Do you think global warming is a threat?

Question

Hey what do you think about global warming? After reading an article http://www.usmansworld.com/?p=8, I don't know what to believe

Answer 1

Yes, a very large threat.  There are a few skeptics, but the data is not on their side.

"I wasn’t convinced by a person or any interest group—it was the data that got me. I was utterly convinced of this connection between the burning of fossil fuels and climate change. And I was convinced that if we didn’t do something about this, we would be in deep trouble.”

Vice Admiral Richard H. Truly, USN (Ret.)

Former NASA Administrator, Shuttle Astronaut and the first Commander of the Naval Space Command

There's an overwhelming amount of peer reviewed scientific data that says that.  Short and long summaries.

http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Ima...

http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf

Science is quite good about exposing bad science or hoaxes:

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/ATG/polywater...

The skeptics are a small minority.  They have theories and "logical" arguments (like those you cited, but no good data.  In the article you cite, he places a lot of weight on the small temperature rise so far.  The fact is that a rise of even a few degrees would be a disaster to our society, with our coastal development and intensive mechanized agriculture.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNe...

There's a lot less controversy about this is the real world than there is on Yahoo answers:

http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/a...

And vastly less controversy in the scientific community than you might guess from the few skeptics talked about here.  It's not remotely close to an even split:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/fu...

and:

"Regardless of these spats, the fact that the community overwhelmingly supports the consensus is evidenced by picking up any copy of Journal of Climate or similar, any scientific program at the AGU or EGU meetings, or simply going to talk to scientists (not the famous ones, the ones at your local university or federal lab). I challenge you, if you think there is some un-reported division, show me the hundreds of abstracts at the Fall meeting (the biggest confernce in the US on this topic) that support your view - you won't be able to. You can argue whether the consensus is correct, or what it really implies, but you can't credibly argue it doesn't exist."

Dr. James Baker - NOAA

"There's a better scientific consensus on this [climate change] than on any issue I know - except maybe Newton's second law of dynamics.

Global warming is almost a no-brainer at this point,You really can't find intelligent, quantitative arguments to make it go away."

Jerry Mahlman, NOAA

Good web sites for more info:

http://profend.com/global-warming/

http://www.realclimate.org

"climate science from climate scientists"

Answer 2

Even though there is much talk about global warming imminent and most of the World will be flooded, etc... I believe that by what I have read and studied, this is a cyclical action that has occurred since biblical times...anyways I wouldn't worry too much as even if the polar caps melt somewhat...the seas would only raise between 5 to 20 inches.

I would wait to have a more definite concensus of scientists, as right now it is pretty well divided.

Answer 3

Bring on the warmth....I've been freezing to death all Winter!

It's all a bunch of b.s.  The earth has always naturally cycled through cooling and warming periods.

Answer 4

I think you need to continue reading about this subject as much as possible. All the evidence is there-and if you still deny it is happening then possibly you could stand next to the president at his next news conference and as he attempts to convience the public it is not happening, you can shake your head up and down and shout amen !!!

Answer 5

well its not an imediate threat.

But in a few hundred years maybe even less, if the iceburgs continue melting then were all screwed!

But like in the film The day after tomorrow, if fresh water from iceberg continues to be dumbed into the see then the hole north atlantic current could be ruined, meaning that all our weather would be CRAZY and we might have an ice age!

Answer 6

I absolutely do believe it is a clear and present danger that has been overlooked for far too long. That said, even those that do not accept the premise can easily agree that spewing toxic exhaust into the air, is probably not in our best interest either short or long term.

~

Answer 7

That article is CORRECT when it says sea levels are only predicted to rise only 17 inches in 100 years and temperature only go up a very few degrees. People who say we will all die when the sea covers all land or who say we will be burned alive by the heat in 10 years just are not looking at the facts. They are not looking at the scientific reports, they are listening to political activists who are deliberately trying to scare people to make them vote a certain way. Those political activists do not say sea level will rise 100 feet, they say it will rise a lot without saying that 17 inches is what they mean by a lot, which leaves people free to imagine 100 feet instead.

Answer 8

FACT OR FICTION

FICTION

for many North Americans ,but they are used to fiction and feel more comfortable with fairytales instead of the truth,

Many blindly believe that our fate is in Gods hands ,and their focus is on the beautifull heaven that awaits ,they are not to concerned with the world their children will inherrit

whilst others wish to enjoy an Earthly paradise ,with out having to die first,they care what happens here and want to help the planet

there may come a time that for the sake of our survival the two views will be seperated in to Enemies and friends of the planet

World leaders are not concerned with the well being of the masses ,on the contrary .it was stated at a conference in Copenhagen,in 1998,by Kissinger, that the Agenda demanded a decrease in the world population of 60%,and you cannot achieve this if you start saving everybody.

scientists who work for politicians ,get paid by these politicians and they have downplayed the facts because solutions are expensive and means change and change effects many peoples incomes,and upsets profit margins,so most of the world is kept in the dark of the real things that are going on.for political and economic reasons

HOWEVER CLIMATE CHANGE IS FACT FOR MILLIONS

Global warming is a very complex collection of many effects

this text only covers some aspects of global warming mainly man made desertification

industrial contamination ,the contaminating effects of the cities ,is another story

there are natural cycles in the planets life

but mans existance has its effects,and this is increasing with overpopulation,putting strains on Natural resources and increasing contaminations as well as destructions of essential componants the ensure living conditions for all life forms

in North Africa,India,Mexico ,millions of people are effected by land loss and desertification and some have died as a result

in china, thousands of what used to be farmers are running for their lives from the dust storms that have burried their towns and turned their lands into dessert,

,the Sahara is growing by 7 kilometers a year

and all of the desserts we know are a results of mans actions ,and they are increasing ,not getting less ,in the dinosaurs days ,there were very few desserts.

collectively this planet is drying up because of bad farming practices like,over grazing and fertilizers,

each degree rise in temperature means 10%crop loss

and there is less and less water (because of deforestation),to irrigate this production ,

and there are less and less farmers to do it..

and there are 70 million more peole every year that have to eat and drink and wash

who are overpumping deep carbon aquifiers

who are plowing more and more unstable lands because they have lost so many million hectares to desertification ,

because of bad farming practises ,such as using fertilizers and heavy machinary or over grazing

RISING SEAS

The northpole is melting ,and we will know it without ice in our life times.

this does not affect the sea level because it is ice that is already in the water.but the melting ice from Green land and the south pole ,are another matter.

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/natur...

if forrest are being exchanged for ashalt,concrete and desserts

what is gonna keep this planet habitable for us

We as humanity can behave in a less stressful manner as far as the Environment is concerned ,but it will mean global co operation between all countries ,and taking into account human nature and the world politics ,it is unlikely that this will happen, Source(s) Lester E Brown is the director and founder of the global institute of Environment in the United states .he has compiled a report based on all the satalite information available from NASA,and all the information that has

come from Universities and American embassies WORLD WIDE ,

his little book--a planet under stress , Plan B has been trans lated into many languages and won the best book award in 2003

Answer 9

No, definately not. 1)Warming in the past has given prosperity and wealth. 2)These politician/green/alarmists, I think, are just trying to scare us to get our money. Half of what they say is lies, anyways. All of this "apocalyptic calamitiy" stuff- hurricanes, drought, etc.- is based on weak guess-work that they call "undisputed science." 3) CO2 is not poisonous or pollutant, so nothing to be worried about there, 4)The climate has always varied in the past, so I don't think you should be worried. Please spread the word!