Is Global Warming REALLY Real? Will We All Die In 2012?

Question

Im scared :(

Answer 1

God will guide us and he will never forsake us!

Answer 2

global warming is real and im scared too! pray that we won't die!

Answer 3

Yes. No.

Answer 4

The world will end in 100 years or so. We humans are too stubborn and dont care enough about our environment to really make an effort with using less fossil fuels.

Answer 5

Yes, Global Warming is real.  I wouldn't worry about 2012, it's most likely nonsense.  In any event, like the ozone hole, glacial cycle, solar cycle, and the curse of the bambino, it has nothing to do with global warming.

Answer 6

The earth is currently warmer...

It is a natural cycle

The earth was in a colder cycle in the 70's... Back then we were scaring people that a new ice age was coming... and Bush wasn't even in office to blame

and we are all going to die in 2012 from an exploding stars gamma rays

Answer 7

no. global warming is a problem. but its not THAT huge.  the earths average temperature is suppose to rise like 3  degrees in a 100 years. big woop

Answer 8

Yes. Possibly, but not from global warming.

Answer 9

global warming is real but its nothing dramatic it will just be a slow change. you probably wont eaven notice the change from year to year but soon enough it will cause problems such as food shortages and droughts.

no, you probably wont even notice the changes until at least 2030-2040. 2012 is the end of the myan calendar it has also been singled out as a point at which we need to begin making large changes but nothing like the end of the world.

Answer 10

If man causes global warming we are going to be freezing our butts off once we find a clean energy as the planet with reduced CO2 cools, But it should warm up again in 100years as the trees planted to slow global warming die and give off co2.

Answer 11

Science Has Spoken:

Global Warming Is a Myth

by Arthur B. Robinson and Zachary W. Robinson

Copyright 1997 Dow Jones & Co., Inc.

Reprinted with permission of Dow Jones & Co., Inc.

The Wall Street Journal (December 4, 1997)

--------------------------------------...

Political leaders are gathered in Kyoto, Japan, working away on an international treaty to stop "global warming" by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The debate over how much to cut emissions has at times been heated--but the entire enterprise is futile or worse. For there is not a shred of persuasive evidence that humans have been responsible for increasing global temperatures. What's more, carbon dioxide emissions have actually been a boon for the environment.

The myth of "global warming" starts with an accurate observation: The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is rising. It is now about 360 parts per million, vs. 290 at the beginning of the 20th century, Reasonable estimates indicate that it may eventually rise as high as 600 parts per million. This rise probably results from human burning of coal, oil and natural gas, although this is not certain. Earth's oceans and land hold some 50 times as much carbon dioxide as is in the atmosphere, and movement between these reservoirs of carbon dioxide is poorly understood. The observed rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide does correspond with the time of human release and equals about half of the amount released.

Carbon dioxide, water, and a few other substances are "greenhouse gases." For reasons predictable from their physics and chemistry, they tend to admit more solar energy into the atmosphere than they allow to escape. Actually, things are not so simple as this, since these substances interact among themselves and with other aspects of the atmosphere in complex ways that are not well understood. Still, it was reasonable to hypothesize that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels might cause atmospheric temperatures to rise. Some people predicted "global warming," which has come to mean extreme greenhouse warming of the atmosphere leading to catastrophic environmental consequences.

Careful Tests

The global-warming hypothesis, however, is no longer tenable. Scientists have been able to test it carefully, and it does not hold up. During the past 50 years, as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have risen, scientists have made precise measurements of atmospheric temperature. These measurements have definitively shown that major atmospheric greenhouse warming of the atmosphere is not occurring and is unlikely ever to occur.

The temperature of the atmosphere fluctuates over a wide range, the result of solar activity and other influences. During the past 3,000 years, there have been five extended periods when it was distinctly warmer than today. One of the two coldest periods, known as the Little Ice Age, occurred 300 years ago. Atmospheric temperatures have been rising from that low for the past 300 years, but remain below the 3,000-year average.

Why are temperatures rising? The first chart nearby shows temperatures during the past 250 years, relative to the mean temperature for 1951-70. The same chart shows the length of the solar magnetic cycle during the same period. Close correlation between these two parameters--the shorter the solar cycle (and hence the more active the sun), the higher the temperature--demonstrates, as do other studies, that the gradual warming since the Little Ice Age and the large fluctuations during that warming have been caused by changes in solar activity.

The highest temperatures during this period occurred in about 1940. During the past 20 years, atmospheric temperatures have actually tended to go down, as shown in the second chart, based on very reliable satellite data, which have been confirmed by measurements from weather balloons.

