Opinions on global warming?

Question

Man-made, natural weather cycle, combination of the two, myth, economic impacts of industrialization and other believed causes vs benefits of industrialization, etc., etc. Just looking for opinions including anything I've missed.

Answer 1

There's no denying it's happening but the question is why.

Throughout history there have been periods of hot and cold weather. Back in the 1600's the River Thames regularly froze over and markets were held on it, since then it's hardly happened at all (even allowing for increased pollutants). Back in the 1500's there was a mini ice age in parts of the world. Similarly there have been times when ther weather has been warmer than average. There is therefore a natural variation and I don't think anyone disputes this.

What we don't know is how much are we (humans) are contributing towards global warming and this is what scientists have a hard time answering. It's almost unanimously agreed that we are having an effect but to just what extent is the subject of much debate and produces widely varying answers.

It would be very naive of anyone to suggest that our actions are not contributing towards global warming - there is an overwhelming amount of irrefutable evidence that proves this. Very basic schoolboy science can prove we're contributing towards global warming, such experiments can be conducted at home by anyone of average intelligence.

The two big questions are: just how much will our activities contribute towards global warming and just what effects will global warming have.

Best estimates are that temperatures will rise globally between 1 and 7 degres centigrade over the next century and that man's contribution to this is anywhere between 10% and 90%. In other words, human activity could raise temperatures by as little as 0.1 degrees or as much as 6.3 degrees (the average being 3.2 degrees).

A 3.2 degree rise would be catastrophic, millions of square kilometers of land would disappear underwater, the financial cost would run into trillions of dollars and there would be a huge change in worldwide weather patterns - to some this would be beneficial but to others it will bring death in the form of floods, tornados, wild-fires etc.

Pretty much all of the world acknowledges that human activity has, is and will continue to have an impact on global warming. The notable exception being the US which is not a party to the Kyoto Agreement, where very few measures have been implemented and where there is a distinct lack of reliable information from the government or media.

The general consensus of opinion is that we are contributiong towards glabal warming and urgent steps need to be taken now to reduce that effect.

Those people who have answered this question to the effect that global warming isn't happening are, I am assuming, probably American. It's unfortunate that the powers that be in the US aren't making information about global warming available like it is elsewhere in the world. Consequently, without the information it's not possible to make reach an informed decision or opinion.

The US is the world's biggest polluter (although it will probably be overtaken by China at some point). Both countries need to follow the rest of the world and take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other activities that contribute to global warming.

On a purely personal level, it will be nice to have warmer weather around these parts but our little island (UK) is already shrinking and if it keeps shrinking there'll just be the tops of the hills left, which is alright as I have a house quite high up, I just don't fancy living in the only house on an island.

Answer 2

It does exist. Just about all countries in the world accept that. If it was just a myth then why do just about all top scientists think it is true. Satelittle images over the past 15 years have shown the polar ice caps melting. Average temperatures have been increasing steadily, year on year - which you can measure with a thermometer. The gulf stream (the warm ocean current flowing to the UK) is stopping - as predicted. We can't prove it as to prove it we would have to wait until the disaster happens, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

I think that global warming is part man made, and part of a weather cycle. The earth should be warming up but very slowly (as we are coming out of the Pleistoscene ice age which ended roughly 10000 years ago - which isn't long compared with the age of the earth). However at the moment the earth is warming up too fast, and too much. We know from experiments that CO2 and other "greenhouse gases" hold heat - that we are sure of. We also know that in the past 100 years the CO2 emissions have dramatically increased also. Therefore the most logical explaination for the rapid warming of the earth is the emmission of greenhouse gases.

Answer 3

I was watching this show last night of the geology channel, and it was about how Global Warming, will in turn cause the next Ice Age. That totally blows my mind. The show was saying like, global warming will cause the next ice age, which will also cause severe drought throughout central America...I don't get it. I understand how global warming can cause the ice age, but I do not understand how the Ice age will cause drought...
The program was also saying that REAL nature is really unbalanced. Like, "normal" for nature is suppose to be so many years of an Ice Age, then so many years of a drought. And the fact that the climate has been somewhat "normal," as in, having seasons, is really weird. The scientists were saying that the next ice age, due to global warming will be A LOT sooner than anyone expects. As in, before this century is up.

Answer 4

There is always room for speculation. The very fact that we recognize cause and effect should be enough. There are and have been natural cyclic changes in our planet and solar system. We cannot be so naive to think that we can calculate these Astronomical and global events with so many variables everywhere.Unless you know a real psychic ( or prophet ) most of it is just educated guessing and common sense. The one comment about an ice age causing drought is just one example. Check out Remote Viewing on this subject also.

Answer 5

By studying core sections of thick ice in Antarctica, scientists have identified different layer concentrations of the green house gas carbon dioxide. This has been universally recognized as evidence the Earth goes through natural cycles of warming and cooling.
Burning fossil fuels, humans have greatly contributed to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thus accelerating natural warming. But it has been recently recognized that human activity also causes something called global diming, which partially negates the effect of warming. Jet trails in the upper atmosphere, carbon particles from combustion, and dust created by agriculture contributed tdiming.
What is not known, is the net difference between human caused warming and human caused diming. So, the effect humans have on global warming may be much greater than previously imagined.

Answer 6

Well, we know it's probably part of the natural weather cycle. It's believed that it's happening faster than last time, but there's no real way of knowing if last time wasn't long overdue. Also, we don't know what triggers the reverse of the cycle. It may solve itself- Life has been on this planet much longer than we have and adjusted to conditions just fine. It's an over-exaggerated problem.

Answer 7

Just reason what you already know and see who benefits in GW if you are convinced it is mainly caused by industry,citizen behavior of life style and growth. When they who were communist needed a home after it failed got hold of a cause that would cripple us"US" they went for the throat.To their presentations it's another reason to hate us and stop our progress till we also fail!

Answer 8

global warming seems to me like a joke. ok the glaciars are melting(but they had to eventualy they arent immortal or somthing) and the weather seems to get worse, but only cause our technology is getting better. the better we can read a tornado or hurricane, the more damage and intensity we're going to see in it. the pollution really needs to stop. but the weather has been like this for years and my summers arent getting any hotter, they are just as theyve been since i was six.

Answer 9

Humanity cannot continue living they way they/we do with out consequences. We feel we have the right to consume anything and everything we want. We also feel the need to populate every square inch of the globe. This cannot continue. The Earth will not let us with out a fight. She will kill us if the plague of humanity continues. We just need to wake up and change our ways.

Answer 10

It's natural. Anyone who believes mankind can change nature thinks way too highly of themselves. The best we can do is make our existance here a little more dirtier, but nature scoffs at man and his toys.