Why are we as a whole, happy to leave global warming for our children to deal with?

Question

With scientists all in agreement that the planets temperature will rise by up to 6 degrees in the next few decades. With answers and models inplace on how to reduce the (even level off) increase in global warming. How can we sit back and knowingly do nothing until it becomes a global catastrophy for our children and grandchildren over the next fifty years? Do we really want to go down in history as the generation that knew what was going on and did nothing to reduce the problem?

Answer 1

Who's we? speak for yourself. Its because a lot of people are stupid and lazy and they are simply selfish.

Answer 2

I am not happy to leave Global Warming for our Children.
Too many people don't understand the difference between Global Warming and the normal variations of
Earth Temperatures caused by changes in the Earth
Orbit.This gives us our Seasons. Yes, sometimes the
Temperature will be hotter in some summers, and colder in some winters, But this has averaged out to a pretty
stable Earth Temperature.

Global Warming has added Higher Temperatures to the
overall Earth Temperature, to such a degree that both
the Arctic and Antarctic Ice is melting at an alarming rate,
which has not happened in normal Earth Tenperature
changes

One of the problems, if not the biggest problem , is that
Forests around the world are being stripped of trees.
They are being Clear Cut and in many cases burned
so that there is an imbalance of Oxygen and Carbon
Dioxide in the atmosphere.

Trees in particular absorb Carbon Dioxide, and give off
Oxygen. This maintains the Chemical balance in the atmosphere. This balance is needed to sustain life on
earth.

Autos do give off CO2 and to clean this up would be a help, But autos do not give off Oxygen to balance out
the chemicals in the atmosphere. We need trees to do this.

The Forests of the World must be replanted with trees. Now.

Answer 3

Because global warming is a natural phenomenon rather than man-made. No matter how much CO2 and other 'greenhouse gases' we produce, it is not enough to change the climate that much. It is a bit big-headed to think that we are capable of that, we are mere nothings on the great scheme of things. However, with the frequent flights that circle around in the air, we do create some problem. The problem is that all the planes go backwards and forwards from east to west and north to south etc. we create a disturbance in the natural weather movement. We can bring hot winds from Africa ovet to the UK and can also bring cold weathers from Siberia or even monsoons from Thailand. One comes after the other. That is the real problem here not the fact that the global temperature is rising a bit as it should do anyway, after we has a global cooling not so long ago...

Answer 4

Good call, Fred!
And good links too.

Anyone that doubts global warming exists and that the current crisis we are facing is a man-made phenomenum - check the scientific evidence. I recommend the journal Nature.

This is the abstract of an article that I found on that website:

The recent completion of drilling at Vostok station in East Antarctica has allowed the extension of the ice record of atmospheric composition and climate to the past four glacial–interglacial cycles. The succession of changes through each climate cycle and termination was similar, and atmospheric and climate properties oscillated between stable bounds. Interglacial periods differed in temporal evolution and duration. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane correlate well with Antarctic air-temperature throughout the record. Present-day atmospheric burdens of these two important greenhouse gases seem to have been unprecedented during the past 420,000 years.

Unfortunately, the full article costs money. However, the point is this: if you think you have an opinion on global warming, think again unless you have read the right articles, spoken to the right people or conducted the right research yourself.

By 'right', read 'scientific'.

Answer 5

Sometimes when I read questions like this, I get real concerned at the state of science in the world, that it is being taken over by political causes, emotion, and money. Money seems to guide the pseudoscience to the point that it becomes mainstream. I did feel better after reading some of the responses where a few brave souls demonstrated that they didn't buy into all the global warming hype. The vostok ice cores merely demonstrate that global warming has been going on for long before the industrial revolution.

