Global warming and why?

Question

What do you believe about global warming?

I believe it's just a cycle. Our earth started out as a poisonous wasteland, but then eventually, the Ice Age struck. That ice melted and gave way to our world. Now, we're having fluctutating cycles of cold and warm. Georgia hasn't beaten it's heat record yet and it's heat record was in the 1930s. Frankly, people need to stop freaking out over Global Warming.

Answer 1

There are many basic scientific facts which can only be explained if the current global warming is being caused by an increased greenhouse effect due to carbon dioxide accumulating in the atmosphere from humans burning fossil fuels.

For example, the planet is warming as much or more during the night than day.  If the warming were due to the Sun, the planet should warm a lot more during the day when the Sun has influence.  Greenhouse gases trap heat all the time, so they warm the planet regardless of time of day.  Another example is that the upper atmosphere is cooling because the greenhouse gases trap the heat in the lower atmosphere.  If warming were due to the Sun, it would be warming all layers of the atmosphere.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

We know it's warming, and we've measured how much:

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science...

Scientists have a good idea how the Sun and the Earth's natural cycles and volcanoes and all those natural effects change the global climate, so they've gone back and checked to see if they could be responsible for the current global warming.  What they found is:

Over the past 30 years, all solar effects on the global climate have been in the direction of (slight) cooling, not warming.  This is during a very rapid period of global warming.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/62902...

http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/media/pro...

A recent study concluded:

“the range of  [Northern Hemisphere]-temperature reconstructions and natural forcing histories…constrain the natural contribution to 20th century warming to be <0.2°C [less than one-third of the total warming].  Anthropogenic forcing must account for the difference between a small natural temperature signal and the observed warming in the late 20th century.”

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/104...

You can see this in the third graph here, where the dotted lines are just from natural causes, and the full lines are natural + human causes:

http://www.pnas.org/content/vol104/issue...

If that’s not enough to convince you the Sun isn’t responsible, consider the fact that no scientific study has ever attributed more than one-third of the warming over the past 30 years to the Sun, and most attribute just 0-10% to the Sun.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

So the Sun certainly isn't a large factor in the current warming.  They've also looked at natural cycles, and found that we should be in the middle of a cooling period right now.

"An often-cited 1980 study by Imbrie and Imbrie determined that 'Ignoring anthropogenic and other possible sources of variation acting at frequencies higher than one cycle per 19,000 years, this model predicts that the long-term cooling trend which began some 6,000 years ago will continue for the next 23,000 years.'"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitc...

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

So it's definitely not the Earth's natural cycles.  They looked at volcanoes, and found that

a) volcanoes cause more global cooling than warming, because the particles they emit block sunlight

b) humans emit over 150 times more CO2 than volcanoes annually

http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/Gases/man....

So it's certainly not due to volcanoes.  Then they looked at human greenhouse gas emissions.  We know how much atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased over the past 50 years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mauna...

And we know from isotope ratios that this increase is due entirely to human emissions from burning fossil fuels.  We know how much of a greenhouse effect these gases like carbon dioxide have, and the increase we've seen is enough to have caused almost all of the warming we've seen over the past 30 years (about 80-90%).  You can see a model of the various factors over the past century here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Clima...

This is enough evidence to convince almost all climate scientists that humans are the primary cause of the current global warming.

Answer 2

I know that it is an unproven theory.   I believe that we have some effect, since CO2 does trap heat, but that that effect is within the normal variations / fluctuations of climate.    It's just one more variable out of dozens.    A lot of people insist "global warming isn't over, it's a strong La Nina" - but if a strong La Nina can in 12 months wipe away 80% of three decades of CO2-driven warming, that's my entire point.

I do however think that there are policy initiatives that we need to embark upon for reasons independent of global warming theory that would happen to reduce CO2 emissions.

I'm sick of buying oil products from radical religious extremists who turn around and fund terrorists with the money.

I'm sick of opposition to nuclear energy.

