On 30/07/2019 10:34, Spike wrote:

As the article says: "...understanding global temperature trends
requires a long-term perspective", and viewing the NASA reference in
terms of the geologic temperature record might provide a better base for
comparisons.

You've managed to put your finger on a key point. Concern about climate
change is about what happens on human timescales, not geological
timescales. Most children born today - at least in Western countries -
are likely to be alive in 2100 and beyond. So the state of the earth in
2100 and for their children out to 2200 is what's vitally important -
food to eat, water to drink and dry land significantly above current sea
level to live.

The difference between human and geological timescales is, let's say, a
million times - it's the same ratio as between 20 seconds and a
lifetime. Will the earth survive? Yes, of course, as it has for the past
4B years. For a significant % of humanity, including your family, the
answer is much less clear. The urgency is about stopping what is
happening in the next 100-200 years, not in 50,000 or one million or 50
million years. Think human timescales!