Why do you believe in Global Warming? Have you looked into it yourself or believe what people tell you?

Question

It seems to me like people just believe what they hear and don't even look into the facts at all. The facts push hard toward no global warming at all, JUST COINCIDENCES. Yet people still believe what they want. What do you think.

Answer 1

The more I look into it the more I see exaggerations and just plain outright lies (e.g., the MWP was "limited to Northern Europe" - Kenya is not in Northern Europe; the Sierra Nevadas are not in Northern Europe, China is not in Northern Europe...).

It would be very easy to just dismiss the AGW theory out of hand on the basis of the credibility of those who have advocated it.

However I've been very patient and I try to judge every statement on the merits.

The fact is that so far we're on track with the MWP, and given the recent climate history we were due for another MWP following the LIA - the MWP came roughly 900 years after the end of another warm period.    We could have a material effect - - I would not say that it is impossible, that we cannot have one - - but the measure of that would be the extent to which we go off-track from what happened in the MWP.

So far that hasn't happened.

Answer 2

Great question. Another similar question you can ask people who deny the scientific mainstream is "why do you believe in Einstein's theory of relativity? Do you understand it/ Did you take the physics classes necessary to convince yourself it is true?". Of course they did not. They believe because they accept that mainstream science is probably right, even though there are some knowledgable people who don't believe.

Global warming is an issue because of it's political and economic impact. These are emotion stirring aspects that cause some people to search for ways to deny it.

I have GW denial friends who have literally abandoned the arguments they had 4 years ago and have adopted new and improved arguments. What that tells me is that they are completely bound and determined to find a way to reject global warming science even if they have to actively dig for information and selectively cherry pick certain facts which they believe support their cause. This is disingenuous, and frankly pathetic. But it is ubiquitous.

Answer 3

I've spent many hours looking at the real science, not political blogs.  It's in the links below.  Note that the "skeptics" actually protest when people quote real science, because it destroys their arguments.  Global warming is real, and mostly caused by us.  (By the way I'm in the US, and have never said otherwise).

This is science and what counts is the data.

"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

Here are two summaries of the mountain of peer reviewed data that convinced Admiral Truly and the vast majority of the scientific community, short and long.

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

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

summarized at:

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

There's a lot less controversy about this is the real world than there is on Yahoo answers:

http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/a...

And vastly less controversy in the scientific community than you might guess from the few skeptics talked about here:

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

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

"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

Good websites for more info:

http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.a...

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

http://www.realclimate.org

"climate science from climate scientists"

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

EDIT - Asterisk.  I really appreciate your thought, but I think I'll go with what thousands of climatologists say, instead of taking your word on it.  Sorry.

Answer 4

I don't believe in this whole scare tactic because it is still much cooler than it was just before the Little Ice Age.  When England had massive fields of grapes for wine making, Greenland had vast fields of grass and agriculture, when people who tried to scam the government and the people were put to death, not given Nobel Peace Prizes and such.

It raised .6 degrees C in a matter of 140 years, the last 8 years have eliminated most of that .6 degrees.  So the 148 year trend shows only .3 degrees of warming.  That's my simple Dana and Bob argument.  "Now cut and paste a link from the same biased sites over and over again, and now it is complete."

Dana, you have a degree is physics, not climatology.  You are not qualified to speak on the matter.  Bob (Dana's other screen name) you claim you are from the UK, but your grammar doesn't fit that of an English person.  So you are a scam artist too.  now cut and paste.  Don't worry, they'll be on soon to answer this question with their misinformation.

Answer 5

OK, lets say global warming isn't true,but something is causing the glaciers to melt.Pollution is true you can see it on any day when the skies are supposed to be clear.

Answer 6

"Note that the "skeptics" actually protest when people quote fake science, because it strengthens their arguments when they bring up the real science."

I fixed this for Bob.  There was a typo I thought he might want corrected.

Answer 7

Have you ever been in a desert ,or in a forest ,the difference in climate is vast .

Humanity has made desserts or desert conditions everywhere ,with deforestation and bad agriculture

,

And everywhere we have changed forests for concrete or asphalt.

Accumulatively This MUST have influenced the overall Environment ,if it totally changed local conditions.

Global Warming is true, there are Natural fazes but we are affecting that to a great extent ,with deforestation ,desertification and pollution., especially air pollution.

A few weeks ago one of NASA's top scientists concluded that the Arctic Ocean could be nearly ice-free within five years, much faster than all previous predictions.

when the north pole is gone , you may have polar bears soon in America ,looking for a home ,

Calculations do not include the accumulative ,speeding up ,factor with time. the increase in water temperature will get faster all the time as well as the melting, when the ice is all gone the deeper cold Ocean currents will be drastically affected,which in turn will affect the warm currents,since all moving bodies of water are connected in series.

This will affect coastal climates ,world wide ,almost instantly. All aquatic flora and fauna will be affected,many dying off and others becoming invasive,

And recently In Chiapas ,and Tabasco in Mexico .more then a million people became homeless overnight with water coming up to their roofs ,because of rains from super evaporation from the forests,this had never happened before. Millions of animals died.

