A very close relative of mine is an engineer and a scientist and he insists that the car exhaust and pollution is not causing global warming. He says we are in an interglacial time when the earth is warming naturally as it does in any interglacial time. What are your thoughts on this?
2006-12-06 08:46:38 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Environment
Erock - That's funny you should mention that Al Gore documentary. He saw that and said that it was very well done and also very wrong. I'm not saying I agree. At first I thought my relative was wrong but the more I hear his arguments the more I wonder.
2006-12-06 09:10:18 · update #1
I am just as confused reading all your answers so I will put it into voting and let the community decide who has the best answer. Thanks all!
2006-12-07 08:51:57 · update #2
Look this is just REDICULOUS!!!!! There isn't a creible scientist on this planet who refutes global warming. Some of you like to think you are scientists and pull a few numbers out of your *ss. That doesn't mean you know what your talking about. The way I see it you either trust (and understand) science and live in an enlightened society or go live in an amish community. It is infuriating the way you people pick and choose what is truth as if you're at the buffet line at the sizzler. NEWSFLASH The problem of global warming is no longer debated in the scientific community. There is something called consensus. Which the scientists had a long time ago.
As far as the "hoax " Ice age they were talking about in the 80's. That was a prediction based on the regular cycles. Had the regular warming and cooling been allowed to continue without human intervention then we would be in a period of cooling right now.
Look at the world around you! Do you fail to notice what science does for you? Were it not for science you're lives would be miserable and short and even more ignorant than they are now. Yet you treat science and scientists with mistrust and disdain. LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE SAYING!!!!! We owe science our respect, and at least the benefit of the doubt for the advances we take for granted everyday everywhere in every aspect of our lives!
As far as your uncle go's I'm sure he's a nice guy, but he is dead wrong and self-righteous. Al Gores movie is endorsed as FACT by 99.9 percent of all scientists. These idiots here and you're uncle are ignorant to a fault.
Betting Global warming as false is 1000 to 1 odds (longshot) with devastating consequences.
Betting on global warming as true is 1 to 1000 (safe bet) and if you're wrong you still: Cut foreign oil dependance, created renewable energy sources. returned the earth to a cleaner state (and created jobs)
2006-12-06 08:55:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
How many cars were there when dinosaurs roamed the Earth? Why did England have a thriving wine grape industry in the middle ages when it is now too cold there to grow good grapes?why are the Ice caps on Mars melting when the Mars Rover uses solar energy and not an internal combustion engine?
The scientist responsible for the term global warming has even said that he may have been wrong. the problem is that the people pushing the theory of global warming have benefits to their claims being correct. If you look at the long term climate history of Earth you will see both warming and cooling trends. This is not to say that industrial pollution is not advancing the natural cycles but certainly not the only cause.
A wise man looks at a problem from all sides before coming to a conclusion. In today's media heavy world people come to whatever conclusion is the most sensational.
Your welcome
2006-12-06 08:54:11 · answer #2 · answered by Sean C 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The Earth has heated and cooled many times in its lifetime. It heated up at times when there were no living humans to alter the temperatures. No scientist has been able to prove that carbon emissions cause heating. They can only say carbon levels have gone up and so have temperatures, so to date it is flawed thinking that carbon is the definitive cause of global warming. Things called sun spots and solar flares on the surface of the sun can change temperatures on Earth. There are also, been move of those over the last 15yrs than normally. Historically there is usually a heating period just before a cooling period. Some scientists belief were are just starting a Maunder Minimum, this has to do with changes in sun activity and the cooling of the Earth. Don't get scared from all the media hype, do a lot of research about the Earth's history, some astronomy to learn about things outside of the Earth and some biology and make your own decision. Also, if it is carbon caused all the talk about carbon credits is a joke, will not be the solution to this problem.
2016-05-23 01:43:09 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The overall temperature of the Earth does fluctuate over time. But, pollutants can also change the balance of the Earth's temperature patterns. Global warming is real. Your relative is saying things that are half-truths and are mostly used as excuses by people who don't want to admit that polluting the Earth is a bad thing. And you know what? Even if global warming was a myth, how could any intelligent person support the other damage done to the Earth by human pollutants.
Pretty much every scientist whose work it is to study this stuff says that global warming USED to be a theory, and that now we are seeing the first results of the damage we are doing. Go do the research yourself, if you want.
2006-12-06 09:15:48 · answer #4 · answered by tamesbadger 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The carbon dioxide that is released from the car exhausts pollution from smokestacks acts as a blanket to the earth. Oxygen creates the greenhouse effect but since their is more and more carbon dioxide in the air then power is shifted allowing more radiation and heat from the sun to get in. There is an effect that is occurring which is that people don't notice the difference in what is happening throughout the year. Even though the temperature has risen by one degree. Wait; the world is divided into different sections with different degrees Spanning across about 100 degrees. So 1/100 of the earth just got destroyed. The problem is getting worse. It will raise more and more destroying the ice caps in greater number. To your relative the process of inter glacier time has been pushed into fast forward. In the 1980's scientist though the Greenland would loss all of it permafrost regions in 2000 years. Now that number is 600 years.
2006-12-06 08:51:13 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Global warming is a ploy by the American governent to charge more taxes on Gas and other fuels. If it really was such a huge deal they would back off and allow hydrogen and electric powered cars come into the mainstream. But they don't cause they can't control that the same way they do oil.
2006-12-06 15:37:53 · answer #6 · answered by Judoka 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Global Warming is not a myth. It's whether or not we are contributing to it that may be the myth. Look at it this way.
Car's produce carbon dioxide in their exhaust.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.
Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere.
The more greenhouse gases, the more trapped heat.
The more cars producing carbon dioxide, the more we are contributing to global warming.
A single major volcanic eruption releases more carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere than we ever have.
But that's Natural. It's been happening for millions of years.
Then we come along...
2006-12-06 08:56:15 · answer #7 · answered by macgyverc3 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As we may be in an interglacial period, no interglacial period has been as prolonged or intense as this supposed one is. It's a fact that the global temperature has risen at least 1 degree. Moreover, there is no indication (as seen through extrapolation) that the environment will ever naturally recover. Does your relative have a permanent fixed interest in the petroleum or automobile industry?
2006-12-06 08:50:23 · answer #8 · answered by JHUguy123 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The mean temperature of this planet cycles around the freezing point of water, i.e., 273.15°K. It is natural for the cycle to be a little warmer then a little colder.
This planet is indeed in an interglacial time. The fear mongers and money seekers are using the natural cycle and localized temperature variations to elicit funds to 'study' this ongoing phenomenon.
Don't forget, 15 years ago the same group of 'scientists' was screaming doom about global cooling and the coming ice age.
2006-12-06 08:52:07 · answer #9 · answered by credo quia est absurdum 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
WOW. Are we reallly getting this stupid? Global warming is real and it is happening and it is because of man. Back in the 1950's even there were many studies done and warnings even from our OWN government to the american people. Funny how those get lost in the mix of things....and that's 50 years old! It's been proven over and over and over and over and over and that's why the Earth has the Kyoto Protocol which every industrialized nation joined EXCEPT America because those in power wish to continue keeping those whom reside in America addicted to oil. Disgusting. Wake up people, it's real and it's happening. Quit living in denial and listening to the news, do your own research and become enlightened. be well and good luck, Jack
2006-12-06 08:51:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