to our benefit ). and the amount and strength of the photons reaching the ground HAS declined . no junk here , pure science here . well presented in a understandable fashion . WTG NOVA

Junk science at its worst

[susanj50 · 3/10 · 2 July 2008]

This is Nova at its worst. If you want to know what junk science is watch this show. It begins with the observation that jet aircraft's contrails block out the sun light and cool the earth. But if this actually happens, why doesn't the earth freeze when a volcano explodes? The show claims that because of contrails and pollution the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica will melt. Of course the temperature on the ice sheets reaches 40 BELOW zero so if it actually does warm up by 3 degrees it is hard to see this happening. (Hint to Nova, if it is 40 degrees below zero and it heats up by three degrees it is now 37 degrees below zero, still way below the freezing temperature of water.) The show is essentially left-wing propaganda designed to scare the ignorant and uneducated.

Individuals who take a show like this seriously should not be allowed to vote.