Is global warming really happening or is it just being used for political gain?

Answer 1

No, it is most absolutely certainly happening. There is major amounts of tangible physical evidence that it exists. And it is not being used for political gain- politics hates global warming. It is the politics that leads people to believe that global warming is just a myth- politicians don't like global warming because they don't want to admit that they have a major problem that htey don't know the solution to, because the solution to global warming is not going to be easy.

Answer 2

Since the 4th IPCC report was released last week eseentially saying that the science was unassailable, it's stopped being such a political football. It had been presented to policy makers earlier and as a result, Bush got into line in his SOTU address. And now, ExxonMobile, which had been responsible for funding most of the global warming skepticism (http://www.exxonsecrets.org/ ), just put out a statement saying basically the same thing (http://www2.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/Newsroom/NewsReleases/corp_nr_mr_climate_ipcc.asp ). There's no more politcal gain, since both parties are pretty much aligned right now.

I think the discussion now is going to be more centered on what to do about it rather than whether or not it's a problem.

Answer 3

Seems to me sufficient evidence exists to support the conclusion the earth is at present "warming" The issue becomes political, rather than purely scientific as we discuss why. Many scientists feel a global warming trend is a bad thing, and a preventable thing, and claim there is a culprit. Many others feel the warming and cooling of the earth is cyclic, and largely unpreventable.

My own view is that the logic of the cyclic theory seems irrefutable. Perhaps this condition is exacerbated to an extent by allegedly reducible greenhouse gasses, holes in the atmosphere's ozone layer, or whatever the current flavor of the month is, or perhaps not.

Unarguable however is the fact the earth has warmed and cooled, sea level has risen and fallen and ice ages have come and gone many times throughout the earth's history.

Answer 4

Certain gases don't let the heat escape from the Earth's surface. It's like putting on an extra blanket or an extra sweater. If you put on a sweater, the sweater does not actually make any heat. It just makes it so that the heat from your body does not escape as easily.

The major natural greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36-70% of the greenhouse effect on Earth (not including clouds); carbon dioxide, which causes 9-26%; methane, which causes 4-9%, and ozone, which causes 3-7%. It is not possible to state that a certain gas causes a certain percentage of the greenhouse effect, because the influences of the various gases are not additive. (The higher ends of the ranges quoted are for the gas alone; the lower ends, for the gas counting overlaps.)[2][3] Other greenhouse gases include, but are not limited to, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons (see IPCC list of greenhouse gases).

Millions of tons of crap DAILY into the atmosphere is nothing to sneeze at. Pun intended.

We are shrewing ourselves over for a buck.
Shooting ourselves in the herd.
Stepping on our own ducks.
Cutting off our nose to spite our finch.
Kicking ourselves in the asparagus beetle.

For the almighty dollar we're ruining it for everybody and everything, and people who deny it are three fries short of a Happy Meal.
Have a nice day.

Answer 5

No, not real.

Only the freaks from the left (same one who claimed the world was entering into an ice age in the 70's) support it.

The "scientist" who claim it get paid from Grants. These Grants are given by people on the left who want them to find Global Warming. Those who report otherwise are seeing their grants dry up.

Answer 6

I AM SICK OF SO MANY DANG PEOPLE ASKING THIS QUESTION!!!!!!!!!
YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! Global Warming is happening!
NO, DUH! The topic of Global Warming is everywhere, I think that you should have realized that by now.
Yes, Antarctica is slowly melting away. Yes, some penguin species may become extinct. Yes, our sea levels will raise. It's a fact. Why do you think Al Gore made An Inconvenient Truth??!!!?!?

Answer 7

no it's REALLY happening, just wrote an essay on it an hour ago. you should try to find Al gores movie and this movie called, "what happened to the eletric car", it's about how the govt. secretly dimenished the eletric car which really caused alot of truoble soon to come with global warming.

Answer 8

No, its for real.

The second site here shows dozens of pictures of vanishing glaciers. I don't think they just made that up.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0122-06.htm
http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/glaciers.html

Answer 9

dude! its really happening
it SUX BALLS!!