I'm sick of politicians putting roadblocks ahead of wind energy projects for fake reasons like birdstrike risk.    There is no evidence that geese and herons are just going to fly into the turbines - they don't fly into lighthouses, ships, coastal buildings, fishing boats, oil rigs.....    The only thing they fly into is RAF fighter jets but that's because the jets are MOVING toward THEM!

Answer 3

There is a consensus among scientists that global warming tis real, that is the earth is warming and our consumption habits are causing it.  There is a consensus that it is getting worse exponentially.

The ice age didn't strike "eventually".  It was due to extreme volcanic activity, meteors that clouded the air.  The earth before that was tropical, and the water level was much higher.  Our existence has come about because of the ice age.

The ice caps now protect the earth's current temperature by reflecting the suns rays.  THe more the ice caps melt, the less protection we have -- among other reasons.

The most dramatic shifts in temperature come at the polar extremes, NOT IN GEORGIA.  Those places closest to the equator will change the least -- not to say that Georgia is close to the equator, but it is closer than, lets say Canada.  

I grew up in New Hampshire, and now live in New York.  The change in temperature is more dramatic in New Hampshire, but still pronounced in New York.  We now have Canadian geese that live year round in our local park.

Answer 4

There are some problems of global warming that are scary, once it starts it is very hard to stop, any event that caused by global warming just speeds the process up. It may just be a cycle but where it's heading may not be a good place for us humans to live

Answer 5

Here is truth about global warming:

Global warming is one-half of the climatic cycle of warming and cooling.

The earth's mean temperature cycles around the freezing point of water.

This is a completely natural phenomenon which has been going on since there has been water on this planet. It is driven by the sun.

Our planet is currently emerging from a 'mini ice age', so is

becoming warmer and may return to the point at which Greenland is again usable as farmland (as it has been in recorded history).

As the polar ice caps decrease, the amount of fresh water mixing with oceanic water will slow and perhaps stop the thermohaline cycle (the oceanic heat 'conveyor' which, among other things, keeps the U.S. east coast warm).

When this cycle slows/stops, the planet will cool again and begin to enter another ice age.

It's been happening for millions of years.

The worrisome and brutal predictions of drastic climate effects are based on computer models, NOT CLIMATE HISTORY.

As you probably know, computer models are not the most reliable of sources, especially when used to 'predict' chaotic systems such as weather.

Global warming/cooling, AKA 'climate change':

Humans did not cause it.

Humans cannot stop it.

Answer 6

Any event that caused by global warming just speeds the process up Global warming is one-half of the climatic cycle of warming and cooling.  Global warming started as a ball of water with the earth totally covered.

Answer 7

the globe as we know it, started as a ball of water with the earth totaly covered. with the activity of volcanos, earth quakes, land was formed,   global warming?  100 years ago we didnt have equipment to measure black holes, deep holes, pock holes and the like.    hole in the ozone?   hapens on a regular bases,  only this time we know its hapening,  it will right its self in due corse,  i gaurantee that    give it another 150 years   and you will know the diferance :-)))

Answer 8

I totally agree with you

I'm here in Australia in the middle of summer and it's nowhere near the normal temperatures we have.

The world in general is staying at relatively the same temperature. Just parts of it are fluctuating more so.

What ever happened to the ICE AGE they predicted in the 1970's.

Cheers

Answer 9

I don't believe global warming is our fault but i do believe that the earth is warming, probably due to the effects of solar weather and sun spot activity. Also we are told that sea levels will rise ! I am no scientist but when ice melts it leaves water but the volume is less than the volume of ice, therefore there should be no great increase in see levels. If the ice melts it will probably end up in the atmosphere because its warmer and block out the sun, bringing on another ice age ! Don't worry the earth has an uncanny way of balancing itself. I wouldn't be surprised to find out in the coming years that they will be predicting another ice age again, some already are !

Answer 10

In antartica the ice burgs are melting there maybe in 2010 antartica will be an ocean because of the melting ice.

Answer 11

We have global cooling as of now as its the coldest 12 months in recorded history. Even Baghdad has its first snowfall.