If "some scientists believe that global warming is occurring", wouldn't it also follow that some do not?

Question

When I read these statements in school textbooks, I assume that this would raise a debate, yet given the context of the information it attempts to display any other oppinion as un-true. How can somthing be widely accepted as fact, when some findings clearly state otherwise?

Answer 1

Most scientists agree that global warming is happening. The textbook publishers are simply presenting the scientific consensus on the subject, much like they do with the theory of evolution, the germ theory of disease, tectonic plate theory, and the theory of gravity.

Answer 2

Actually, that's a misleading statement to start with.  It's not really in dispute that the world gets warmer and cooler over time.  It's also not really in dispute that, so far as we can determine, global temperatures went up between about 1990-1940 and 1970-2000.  (They went down between about 1940-1970, while human industrial emissions continued to rise.)  If the textbooks you mention were written in the mid-1990s, for example, global warming would not be a very controversial observation.

What *IS* in dispute, and seems increasingly unlikely, is the proposition that human activity is the main, or even a significant, cause of global temperature change.  There is clear evidence of similar cycles of warming and cooling long before humans had anything resembling modern technology, and even before there were people.  Geologically, CO2 levels are about the lowest they've been in 400 million years; the time weighted average is about 2200ppm, about 5 times the current 'dangerous' levels.

The same general community of activists that promotes global warming hysteria today; in the 1970s were warning of global cooling and the 'coming ice age.'  They also blamed the *same* human activity and recommended the *same* remedy - namely, reduction of humans to a pre-industrial standard of living, enforced by a world-spanning socialist tyranny.  Kinda makes you wonder....

Answer 3

look at the forever car on youtube

we want free energy

shhhhh

dont tell

Answer 4

Yes, but its more than 100:1 on one side.

"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 meetings, or simply going to talk to scientists. I challenge you, if you think there is some un-reported division, show me the hundreds of abstracts 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."

NASA's Gavin Schmidt

"There's a better scientific consensus on this [climate change] than on any issue I know.

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

Dr. Jerry Mahlman, NOAA

Answer 5

Unfortunately, scientists of today, and more importantly, those proclaiming to be scientists, are not driven by the motivation to find the truth.  They are driven by greed and will manipulate facts or evidence in any manner which suits them and or their benefactors.  For instance, I wonder if ice core samples taken from Anartica would support Dukefenton's statement that CO2 levels are the lowest in 400 million years???  I doubt it!

Here is some interesting reading:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080427/sc_n...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/2008042...

Answer 6

Very smart of you to pick up on that.

It's true that the planet was in a warming period up to 1998.  Now it seems to be going into another cooling period.

Scientists aren't sure what causes these fluctuations in temperature, but most agree it's not caused by human or animal activity and it's mostly beneficial to life during the warming periods.

The issue has become political and many don't want to debate the issue because intelligent people may figure out they're being hoodwinked by the media.

Answer 7

there is very little, if any, scientific findings that clearly show that AGW is not occurring.  

there are as many people who doubt global warming as there are who doubt evolution.  and, in many cases, they are the same people.

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

Answer 8

The problem is that the majority of scientists think this is a real thing, regardless of what is posted here, most scientist don't know or care about forum sites they go by evidence and again regardless of what is posted here and similar sites, most of which is complete rubbish, fueled by the media who exaggerate what scientists have stated.

The current estimates are a sea rise of 24in and a temp rise of 2-3 deg by the end of the century.

While the grand conspiracy theories sound great and always appeal to a certain percentage of the population the sad fact is most of these politicians can't get themselves reelected never mind a conspiracy of this scale.

Even more laughable is that scientists as a group are lying about this to make money or increase their funding, this is a ridiculous statement, from someone who knows nothing about how science works, no one in there right mind spends decades researching something like this, knowing it is a fraud.

Many scientists could make far more money working in management or the military if that was what they wanted.

While there seems to be much talk here about the large number of scientists who don't agree with global warming it is only ever the same half dozen names that pop up Willie Soon, Arthur Robinson etc

Answer 9

yes, some do not. theres people are being paid by the oil industries to keep "quiet" and put it under the rug so to speak.

Global warming is happening, no doubt about it

its the stupid narrow minded people who dont care to help the situation and keep thinking nothings going to happen.

its these people who are going to be the death of us.

Answer 10

As recently as  10 years ago there was still serious debate in the scientific community.  Yes, there are still dissenters, including a few with impressive credentials.  But the collective body of evidence is impressive too.  The models have improved, and the research has accumulated an incredible amount of data.  Added research and the fact that we've been gathering info since the late '50's leads the vast majority of climate scientists, and most of the scientific community at large, to concur that global climate change is a verifiable fact.

Some links to supplement what you got in school, and God bless for challenging what you were taught, for questioning.  As for the scientists, sometimes data is subject to interpretation.  Check out the first site and perhaps you'll get it directly from the horses' mouth why some scientists do not buy into it.  (Keep in mind a fair number of these are on the payroll of companies who have contributed directly to greenhouse gases, etc.)

Answer 11

Is it a fact that the globe has warmed?   The question is without bounds, in otherwords, there has to be some time frame to the question.  Is the globe warmer now than the last ice age or since last year?

If you mean do humans induce global warming, then there are some who are convinced this is true, and others who aren't.  In fact, the science is far from settled.

The science can't be settled because the scientists who contend that CO2 is causing temps to increase are basing their "belief" in computer models which contain a large number of assumptions, i.e. parameters which they don't have any scientifically based way to determine.  In fact, the IPCC projections aren't projections at all, they are scenarios.

It may well be that CO2 is causing global warming, but I can't stress enough that climate science is in it's infancy at this point in time.  Climate is a chaotic system and those who claim that they have figured it out should be considered quacks.

In fact, the "calculated" forcing used in the models from increased water vapor derived from an increase in CO2 is not verified.  The actual empiracle methodology has not been provided and therefore must be considered assumed as well.

See http://www.climateaudit.org/?p=2562

When science is "settled", it can either be verified or falsified.

To date, the latest IPCC projections are falsified.

See http://rankexploits.com/musings/2008/ipc...

Until you educate yourself with the scientific method and research the myriad of studies, and reach an informed conclusion, then you can only form a "belief", much akin to faith in God.

Answer 12

shhhhhh...we don't acknowledge the other side.

Also, it is called 'climate change' now.  The earth's temperature has dropped over the last 10 years, and we want to keep being able to advocate.

Answer 13

well the fact that greenhouse gasses will increase temperature in the atmosphere and lead to all sorts of other nasty problems is a fact and not really debated by hardly anyone.

How much "global warming" will raise the temperature and the effects that it will have and our effect on the grand scheme of things is what is more debated.  Really though the fact that we do have at least some effect is quite evident and pretty widely accepted.