Answer 6

Global warming happens in cycles and has done ever since the formation of the planet. There is absolutely NOTHING we can do about it! True, we could make a TINY difference to the greenhouse effect - but the pollution is far less now than it was before man came on the scene, as there were volcanoes then! Governments make money out of the whole thing - recycling centres, catalytic converters for cars (which increase fuel consumpion by approx 10% and cause enormous pollution in their manufacture) etc. We have not caused the problem - it is a natural phenomenon that cannot be stopped, slowed or changed!

Answer 7

Some of us are prepared to reject that global warming is happening out of hand- that's a kind of 'head in the sand' approach. Some just don't care- that's the 'apres moi, la deluge' stance. 'I'm okay, it doesn't matter if other people suffer.'

Others would like to do more to cut back on emissions, and each individual effort does help. At the same time, when the places people live are not conducive to energy saving, it's hard to make headway.

What is needed is a more positive approach among our leaders. They have to set an example both in their personal lives and in legislation. Grass roots action can help, but only so much. If everything got so people were pulling together, we could radically change the way we live, and, even if we can't halt global warming, we'd be able to stop it worsening.

Answer 8

I believe it is happening and largely if not wholly to do with man's activity upsetting the equilibrium. It is hard to convince some people of inconvenient truths even when expert opinion is near unanimous. I do a bit, but not as much as I could be doing about it. We need governments to regulate so that there can be effective action. One thing I should say though (as an engineer) is that many of the technologies proposed to resolve the problems are in their infancy , demand time to implement or have severe problems which have been glossed over. It is a very complex matter. It is no good trying to apply too quickly too many supposedly well thought out solutions which could ruin a country's economy. In the scheme of things this is a problem we haven't been aware of for long and dealing with it will take time.

Answer 9

Many of us do want to help to lessen the humman impact on global warming, as many are trying to do there own bit right now. But corporations and governments and powerfull individuals are holding us back. Theres to much greed in this world which stops our tax's being put to better use, and people dont seem to care enoght if they have all their creature comforts ; ie, 4x4s, overheating centraly heated houses, not getting involved of making them or ourselves aware of whats going wrong and what pressure can be applied to try and stop whats going wrong, being wastfull and not using compost heaps.
Aparently about 40/60 % of energy is lost before it even gets out of the power stations.
Why britain the us, china, and others not making more use of renewables is crazy.
If it became an important issue throughout the public, one important enough to vote governments out of power then our governments would have no option but to do more for the environment. Seems having more money in peoples pockets is more important than the environment though. Sure heating and cooling of the plannets natural, but there way to much evidence to deny to enhanced impact humman activity has had on the current global warming.

Answer 10

Global arming is not the only threat - but because there is a small doubt cast, by a few loud voices supported by those with power, there is a smoke-screen of debate.
so most people take the easy route to deny it is happening or that anything can be done about it.
there is no discussion of other issues eg peak oil, loss of bio-diversity, particulate emmissions, water shortages ... and all these issues relate to eaach other, and the root cause of our choice of lifestyle.

and definitly no wider public awareness that better, more life sustaining technologies and economic constructs are available now. Instead the only option we are given is the industrial growth society, which is manifestly unsustainable on a finite planet.

The various studies as to why our society behaves this way, are, I think, summed up in the works of Joanna Macy; and happily she does provide tools we can use to come up with solutions for a better quality of life for ourselves now, and generations to come, and healthier eco-systems.

Answer 11

There is a problem. Actually 2. First, the science is valid. Second, the oil industry has paid top dollar to mislead the public as to it's validity.

Carbon Dioxide is a greenhouse gas. No scientist disputes it property to allow light in and convert it to heat. When I was a kid, it's atmospheric concentration was 0.003%. Now it is 0.004% and rising. This is 33% outside of all standard deviations in the last 700,000 years.. all of human existence. Perhaps longer. 700,000 years is as far back that I know anyone has measured. The CO2 concentrations may never have been this high in Earth's 4.5 billion years.

If we continue to dump CO2 into the atmosphere and rapidly deforrest the land, no one knows what the outcome will be. All indicators point to a catastrophe.