Global Warming - Really Happening?

Question

Global warming has aquired a bandwagon effect which attracts movie stars and ex-vice presidents, all of which have no scientific specialty or ability to interpret data. I was curious if anyone has taken the time to truly investigate the data or studies to see if they are flawed.

I have heard that warming has slowed in the last 25 years in comparison to the first 25 years after 1950. I have seen a graph (can't remember where) but it looked like it was curving almost parabolically as if there was an ice age approaching. I have also read an article that talks about how the temperature readings for most studies are conducted near major cities. The growth of these cities in the last 50-75 years can explain the minute temperature increases.

I looked up the websites that someone had posted. There seems to be uneven trends in global warming (meaning 'global' cooling in some places). I also see that watervapor is the number one green house gas. Can the world population taking more steamy showers increase the green house effect? How do we even know that the CO2 in the atmosphere is actual the single chemical causing changes?

Answer 1

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.html
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/

Before trashing the whole concept without doing any research for yourself -- try the above links and do some. And even ex-Vice Presidents can interpret data if they have enough scientists around to give them those interpretations!

Answer 2

Having a hole in the ozone the size of the USA and Russia put together is probably a problem don't you think? The ice caps are melting at an astonishing rate. What does this mean? Well..I don't know a lot but I do know that when the sun's rays have no where to go but into the earth (instead of bouncing off the ice back into space) it is and will have a warming effect. Which then sends our whole system out of wack. Our fragile eco-system is quickly dissipating. This could be the beginning of the end. We need some serious change now. I do all that I can...I am afraid that won't be en ought.

Answer 3

The largest peer-reviewed study in the history of science -- 900 pages and over 500 authors, not to mention hundreds of reviewers -- has concluded that global warming is real, and no combination of purely natural effects can account for it. (In other words, humans are causing it -- see link below).

Global warming has not slowed, and is in fact increasing. All ten of the ten warmest years on record have occurred since 1994. This past year, 2006, was the sixth-warmest on record, and 2007 is predicted to be the warmest year ever, breaking the record set in 1998 and tied in 2005.

Temperature records are often made near cities, but scientists who have looked at the urban heat-island effect have found that it does not affect the current warming trend at all, or if so only at a very minor level. For example, if you were to throw out ALL urban temperature records and look only at rural records, the trend is still significantly toward warming. (see second link below)

Answer 4

Dont believe the hype. Global warming is simply part of the earths natural cycle. All the data shows this as the warmest era recorded, but fail to mention that the data only goes back 100 years or so.

Answer 5

The ice caps are melting at an astonishing rate. the weather is warm
this winter the answer is yes

Answer 6

Have a look at "State of Fear" by Michael Chrichton...some pretty interesting data at the back.

Answer 7

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Yes, it is really happening. By burning fossil fuels, it creates greenhouse gases which reflect a lot of heat back to the earth which warms the earth.

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