Consider what this means for the global-warming hypothesis. This hypothesis predicts that global temperatures will rise significantly, indeed catastrophically, if atmospheric carbon dioxide rises. Most of the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide has occurred during the past 50 years, and the increase has continued during the past 20 years. Yet there has been no significant increase in atmospheric temperature during those 50 years, and during the 20 years with the highest carbon dioxide levels, temperatures have decreased.

In science, the ultimate test is the process of experiment. If a hypothesis fails the experimental test, it must be discarded. Therefore, the scientific method requires that the global warming hypothesis be rejected.

Why, then, is there continuing scientific interest in "global warming"? There is a field of inquiry in which scientists are using computers to try to predict the weather--even global weather over very long periods. But global weather is so complicated that current data and computer methods are insufficient to make such predictions. Although it is reasonable to hope that these methods will eventually become useful, for now computer climate models are very unreliable. The second chart shows predicted temperatures for the past 20 years, based on the computer models. It's not surprising that they should have turned out wrong--after all the weatherman still has difficulty predicting local weather even for a few days. Long-term global predictions are beyond current capabilities.

So we needn't worry about human use of hydrocarbons warming the Earth. We also needn't worry about environmental calamities, even if the current, natural warming trend continues: After all the Earth has been much warmer during the past 3,000 years without ill effects.

But we should worry about the effects of the hydrocarbon rationing being proposed at Kyoto. Hydrocarbon use has major environmental benefits. A great deal of research has shown that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide accelerate the growth rates of plants and also permit plants to grow in drier regions. Animal life, which depends upon plants, also increases.

Standing timber in the United States has already increased by 30% since 1950. There are now 60 tons of timber for every American. Tree-ring studies further confirm this spectacular increase in tree growth rates. It has also been found that mature Amazonian rain forests are increasing in biomass at about two tons per acre per year. A composite of 279 research studies predicts that overall plant growth rates will ultimately double as carbon dioxide increases.

Lush Environment

What mankind is doing is moving hydrocarbons from below ground and turning them into living things. We are living in an increasingly lush environment of plants and animals as a result of the carbon dioxide increase. Our children will enjoy an Earth with twice as much plant and animal life as that with which we now are blessed. This is a wonderful and unexpected gift from the industrial revolution.

Hydrocarbons are needed to feed and lift from poverty vast numbers of people across the globe. This can eventually allow all human beings to live long, prosperous, healthy, productive lives. No other single technological factor is more important to the increase in the quality, length and quantity of human life than the continued, expanded and unrationed use of the Earth's hydrocarbons, of which we have proven reserves to last more than 1,000 years. Global warming is a myth. The reality is that global poverty and death would be the result of Kyoto's rationing of hydrocarbons.

Arthur Robinson and Zachary Robinson are chemists at the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine.

Answer 12

NO !!! It is a scam that is making the oil co millions.

Answer 13

Global Warming is happening. We won't die in 2012. Just as long as people recycle, safe electricity, Don't drive if you don't need to. if you and some other people do this we will be one step closer to stop Global Warming.

Answer 14

I doubt the world will end in 2012 because it was supposed to in like in 1987 or something. So don't be scared. You should still try to help fix Global Warming.

Answer 15

Global Warming is real but it's a normal event that we can't stop. We're not going to die. Polar bears are not going to die. The earth was hotter than it is now 50 years ago. Warming and cooling cycles have happen before.

stop freaking out.

Answer 16

Nothing will happen in 2012 because the Mayans were a bunch of superstitious preliterate prescientific people whose prophecies mean nothing,  but yes global warming is real and human activity is causing it.

Answer 17

It's real, but it's really not that big of a deal

No, we are not all going to die in 2012

Relax

Answer 18

It might be real.  But the debate lies within you believe it is being caused by man, or is a natural occurance.  And if you're afraid of the year 2012, why worry about global warming.  The whole 2012 was when the Mayan calendar ended, so supposedly when the world was supposed to end.  Unfortunately, they didn't predict their own demise 500 years ago very well, so I wouldn't really consider their whole end of the world prediction to be very credible.  Besides, if you believe the Bible, no one has seen the end of days except for God.

Answer 19

Global warming is real

according to the mayans, egyptians, chinese, and Nostradaumus (French), yep, we're doomed!

Answer 20

Global warming is real, but you don't have to be afraid of dying in 2012.

Climate change has the power to eventually change many things in our world, but it won't extinguish the human race during your lifetime. Since you're among the fortunate people to live in the rich world - I can see that since you've got access to a computer :-) the risk for you or your family and friends being killed from it is minimal. I promise! :-)

If you feel scared, please talk to grown ups that you trust about your fear. They can probably help you feel better.  Humans has always made a huge impact on nature and messing things up, but humans are also very good at finding solutions to difficult problems. Don't listen to the people here on Y!A that says we're doomed because we're not!