Can you provide any proof that global warming is natural?

Question

ive heard alot of, its all natural arguments but what proof do you have.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/289/5477/270

Answer 1

The short answer:

Can you provide any proof that global warming is NOT natural?

The longer answer:

Looking at the article cited, he claims that historically 41–64% of pre-industrial warming is the result of solar irradiance and volcanism. He does not state what caused the remaining 36-59% of warming, but it too had to be natural causes. We have to assume that the point he is trying to make is with respect to any warming above and beyond the normal greenhouse warming - otherwise his premise is invalid – and thereby assume that he is saying 41-64% of the 0.6° C warming is due to solar/volcanism, and the balance anthropogenic. (Why the remaining 36-59% would not also be natural this time as in the past is not stated, but I’ll humor him and allow that it is anthropogenic.)

(He does go on later to say “the greenhouse effect has already established itself above the level of natural variability in the climate system.”, as if to say that there is some mechanism that normally warms the earth and the greenhouse effect is now acting on top of that to further warm the planet. It sounds like he doesn’t really understand that the greenhouse effect is the reason earth is warm enough to be habitable in the first place, and that AGW is a small enhancement to that effect.)

But unless nature has suddenly changed a basic cause-and-effect principle in the 20th century, we must allow that 41-64% of the current 0.6° C warming enhancement is due to these same natural causes, as it was in the pre-industrial era. His implication is that the “residual” warming is due to human activity, but crunching the numbers that would be at most 0.2 – 0.35° C. These values certainly do not qualify as “very large” forcings, and would put the human contribution to warming at 1/100th of the total natural greenhouse effect, which is two orders of magnitude greater at 33° C.

Answer 2

what happened in the past will usually repeat itself.  We see warming today, so we did research and found that warming happened in the past before we werent here, warming can happen naturally.

Ask the many civilizations in the past that faced climate change in the past.  None of them knew what greenhouse gases were.

If you are asking for why it is warming now, my answer is this:

During the Little Ice Age, there were esitmated to be 5 krakatoa sized volcanic eruptions per century.  The last krakatoa sized eruption was krakatoa, 1883.  Since then, there hasnt been any volcanic eruptions of that scale, only a few milder eruptions like Nova Rupta in Alaska.  Pinatubo and Mt. St. Helens werent of this scale either.

This information might indicate we are in a period of decreased terrestrial volcanic eruptions.  Graphs show we are in a period of very very low dust content in the atmosphere, which is the result of having very few large terrestrial volcanic eruptions.  This low dust content relative to the 1800's might be the cause of todays modern warming.

I think the fact that global averages plummeted recently while co2 remained high is a sign that co2 might not have as much of an effect as once thought.  Temps were seen rising at the same time as co2, and scientists linked them together.  But we know now that they dont increase at a linear rate.  The increases in the two are not proportionate, and this is a big blow to the theory.  Scientists have to look to other possibilities, and I think its clear that they arent since many are considering "the debate is over".  It isnt.

Answer 3

How about rain?  Is rain natural?  Of course the rain we USED to have, before human intervention, was natural, but is the rain NOW natural?

If you somehow think my question is sillier than your question, can you explain why??

Answer 4

There is no proof to say that it's man made.  The fact is that we understand so little about the climate.

No one predicted a winter this cold.  Instead, climatologist were predicting warmer than average temps with very little snow.

No one can predict the future.  Those that say it will be warmer 5 years from now are just guessing.  A flip of a coin has an equal chance.  

Guessing isn't science.

Answer 5

none, its all man-made and the sooner people realise it the sooner we can get round 2 savin da planet!

Answer 6

I think that anyone can go on the internet now days and find evidence supporting both views.  Some people will say its natural and has happened before.  The only problem I have with that is people werent around when these cycles occured.  I mean the planet has never experianced what people can do to the planet (high levels of green house gasses) so its hard to believe that it is completly natural and that people wont alter it at all.  I agree that global warming is a natural process, but it cant be the same as what history has shown with what humans are contributing.

Answer 7

Nope.

Answer 8

It happened before humans were around.  Or do you think the dinosaurs drove SUVs?!

Sorry, I know it's dumb but that's the best I can do, since the current global warming is clearly anthropogenic and not natural.

Answer 9

Can you provide proof that hurricanes are natural?  It makes about as much sense as your question.  The answer is as Dana mocked.  There have been variations in climate before.  There is nothing new about the recent warming.  The only thing new is that there are alarmists fretting over warming and pretending that they know man must be responsible.  Note to AFK.  Alarmists love to ignore the past.  When it warmed, food production increased.  When it cooled, it decreased.  I get a little tired of the ignorant pretending otherwise.

Answer 10

Yes, volcanoes and ponds and cattle and all sorts of stuff naturally release green house gases.  That is not at the heart of the issue of global warming though.  I see these people take the argument that "global warming is natural so I'm not going to worry about it b/c it's a scam." That is absolutely stupid.  First off, the result will be the same regardless of the cause.  The most important problem will be the massive starvation.  That is the issue at hand!  Secondly, the facts all point to humans as being the current culprit.  That means for our current global warming crisis we have the potential to actually stop it.  And when there is a natural global warming crisis we're going to need to stop that too.

In response to Dr Jello:

The weatherman may not be able to predict the exact strength of that hurricane headed for me, but at least I know it's coming.  Yes, science has a ways to go in predicting weather b/c it is so erratic, but we will get there.  And right now the experts are worried about global warming b/c their studies show there's a problem.  The only down side I see to our current solutions to the warming problem are that we will update our arcane energy sources with ones that are renewable (a near future energy problem) and that allow us to be independent of the oil producing nations.  Where's the problem there?