Global warming: what is the best way to measure, track and hence prove this phenomenon ?

Question

Many people say that global warming has "been proved by scientists" - well, I would like to see a way of measuring it that is public and verifiable. I read that the average temp right now of the whole Earth's surface is 14 degrees (& a bit) - is that increasing , decreasing or what. And what did it used to be over time ?
One reason I ask (best to be honest) is that I see today's governments (US, UK and Europe) and industries (airlines for example) raising taxes to offset "global warming" which frankly is a nice little earner for them, but worse IMHO is that it is a 'stick' with which to hold back the emerging economies of for example, China and India (ie. dear potentially competing economies - you cannot increase output or improve your standard of living because of, guess what, global warming !). So, is global warming really happening or are we, as I suspect, the gullible victims of spin ?

Answer 1

Its highly debatable whether humans are influencing global warming. Every 11,500 years, the earth goes through a major extinction with a global warming and cooling phase (ice age.) Paleontologists are able to track this through soil samples. We may actually be headed into an ice age because we are coming to the tail end of the current cycle. The problem is that the media and politicians get focussed on a piece of the puzzle and try to simplify this issue. Don't be fooled. There is probably nothing humans can do. Even if we could, there is no way you can control China who is becoming a major world polluter. Humans will need to adapt to climate change. Where I live there are small changes in our weather pattern, but nothing major. A lot of the media is hype to sell newspapers. The only caution is that some past climate changes have been more radical, swinging wildly from hot to cold. Others have brought on instant and severe cold conditions. I know the area that I live used to be buried in hundreds on feet of ice, but temperatures are mild today... Humans will just need to wait and see what mother nature brings and adapt as necessary.

Answer 2

This planet is billions of years old. In that time it has had ice ages which as a result of global warming have ended and then happened and ended again and again. In a few hundred or thousand years we will no doubt have another which will eventually end. We could be moving closer to the sun or the sun getting hotter but the governments dismiss all this because THEY CAN'T USE THEM AS A WAY TO RAISE TAX!!!!! So they blame it on cars and planes etc which they can use as an excuse to get their grubby hands on OUR money! It also diverts attention from illegal immigrants, criminals roaming the streets, political correctness rules etc. "Burying bad news" is what it's called. The other day in the UK the news was dominated by criminals walking out of open prisons. A scandal for the Govt. A few hours later Gordon Brown suddenly decided to comment on Saddams hanging and that became the main story. Then, when another prisoners scandal broke and became the main story a few days later, the PM suddenly decided it was now time for him to speak on the hanging, diverting attention again. This is what Governments do best. And i'm sure you've all noticed how its now refered to as "climate change". This is because people would want to know how it can be cold and wet if the planet is warming up. I'm not falling for this man-made nonsense. Those who do are gullible and the Governments love you for it.

Answer 3

The environmentalist tied global warming to CO2 ,which is not increasing either. Their figures say that it has increased 30% ,if it had many of u would be dead. 20.9% is the nominal oxygen,and if it drops below 19.5 % we would be unconscious. If u don't believe go measure it and u will find 1 to 2 parts per million.where did all that CO2 go . A few million years ago Mother Nature introduced plants. The plants take in CO2 and the plant holds on to the C and gives us back the O2. That is where the CO2 went. This air recycling has taken place for a few million years ,where do u think we got our original fossil fuels. If the CO2 increase is not there then neither is global warming. U have bad data don't buy it.

Answer 4

View the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" and pay close attention to the charts of global temperatures that go back hundreds of thousands of years (verifiable by evidence taken from polar ice core samples, which also verify CO2 concentrations of the air). It is obvious and conclusive that CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are directly correlated to the earth's average temperature; and the CO2 levels we have today are FAR ABOVE anything historically (common sense at the very least tells us that the burning of fossil fuels contributes greatly to this).

There is NO DEBATE remaining in the scientific community about global warming. It is real, it is obvious, and it is greatly influenced by human activity. The only questions remaining are, "How many sacrifices are we willing to make to help ease the impact of global warming" and "When will skeptics quit trying to put a political spin and confusing the public about scientific facts?"

Answer 5

The best way to prove to yourself that Climate Change is happening is to use your own eyes and take notes to see the changes that are taking place in your own neighborhood. Granted the effects vary from region to region but in my local area you can see the affect it is having on trees through massive seeding every year. A marked difference from about eight to ten years ago. Our winter temperatures have definitely changed and our summer have more extreme temperatures too. In a dry year we find ourselves in drought condition much quicker than we did twenty years ago. Sea temperatures around our country have definitely risen as I have been taking note of these for quite a few years now. We are seeing different species of fish off our shores too and the disappearance of our species. Ask a farmer or a fisherman and they will tell you something dramatic is happening. It is hard to believe the media these days whatever subject they are talking about so we have to go back and rely on ourselves to get the answers on issues like this. We cannot sit back to do nothing in the face of the changes that are happening all around us.

Answer 6

Yes, it has become a politicised issue. It is the average temperature around the globe that is measured over time. You are right to be sceptical, because there isn't universal agreement that we have global warming. Changes in weather patterns, yes. Moreover, even if we accept that there is global warming, there is further disagreement as to what is causing it. That is why people are not necessarily accepting of the view, proposed by the 'Greens' and the anti Capitalist left leaning lobby, that it is caused by greenhouse gas emissions. It is self serving for them to believe as they do. If they turn out to be right, then they shouldn't at the same time have associated themselves with anti-capitalism. They have made people suspicious.

Answer 7

This has got to be the biggest scam of all time.
If you check out the link below you'll find some relevant stuff, including some analyses of various theories relating to global warming.