What is global warming and does it exist?

Question

What is it, how can you judge whether or not it is happening, and does it really exist? Please answer all three questions with fact, and not opinion.

Answer 1

NO

It was invented by Al Gore. It exists only in the minds of some mental patients and special interests

Common sense says it is a hoax costing us billions of dollars and thousands of lives a year. Ask the people effected by the recent cold weather in Oregon and Washington if they believe in global warming> Ask the good people of Green Bay Wi at today's NFC Championship. Ask anybody in Southern California where 30 years ago almost everyday in summer was over 100 degrees and now it is common to see 70 degrees in July. Ask the little green men on Mars who have seen their temperatures go up over the last several decades. Oops I guess that one actually supports global warming.  I guuess the Martians must be burning too much fossil fuel. Also if you do any reading scientists just discovered that the ice melting you refer to is caused by a volcano deep under the ice sheets. So unless you want to argue that man can cause volcanoes that argument goes down the drain!

Answer 2

I am not going to answer what Global Warming is or how you can tell it exists because that has already been established.  My answer to your comment about people blaming Global Warming on vehicles when there didn't use to be any vehicles is this:  Haven't you ever heard of the Industrial Revolution?  We had a period of about 50 years where everyone was just burning coal to fuel factories and whatnot.  Do you think that that's not going to affect the ozone layer?

Answer 3

well, if u look at the phrase "global warming" u can see the word warming.  you can judge it by feeling the temperature around you every day.  if a certain day is hottter then usual thats how you know global warming is happening. the earth is getting hotter then it should be. it does exist.

Answer 4

1) Global warming is global warming. (Thats why its called global warming.)

2) Scientists have studied it and judge that it is happening.

3)Yes it does really exist.

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/...

http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate/evidence/ex...

http://climateprogress.org/2007/09/14/cl...

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/sci...

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

http://www.ipcc.ch/

Answer 5

Global warming is when the icebergs melt.

Does it exist? Absolutely, it's happening now.

Can we prevent it? No.

Just like people can't prevent drug users, drunk driving, abortion, premarital s*x - the list goes on.

Try convincing 7 billion people to be on the same page.

Answer 6

The earth is getting warmer.

Icebergs are melting.

Yes, it  exists,

Answer 7

What is it? The average temperature of the planet rising

How can you judge whether or not it is happening? Study the data that has been collected

Does it really exist? Yes, based on prevailing data

All three answers are fact, not opinion. I don't have time to do your research for you and there's a bigger issue to address here.

It appears based on your additional comments that you have an agenda here. There are thoughtful answers from Connected Earth and Bob the retired Admiral, NASA administrator and shuttle astronaut and I bet you won't pick either of their answers, nor will you pick mine.

The scientific community has pretty much put this one to bed James.

By the way, the Wikis referenced here have been pretty much right on the money. I'm sorry that 50% of the information you find on the wiki is false.

Answer 8

What it is:

Some gases ("greenhouse gases") let sunlight in, which warms the Earth, and then block that heat from leaving. That's the "greenhouse effect", and it's a natural thing, mostly caused by water vapor.

Man is making excessive amounts of greenhouse gases, mostly by burning fossil fuels. That causes the delicate natural balance to go out of whack and the Earth warms. That's global warming.

Is it happening?

Yes.  Temperatures are rising, although there is variability year to year.  These graphs show both things.  1998 was unusually warm, 1999, unusually cold.

http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2...

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

Does it really exist?

Yes.  Proof here, short and (very) long:

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

http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/wg1-report....

summarized at:

http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report...

Answers to all the usual "skeptical" arguments here, with factual basis:

http://environment.newscientist.com/chan...

The bottom line:

"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

Good websites for more info:

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

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/sci...

http://www.realclimate.org

"climate science from climate scientists"

http://environment.newscientist.com/chan...

Answer 9

you are absolutely right !

Answer 10

1st ?:::Global warming is the prediction from a large number of Scientists that Humans are causing the earths climate to climb beyond what would occur naturally that will lead to the Destruction of our Planet from AGW (Anthropogenic Global Warming).

2nd ?::::There are a large number of Scientists that predict that the earth is simply in a warming cycle and that we humans have a small effect (if any) on the climate changes. They do not claim the doom & gloom but agree we MUST recycle when possible and conserve our natural resources.

3rd ?:::::The term global warming  is a political term and is misleading. For the most part everyone agrees that we are warming up gradually the big and I mean big question is why and what is causing it?

There may be evidence that the earth is warming, but no real scientific fact to support why it is.

