who says that humans are responsible for gloabal warming, the earth was warmer than when humans were on it?

Question

I know people say that humans are speeding up the rate of temepature increase, but other than ice cores and perhaps carbon dating, who knows how fast the earth warmed up before the last time it was warm. Is it perhaps not just nature that is causing the earth to warm up

Answer 1

Scientists and engineers don't deal in certainties - like bookmakers we are perfectly happy to work the odds. Just because I and others have seen many thousands of black crows does not mean I have proved that crows can't be pink with blue polka dots - it just gets to be very unlikely.

The evidence has been piling in in favour of human involvement in global warming for a long time now, and no other cause has been suggested which holds up when the numbers are examined carefully.

Finally, it doesn't matter. The planet is heating up (your question implies you accept that), the resultant damage to planetary systems has every chance of making my kids' lives a lot worse, so we had better do everything we can to make it warm up slower. And just to forestall the suggestion that UK weather getting warmer might be nice, one of the early results is likely to be that the Gulf Stream slows or stops, giving us a climate similar to Newfoundland.

Answer 2

I think humans probably do have a big part in the rate at which global warming is occurring, but it's probably more likely to be the Industrial Revolution (prior to 1960) that did most of the damage, not to mention numerous big volcanic erruptions that have occurred in the last 100 years. Now there is the huge pollutant that is China too, though I reckon it won't be too long before cleaner technology is introduced there, they may even lead the world as the cleanest heavy industry country.

Compared to all that lot, I think our modern carbon-fuelled vehicles are the least concern, and all the hype we hear about clean petrols is just misleading and nothing to do with the bigger picture of global warming.

Let's not forget that only 100 years ago the Thames would freeze over, you're not telling me that the motor car has anything to do with that not happening any more?! :-D I put that temperature rise down to the Industrial Revolution and possibly natural causes as well.

Answer 3

The balance of probability is that human action is cause the current changes in the climate.

You're right that it has been warmer before, but it's the speed of the change that is the concern. The faster the change the more dramatic the weather is going to be - and not in a good way.

Things can also change too quickly for the wildlife to react, in which case you will see massive extinctions.

Imagine youself in an aircraft hanger; put in a few bushes, close it up. Then get a big petrol 4X4 and start it up. Put a brick on the throttle and get a deck chair.

How long before you start feeling twitchy about what you're breathing? We are affecting the environment - you only have to look on the road and in the air over London to see that.

Answer 4

Scientist can tell by looking at the formation of rocks (sorta like you can tell how old a tree is, by looking at the lines in it) what kind of conditions they went through over time.
Yes it is true that the planet heats up and cools down gradually over time (after all, in the Jurassic period the weather was sub tropical as appose to the ice age)
What concerns scientist though is that this "pattern" has sped up very quickly, especially since the 80's. Average temperature would increase by 2degrees naturally every 100 odd years. Now where looking at 2degrees every 20 years. In a century, spring will be one month earlier.

Answer 5

Although global 'warming' and actual temperature change is one of the issues that high levels of pollutants is causing, the great concern is actually the level of instability in the weather patterns.

Naturally spawned warming temperatures could be argued for over long periods of time, but given the short time frames of the changes, it's ultimately the additional hurricanes, tornadoes, lack of rainfall and/or flooding that should be of concern to everyone. The weather extremities present the greatest threat to the way we live and should dictate our actions for the future.

Answer 6

It is virtually certain that humans are behind the change. It is also very likely that we will soon damage the Earth's self-regulating system irreparably and irrevocably. Yes, it is true that the Earth has been hotter than this previously, but that was millions of years ago and 6 billion people weren't in danger of being wiped out.

I strongly recommend to you and anyone who doubts this that you read about James Lovelock's Gaia model on eg. http://www.ecolo.org/lovelock/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/james_lovelock or better yet get hold of the book (eg. Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Revenge-Gaia-Fighting-Still-Humanity/dp/0713999144/sr=8-2/qid=1157369263/ref=pd_ka_2/026-1337140-3661233?ie=UTF8&s=gateway ) which should be mandatory reading for all politicians the world over. But beware, it is depressing reading, for the message is clear and the future truly bleak!

Answer 7

Problem is: Recent measures show higly increase of global medium temperature within last years 100 and more yet within las 20 years. Unique changement possible to cause it is Human behavior to produce CO2. ...

But is alleged to does not have enough measures later (no satellites). Another aspect is that is possible to come from natural cycle or cycle disruption to cause it.

Getting bubbles from Ice core and finding fossils within Antartida, are hints to show past global temperature. World had Glaciations and warmer temperatures before, but problem isn't increase or decrease, but how fast it happens. Thousand of years are one thing. Decades are another complete different thing.

Quickly increase of temperature within last 20 years, decreasing Ice Caps area and permanent glacier within Montains are driving scientists crazy. Must have an origin, and most easy response(and probably true) is Human intereference.

Another problem too important is what UK already started. How manage economic, environmental crisis during the increase of ocean levels and temperature variations. How deeply this impact will hit "our" country.
No one other country started to do it. Another nations just discuss about motives and not about how to manage its possible consequences.
(Typical from our short sight society - utopic ideologists....)

Answer 8

We do have a name for the way we find these things; it's called SCIENCE and although there is a debate about the rate of global warming there is no real debate left as to the cause only a few "Flat Earthers" who refuse change their narrow minds

Answer 9

Your question is amazingly controversial. you receives diverse solutions from diverse human beings. it really is my answer, in conserving with my learn. first of all, they used to call it "international Warming" yet now, as you will locate in Obama's speech, they call it "climate change." the reason of that is because many scientists do not agree that there is one of those ingredient as international Warming. in reality, the information got here out some months in the past that over the perfect ten years the planet's mean temperature has actually dropped, truly than more effective.therefore, the call change. Many scientists imagine climate change is led to via starting to be CO2 ranges in the ambience. those starting to be ranges, they say, is by fossil gas burning--the oil we burn to run our vehicles and warm temperature our homes, and so on. notwithstanding, different scientists element to the very shown reality that in the historic previous of earth, thousands and thousands and thousands of years in the past, there is been circumstances even as CO2 ranges were a lot larger than they're on the instantaneous. of direction vehicles and heated homes weren't round thousands and thousands of years in the past. the base line is, no human being is definitely-known with of no matter if climate change is led to via human beings. Many scientists trust a lot more effective learn desires to be executed to respond to the question.

Answer 10

The 'debate' on global warming is a red herring that draws your attention neatly away from the bloody great holes we've made in the ozone layer.
Let us know when you evolve U.V. resistant skin and retinas.