Is global warming good or bad?

Question

I am doing a speech to my class about global warming and i need to know if i should support it or if i should be against it.

Answer 1

Very bad.

CO2 is 30% higher than it has been for 650,000 years. Methane is 130% greater. These are two of the main pollutants humans put into the atmosphere in excess, and they are two of the primary greenhouse gases.

Look at the 'hockeystick', which shows a dramatic warming since 1950 after a fairly stable climate for 1000 years. In fact, the 10 hottest years in recorded history have all happened since 1990, with 2005 being the hottest.
(see links below)

How's that for proof of man's fault in this? There is ample proof, any real scientist will tell you that.

There has NEVER been an article doubting man's influence on global warming published in a peer-reviewed journal. A recent study of almost 1000 proved that.

Yes, the earth naturally heats and cools, but the rate and amount we are warming now is unprecedented in the recent geologic past. We are doing this, and we must stop it. This is not some political statement or rhetoric. This is science trying to educate a crass, ignorant public of the damage they are doing. The magnitude of temperature increase ALREADY is about 10x that of the 'little ice age' of the middle ages, and rate and amount are only going up.

Just to be clear, glacial and interglacial cycles are mainly controlled by astronomical fluctuations, but we have a detailed record of the last 7 cycles, and what the climate and CO2 is doing now is way different and extreme. The rate of increase is much higher than in the past AND the value itself is much higher.

HI CO2:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4467420.stm
HOCKEY STICK:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5109188.stm
General climate stuff:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3897061.stm

Answer 2

That's really not decided yet. You'll have to consider a lot of things. Since you didn't ask if global warming was man's fault or not I will not address that part of the issue. Since panic mongers have beat up on one side of the issue for so long I will address things not often discussed.

If you look at the world temperature charts for the last 60 million years you'll see that in the not to distant future the earth should actually begin to cool and go into another ice age. Perhaps the warming trend we are seeing right now is a very good thing. The actual causes of the build up of so called greenhouse gasses is really not known completely. Volcano-ism emmits millions of tons of CO2 every year, mankind's CO2 and heat output are miniscule but could be contribuing, methane gas emitting from the sea floor is likely a major contributor as it is theoretically a far better greenhouse gas than CO2. All these issues need to be addressed.

Consider this, plants need CO2 to live. Somewhat higher levels of CO2 will contribute to faster, more lush plant growth. That may be a good thing. With the greater amount of free water available we could have an ecological bonanza. Could we also reach a tipping point where increased plant growth compensates for increased CO2 levels and reaches a balance?

Is the planet actually warming beyond what it would naturally? Over he last 60 million years the planet has been both much warmer and much cooler. Do we really know that there is anything going on at all? I should mention that even the newsmedia have backed off on statements. Now, instead of claiming most scientists believe... they are saying MANY scientists.

In other words, there are a lot of unanswered questions.

Answer 3

Just enough warming to prevent an ice age is good. Too much warming that causes the polar ice caps to melt is bad. The Earth depends on some greenhouse gasses to keep the seas from freezing, but too much could cause them to boil. But not to worry, no amount of human activity will make the sea boil. The worst anyone is predicting is melting polar ice caps causing sea level to rise. This has happened naturally in the past and it did not kill off life. In the time of the dinosaurs there were no polar ice caps and sea level was much higher due to natural warming. So an artificial warming would do the same. New York city would be flooded, but people could live inland. It would be an economic disaster, but not a biological one.

Answer 4

Dunno. Right now, the Earth is warming but no one can put their finger on what/who is causing this. Or how bad it is. Funny how something that someone just wrote a paper about can kill us all flat in about ten years. Some even claim it's too late to do anything about it!

Sure seems like the latest scare to get you to send money to the "concerned ones", doesn't it. Yup, I agree.

Answer 5

That depends.Would you like to be cooked alive,starve or drown?How about run out of air?If you answered no to any of that,then it's bad.I think only lazy people that don't want to do anything about it will disagree.Yes,it IS our fault!

Answer 6

Bad. Come on! they've been hammering this into my head since 1990. Where have you been?

Answer 7

Ummm... bad. It means we are destroying the enviornment,.

Answer 8

bad.

Answer 9

it's bad.