Is climate change really caused by humans, and if so, what are the implications?

Question

What are your thoughts?

What evidence supports the idea that man is responsible, or exacerbates, the cyclic warming and cooling of the earth?

How does today's climate change compare to that of past centuries?

Why have many scientists resigned from their jobs claiming they are unconvinced in the official g.warming theories, and morally unable to continue making money from them?

Can human beings avert or lessen the effects of climate change?

Answer 1

Apparently it's all a natural occurrence.. I mean in the 70's everyone was worried about global COOLING.

It's all to do with different cycles of the Earth orbiting the Sun over periods of many years.

Answer 2

Yes, and they're not good.

There's a mountain of data proving that this particular warming is caused by us.  EVERY major scientific organization has issued an official statement saying that.  Saying the temperature hasn't been increasing is proven nonsense:

http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2007/

The change itself is unusually fast, although such fast changes have occurred (rarely) in the past.  Past changes were likely caused mostly by increases in solar radiation, but measurements of solar radiation show that's not the case this time.  Sunspots have increased, but they don't cause warming.  Solar radiation has been decreasing a little lately.

"Many" scientists have resigned their jobs in protest?  Source for that assertion?

Humans can lessen the impact.  Here's a reasonable analysis of the situation, from the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.

"The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to begin taking steps to prepare for climate change and to slow it. Human actions over the next few decades will have a major influence on the magnitude and rate of future warming. Large, disruptive changes are much more likely if greenhouse gases are allowed to continue building up in the atmosphere at their present rate. However, reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require strong national and international commitments, technological innovation, and human willpower."

Answer 3

There are many cycles. ever 200 years, every 2000 years and every 30 to 40,000 years. Although we could accelerating it. Where do you think the stories from the bible came from, in regards to Nohas arc.

Answer 4

My thoughts?

Well, it looks like the world is getting a bit warmer. Of course, that is problematic to measure, but if we are measuring correctly, it is.

Also, CO2 levels have gone up since the Industrial Revolution (a couple of hundred years ago).

Many (but not all) climate scientist think there is a cause-and-effect connection between these phenomena. Note: cause and effect is hard to prove. On a contrary note, one could argue that the rise in temperature is causing the increase of CO2. I don't think it is so, but I'm just showing the problems with assuming cause and effect.

The questions: are humans causing the increased CO2 levels? Probably but not definitely yes.

Is this causing Global Warming? A much less certain yes. See notes on cause and effect.

Will global warming continue? I am skeptical about weather forecasts even a week in advance, let alone decades. I am not convinced. Most things in the real world don't follow parabolic graphs. A flattened "s" curve seems to be more normal. Anyway, we don't understand enough about chaotic systems to be able to predict it to any certainty.

Is global warming (assuming) bad? That is the question. Since events like this have occurred countless times in earth's history, I think earth can handle it. Some species would benefit, some it would harm. Humans would survive. Even thrive (we are tropical creatures).

I think people just don't like change.

Answer 5

Man has very little impact on something as huge as the climate.  Even the most ardent global warming believers will tell you that man has increased the amount of co2 by 100 ppm (parts per million) over the last 100 years.  That's just adding one molecule of co2 in a million others molecules per year.

These people actually believe one molecule per million is going to cause the Earth to end.  However this doesn't provide enough power to change the climate.

The Sun is what controls the climate, and the source of all warming on Earth,

Answer 6

So far there is no real evidence of any global warming above the levels reached before 1940. This whole thing got started because a few people had a bright idea and wanted to make some extra money with out working for it. Every single point that has so far been made on the pro side of the argument was built on faulty data and a faulty theory. It did not happen, it is not happening and it is not happening. All you need to do is check the local weather records each day for that days history and you will find that when you do have a new record high the previous high was back in the 20s or 30s.

Temps go up and temps go down on a cycle and you have record high or low years when a group of cycles meet at a point. The AGW believers who honestly believe in it do so because they do not have the breadth of education to see the falsity of the much-touted claims. Like any extensive media advertising program the point is to sell the consumer on a product, in this case a group of products still in the development stage because the scientific and engineering people they have working on them are not bright enough to solve some very basic problems.

Answer 7

Hi there

The best answer to the question "Climate Change... are you scared?" on my page explains a bloody lot! It explains the blatant scientific truth behind the effects of global warming and climate change with ideas about not only what could happen but what could happen either way.

It's a fantastic answer.

Global warming is naturally occuring but the heat radiation from the sun is being trapped within our atmosphere by the MAN-MADE blanket of greenhouse gases we have put there.

Im paticularly in love with a documentary by Al Gore called "An Inconvinient Truth". Its extremely controversial but i feel that even if the facts arnt true  (which they are) the film is extremely inspirational and makes you want to try to decrease the consequences of our actions.

I personally think we can start to avert the effects of climate change if we act now, mayby were too late but we are living in a state of humanity where we are not ready yet willing to accept any change in our world. If we are ignorent to the change... how can we change it?

  

Answer 8

"by 150 IQ" are you refering to Noah's Ark

Answer 9

Scepticism is only really such if it is informed, else it is plain ignorance.  The respondents of the "it's all a con-spee-rah-cee" school of drool ignore the facts because there are just too many long words and not a single dictionary in the house.

Scientists resign from their jobs for all kind of reasons, not least when they have opposed a growing body of evidence and so revealed their own, academic inadequacy and lack of rigour.

Lay men and women who resign themselves to the inevitable, with the excuse that "the Earth's climate is always changing" either genuinely or deliberately choose to ignore the speed at which this is happening.

Visit Real Climate, for the expert opinion of scientists of those who spend their lives studying climate.

Ignore the microcefali and make up your own mind on the subject.

Answer 10

I think we are messing with natural cycles - that the massive pollution, deforestation...etc and general wrecking of this planet by us is either exaggerating or disrupting the natural order of the planet's weather systems.

I really can't believe that all the bad stuff we've done to this planet is having no effect at all, but even so we aren't powerful enough to overpower nature. Just p her off!

Answer 11

Humans are so arrogant, we think we can change something as huge as the Earth's climate system! No we can't. Anyway, climate is not a fixed thing, it varies continuously over time, and in the past the average has been much warmer than today and also much cooler.

When I was young they were predicting an ice age! Therefore I'm more than a bit sceptical about the current predictions.