In India 3000 people died because of super storms .

.A few years ago in Europe 3500 people,died during a heat wave ,many of them in France .

Right now the average death toll annually is 150.000 due to Global warming

. these figures are already out of date and are expected to double soon.

In Northern China millions of people are running for their lives because regular dust storms so far have buried 900 villages under the sand and the whole of northern China is turning into a dessert.

The Sahara is growing by 7 kilometers a year all around the edges ,like a slow burning fire shriveling up their neighbors In the Kalahari huge rivers have dried up and thousand of species are gone due to their habitats disappearing .

The biggest changes are invisible at micro biotic levels species are becoming extinct ,others are multiplying ,

This affects the insect populations that follow ,and changes in that ,affect all that follows in the food chains ,

All life is interrelated of both flora and fauna, And since we are on the top of the food chain ,

we are always the last to know.

So Global warming has its toll there are incidents all over the world ,

However

confusion rules the day ,i am beginning to think that SCIENCE HAS BEEN INVADED WITH POLITICS AND HUMAN EMOTIONS

The truth is being distorted at high levels,

And lies have been weaved in.

Some of the real dangers are being hidden because there are no solutions , Public could panic.and Authorities would loose control .

Besides Corporations have other priorities and changes will cause loss of profits ,this also affects the truths being published

Others facts are exaggerated so that the phenomena can be used to milk the people.

This is further complicated with Arrogance that will not admit that mankind could be guilty, or that Gods could be out of control ,unloving or incompetent

But I do not think we can make a real difference anymore to change the tide.

On a Global scale,Humanity is not co operative enough .

The poor regions have other priorities such as daily survival.

There is a lot we can do about being more responsible with what we got ,Sounds as if you are looking for reasons to opt out of the responsibility

In the first world countries many do not care or are more interested in Global Control than Global Warming.

Answer 8

what facts are you talking about. the earth is warming, ie global warming.

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

Data @ NASA GISS: GISS Surface Temperature Analysis: Graphs

notice the 5 year average and the overall trend.

Answer 9

The debate is over.  Read the scientific reports yourself, don't take other people's word for it. Every body who is able to read and understand the science knows that Global Warming is happening, there has not been any real debate for a long time now.

Answer 10

I dont need many facts to prove to me that all the c**p we are pumping into the air is having an effect on the planet. I just dont find that hard to believe.

Maybe there are people that are exaggerating global warming,  (which I dont believe, but for the sake of argument)

but so what. Is it so bad that people become environmentally conscious? To start recycling? Find renewable energy sources? Can you honestly say you dont think we are emitting more CO2 since the industrial revolution?

Answer 11

I looked into it myself with shooting shoe boxes with my dolls in it across the floor, seat belts in cars are not necessary.

I looked into it myself by introducing smoke into my hamsters cage.  Smoking does not damage your health.

I looked at some data on trials for a blood pressure pill, just coincidences the pill does not help.

In this case you are looking at a position on man made global warming arrived at by all the world's major scientific organisations and say you know better, based on what?  This is a truly irresponsible attitude.

Answer 12

If you review the scientific evidence, and given that even the scientists that disagree about its cause still agree that the earth is warming, it is not difficult to reach the concusion that there is Global Warming. What facts do you have that there is no Global Warming?

If you then look at the evidence concerning human activity and Global Warming it is not difficult to reach the conclusion that we must change the way we behave. It is generally the change in behaviour that causes the issues and prompts people to adopt the "head in the sand" position. They assume that that change is going to be negative for them and uncomfortable so it is natural to reject the causes of change.  

"Yet people still believe what they want" - it would seem so for some people, however, many people now understand what the balance of the evidence shows and what they see and are prepared to make changes.

Answer 13

Global Warming is a theory not fact.

And as you have found out, doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

Answer 14

1. I heard about it - and I believed it.

2. I looked into it - and I believed it.

3. I looked further into it - and I started to have doubts so

4. I investigated the credibility of the arguments from both sides - and now I know enough to know what "side" I'm on.

I wish this was just a "conspiracy" - but I'm quite certain that it isn't and that the world have to find new ways of producing and consuming energy.

If you choose not to believe this theory, I guess it's because you stoped your investigations at my step 3 above. Please continue on to step 4.

Answer 15

The conditions which you face due to global warming is like an open book upon you. Whats there in hearing from somebody.

Answer 16

I've looked into it a bit...I've watched some YouTube videos, read some books and looked up websites on global warming and formed my own opinion. Too many people just hear what's mostly lies from the media and politicians and panic without hearing the other side of the argument.

Answer 17

Look at the evidence .

    CO2 is a gas that is needed by our plants to live,but they think that is bad. It would be much worse if they could cut back till all the plants died. Get some one that u trust to measure it ,not just calculate what they want it to be.

   Then the Methane is worse than the CO2. Measure it. Methane is very light so it goes very high in our atmosphere,and it is very explosive. Can not find it here or up there. If there was a large lake of it in the upper atmosphere ,if a plane flew through it ,it would explode. Where is it???