Is man REALLY responsible for global warming?

Question

The last ice age ended 100,000 years ago, when man was in the very early stages of evolution. There is no question of human activity changing the climate then, yet the Earth warmed up considerably and vast areas of land were flooded.

It seems to correspond to what is happening now, and it is occasionally said that we still live in a "mini ice age".

Surely this is just another example of the way the Earth's temperature fluctuates naturally and nothing whatsoever to do with us.

Personally I suspect that we give ourselves far too much credit by claiming that we can effect the Earth's climate. Many eminent scientists and environmentalists such as David Bellamy disagree with the "official" reports, which as I understand it are commissioned by Governments who start from the point that global warming IS caused by man, then seek "evidence" to prove their case.

TECHX 69 - that is exactly my point. 100,000 years ago no CO2 emissions, yet the earth heated up and the ice melted. Why is the fact that it is happening again so surprising?

No head in sand here - just a reasonable question, and one that is being asked by many eminent scientists. It's just that, if you disagree with the "official" line that we ARE to blame you don't get heard. It's all part of the way that we are manipulated to believe what "they" want us to believe. And, as has been said in another answer, yet another reason to tax us. Does anyone SERIOUSLY believe that the extra fuel tax is going to go anywhere near environmental issues? Just like the Road Tax pays for new roads?

Answer 1

Yes the earth is warming up again and it is believed we are still coming out of the last ice age.

Personally I believe that we do give ourselves too much credit for global warming and I also think that at the moment it is the 'in' thing for politicians. They seem to like to jump on the bandwagon and tell us all we should reduce our carbon emissions - stop driving/flying and yet not do it themselves.

However, having said all this I do think that the human species does not take enough care of the planet, we are the only species that can outstrip our resources and still survive and we need to accept that this can't be healthy for the environment.

Also, as much as scientist would like to say that the planet is getting warmer they aren't sure if it will continue to. The UK for example could end up cooler if the gulf stream is affected by the gradual warming of the seas. Without the gulf stream the temperatures in the UK will change considerably.

Scientists can only guess at what will happen and most scientists will be honest and tell you that. They can take the figures they have and use them to back up claims for almost anything.

At the end of the day it cant hurt to reduce CO2 emissions and to be 'greener' but its about time the politicians started leading by example!

Answer 2

There never was any valid disagreement on the causes of Global Warming any more than there was ever disagreement that cigarette smoking caused Lung Cancer. There were paid "hacks" in the scientific community that attempted to present false evidence, both in the case of Tobacco and now with human induced Global Warming (read Exxon and Mobile oil companies).

The uneducated people denying Global Warming are "flat-Earth'ers " and should be given as much credence as people who think the Sun revolves around the Earth.

The amount of Carbon Dioxide that has been added to the environment in the last 150 years is a third higher than it has ever been in the last 650,000 years. The measurements are recorded from ice samples from Antarctica. In 50 years, CO2 levels are projected to be +55% higher than they have ever been ever. This is if we do nothing and continue to do the eat-drink-and-be-merry policy we are doing now.

The high CO2 range used to be ~270 ppm of CO2. It is now about 350 ppm. It is projected to go towards 600 ppm.

Understand also that in the last ice age (when CO2 was around 150 ppm) the location of where Chicago is now, was under one mile of ice!

We are treading entirely new ground with what we are doing with the environment.

Know also that if either the Greenland or Antarctic ice shelves melt, about 20% of Florida will be under water. This includes all of Miami-Dade county and the Tampa-St. Pete areas. Don't forget other coastal areas, such as New Orleans and New York city. Tens of millions of people will be displaced in this country alone.

Answer 3

The way things are going, we are all ready to say that Global Warming is all due to our race. But that is all not 100% true. See all those volcanoes erupting? They also eject so much CO2 around apart from the destruction they may cause!
But we all should be responsible since the quantity we eject exhaust gases, we really pollute the atmosphere and this should make the planet resemble the Grey one(as it should not!).
Since the quantity we eject exceeds the one naturally, I am ready to say that we are more likely to be the sole cause for such a phenomenon!

Answer 4

So all the pollutants spewed into the air and waterways over the last 100 or so years have absolutely no impact on the environment? None whatsoever? Sounds like utter denial to me.

Just because the earth has a natural fluctuation in mean temperature over so many thousands of years does not mean that this one has nothing to do with what man is doing.

Besides, going by your argument that the phenomenon isn't caused by man, does it mean that we can just happily go about accelerating the process by spewing more pollutants and not even try to do something about it? Instead of trying to confuse the issue by denying it, why not agree that something needs to be done and quick.

Answer 5

nicely, in case you call evaluations of many of the brightest medical minds interior the worldwide "wrong" I rather could opt to be attentive to the place you have become your suggestions. you probable did not pay attention the information launched final week by scientists interior the U. S. who stated they have been informed to be quiet with their suggestions by the Bush administration. No marvel there, suited? you will possibly desire to coach your self related to what worldwide warming is, it is been around for a at the same time as now. that's known that it began out with industrialization approximately a hundred years in the past. we've polluted our worldwide, the place have you ever been? have not you been attentive to the actuality that each single water way interior the worldwide is polluted? That air everywhere has a undeniable quantity of pollutants? the place do you think of all the crud from vehicles, marketplace and agriculture is going? It does not disappear, it remains in our environment, in our soil and in our water. This grew to become into guaranteed to take place given how the worldwide has been living the previous a hundred years.

Answer 6

Probably not.

Mr. Gore's movie left out these facts:

1) 6,000 years ago, the earth was hotter than it is today. 6,000 years is less than a second when compared with the age of the earth.

2) Temperatures dropped in the 1950's and 1990's when CO2 levels were increasing.

3) 140,000 years ago the earth had record CO2 levels and there were no gasoline powered cars.

Answer 7

The United Nations have just agreed based on scientific evidence that climate change is 'very likely' to be caused by us. The only reason they haven't claimed it is guaranteed to be us is there are so many variables, it impossible to claim otherwise.

But if you really believe that we have had no effect on our planets environment, then why would we be seriously considering carbon rationing? Your in denial!

Answer 8

the earth gets hot..the earth gets cold...nothing to do with me having a BBQ...by the way the last Ice Age ended 10,000 years ago not 100,000 as mentioned.

Answer 9

No. The ice ages were all melted by natural global warming, the same as we have to day. Al Gore need to be committed to an insane asylum, for his patterns of rantings (inventing the Internet, and now this big fib).

Answer 10

Like most scientific research, it's not conclusive.
I think it's a mixture of natural warming trends and man accelarating the process...