Most articles from both sides are just articles that base little on fact and more on short term evidence.

I think for the most part, the discussion on (Global Warming) is much like our modern day court system. Both sides just try to prove their side with hundred of websites all claiming to disprove the other, or no real proof. Both sides have extreme activists. Money and politics are major players, and the right thing or the moral thing to do is not high on the priorities list.

The only difference from our court system is that the global warming issue has no short term answer that would be equivalent to jury and /or Judge.. only time holds our future or fate. I would keep in mind that either side may be found to be wrong.

I believe we have a responsibility to conserve energy, preserve our environment and recycle everything that is feasibly possible.

I do not believe that we are causing a doom & gloom warming catastrophe. I do know that we need to prepare now by conserving energy, preserving nature and preparing for the next climate change (whether it continues to heat up or we start a cooling cycle).

Please don't form your opinon from this forum. To many close minded "hot heads" with no real proof to back their doom & gloom.

Start your own "homework assignment" and research for a basis for your own opinion. it is best to not take a position for several weeks of study. Then you try to prove yourself wrong. I have found you get your best real evidence staying objective and open minded, regardless of your position.

Please just don't become one that uses terms like never, always, can't   this shows a very closed minded person. Try not to refer to people as idiots. The AGW'ers don't like being called names.

Answer 11

Today here is what we know:  many of mankind’s advancements cause earth surface to warm, destroy the ozone layer, kill off endanger species, heat cities, and in some way cause more destruction.  Blacktop (roads and parking lots), buildings, air pollution (causes lung and other diseases), deforestation, duststorms (which increase hurricanes and cyclones and cause lung diseases), fires (cause pollution, mud slides, and deforestation), refrigerants (like CFC's), solvents (including benzene destroy the ozone layer raising skin cancer rates) and plastics; cars, airplanes, ships and most electricity production (causes pollution including raised CO2 levels) are human problems we need to fix to keep life on earth sustainable! The federal government needs to adopt a pollution surcharge to balance the field and advance new technologies. We must pay the real price of oil (petrochemicals) including global warming, cleanup and for health effects. But with that we must understand we have never seen what is now happening before. CO2 has never lead to temperature change, but temperature change has led to increases in CO2. The models have to be made as we go along with little evidence! The result is:  change is on the way, we just do not know what changes. But again adding a small amount of CO2 to the atmosphere enlarges the earths sun collection causing warming; increase water in the atmosphere and they form clouds cooling earth but causing flooding. Even natural events are warming earth and causing destruction. The sun has an increased magnetic field causing increases in earthquakes (more destruction), volcanoes (wow, great destruction), and sun spots. Lighting produces ozone near the surface (raising air pollution levels). But humans have destroyed half of the wetlands, cut down nearly half of the rain forest, and advance on the earths grasslands while advancing desertification which increases duststorms. The USA Mayor's have taken a stand and I believe are on the right track, we can have control and can have economic growth. With the peak of oil in the 1970’s, the peak of ocean fishing in the 1980’s, humans must stop procrastinating and make real changes to keep earth sustainable including in the energy debate, finance and regulation. The sun is available to produce energy, bring light to buildings and makes most of human’s fresh water. Composting is the answer to desertification. New dams are the answer to fresh water storage, energy and cooling earth by evaporation, we need many small one all over (California needs 100 by 2012 and has not even started).

President Bush has made a choice of energy (ethanol) over food and feeding the starving people around the world; this is a choice China has rejected.

Answer 12

Global warming is just one more apocalyptic doomsday cult lead by a self-possessed messianic, only this one comes with a movie and a book.  

In the not too distant future, after Al Gore's "planetary emergency" fails to materialize we will look back on this insanity and wonder how so many intelligent people could be so easily fooled.

Answer 13

Gobal warming is the planet getting warmer. Partly due to the huge quantity of hydrocarbons we spew as a byproduct of industrialized life, trapping heat that would normally dicepate in space. And partly because we are eating away at the ozone layer over the poles, allowing more energy in from the sun.

Scientists around the world have been carefully monitoring global warming since the 1970s when it was called greenhouse effect. Data from numerous sources spanning over 30 years show that glaciers have melted at an alarming rate! There is plenty of other evidence too, but that's the most profound.

Of course it exists. If George W. Bush finally admits it exists after holding out for years, then you know it's gotta be true. Sometimes it just takes George a little bit longer to understand the science.

You left out one important question. Does it matter if the planet is warming? School's still out on that one I'm afraid.

Here are some facts, graphs, and support for my claims. Please don't ask me to type all this stuff here.

Peace