Human impact on global warming?

Question

Hey, I stumbled upon this article (http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/greenhouse_data.html)
that said that human made co2 is only 3.25% of all the co2 in the earth's atmosphere. It also said that water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas, and that is true. If the article is correct and humans are responsible for that miniscule amount of co2, then why is there such a fret? If we're not responsible for the co2, then where does it come from "naturally"?

Thanks!

Answer 1

There is a natural "carbon cycle" which recycles carbon dioxide. But it's balanced very delicately. The problem is that we're upsetting that balance by digging up carbon the natural cycle buried over many many years, and burning it real fast.

This graph shows what's happening. The tiny teeth are plants recycling CO2. In summer they win, in winter they lose. The huge trend upwards is us, making CO2. The plants struggle, but they can't keep up.

http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/graphics_gallery/mauna_loa_record/mlo_record.html

We're kicking nature's butt on this one. But nature is going to strike back, with devastating flooding and damage to agriculture with global warming.

Answer 2

The article you cite has three significant errors, and does little to prove that the scientific consensus is wrong. Humans ARE responsible.

1) The article states in Table 1 that humans are only responsible for 11,880 ppb of the CO2 increase from pre-industrial levels of 288,000ppb to the current 368,400ppb (actually, it's more like 385ppm now). No source is provided (it's not in the Department of Energy source) and it is contrary to both the consensus opinion and even the opinion of many climate change skeptics who agree that humans have been responsible for most if not all of the CO2 increase.

2) Water is an important greenhouse gas, but to compare the effect to other greenhouse gases requires modeling which is glossed over in this paper's 'caveat'. Basically, water vapor increases the greenhouse effect on the one hand, as it absorbs infrared radiation from the earth's surface. But that effect is reduced as clouds reflect some incoming solar radiation. Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) used in this paper, are not meant to be used for analyzing the interaction of all the gases in the atmosphere. Instead, it is better to consider radiative forcing and the total energy budget of both incoming and outgoing radiation. The study I have referenced found that on clear days, water vapor contributes to 60% of radiative forcing, and carbon dioxide contributes 26%. This method is much more rigorous than the article you cited, which concluded a 95% contribution of H20 and 3.62% of CO2 to the greenhouse effect. H2O still makes the greatest contribution to the greenhouse effect, and it would be nice to keep it that way.

3) The article is missing a basic point: The important thing is not how CO2 released by humans compares to other natural contributors to the greenhouse effect. The important this is how we are changing the greenhouse effect, and how much the earth's climate will change as a result.

Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 are continuing to rise because of our burning of fossil fuels. There is no question that humans are responsible for climate change. By using fake science, articles like the one you cited only serve to give people the illusion that we can continue what we've been doing forever.

Answer 3

synthetic international warming is all a pretend. As for this being the warmest for 650,000 years please ex airplane the medieval warming era. each and every of the ice cores from the two the artic and anartic practice that co2 tiers arise after upward push in temperature. no longer earlier.Any warming is due the organic cycles of the climate in the international.it fairly is proved that ice a while stick to warming and the earth has had 7 ice a while and guy replaced into no longer around for any different than the top of the final.

Answer 4

In spite of all the hype and spin from the politicians and the media there is no agreement among scientists that global warming is even occurring. If it is occurring there is no agreement on whether it is caused by humans. If it is caused by humans there is no agreement on whether it is a serious problem. If it is a serious problem there is no agreement on whether we can stop it. If humans can stop it it's very improbable that they will.

You may have heard that Al Gore's burns over $30,000 worth of electricity at his home.

Answer 5

politicians and scientists who work for politicians have downplayed the facts because solutions are expensive and means change and change effects many people income,and most of the world is kept in the dark of the real things that are going on.



Is global warming a man-made menace?

not all there are natural cycles in the planets life
but a lot is influenced by mans existance ,and this is increasing with overpopulation,putting strains on Natural resources and increasing contaminations as well as destructions of essential componants that ensure living conditions for all life forms

in Mexico right now thousands of people lost their homes and many are dead because of floods caused by Global warming

in North Africa,India,Mexico ,millions of people are effected by land loss and desertification


in recent times thousands of people have died because of exessive heat,usually old people.in India ,Mexico and France,
deforestation causing desertification,the desert conditions causing very cold nights and scorching hot days

in china, thousands of what used to be farmers are running for their lives from the dust storms that have burried their towns and turned their lands into dessert,the globe where they were got to hot for them .
and instead of producing food they are now needing it from some where else,and they will drastically effect the world food prices when they start buying water in the form of grains ,at any cost destabalising governments, in some countries ,could be the result
(are you seeing more Chinese around interested in agricultural lands ,we do here in Mexico)

,the Sahara is growing by 7 kilometers a year
and all of the desserts we know are a results of mans actions ,and they are increasing ,not getting less ,in the dinosaurs days ,there were no desserts.

collectively this planet is drying up because of bad farming practices like,over grazing and fertilizers,

as far as the food production is concerned, Global warming or some of its effects are serious,rising seas result in landloss

each degree rise in temperature means 10%crop loss

more landloss because of desertification every year,we have less areble land to produce food ,for an extra 70 million people ,

and there is less and less water (because of deforestation),to irrigate this production ,
and there are less and less farmers to do it..
who are overpumping deep carbon aquifiers
who are plowing more and more unstable lands because they have lost so many million hectares to desertification ,
because of bad farming practises ,such as using fertilizers and heavy machinary or over grazing

RISING SEAS
The northpole is melting ,and we will know it without ice in our life times.
this does not affect the sea level because it is ice that is already in the water.but the melting ice from Green land and the south pole ,are another matter.

Global warming is in theory reversable,but it will mean global co operation between all countries ,and taking into account human nature and the world politics ,it is unlikely that this will happen,

At least not untill we are all in the middle of planetary disastres and it becomes a battle for the survival of humanity every where.

SOLUTIONS
if you want to help the planet ,plant a tree every week ,if everyone on the planet did we we would be able to reverse the destructive processes

reduce carbon emisions,and they are already working on that by alternative forms of energy and regulations on carbon producing materials,aerosol cans,burning rubbish,industrial chimneys,powerplants etc.

the capture of carbon and the production of water and assist the aquiferous manta.

the world bank pays large subsidies for reforrestation to capture carbon and the best tree for this is the Pawlonia

Waterharvesting projects ,such as millions of small dams.to redirect over ground waterflows from the rains into the ground to supply subteranian water supplies.

the protection of existing forrests.

stop building more highways,urban planning to include vegetation stop building cities encourage people to return to the land to conduct their business from there which now has become possible thanks to the internet.

education to motivate people to auto sufficiency by building more home food gardens.

education on environmental awareness
education on family planning to curb over´populaion

Agricultural education and improvements to follow the principals or sustainability and soil management.

more environmental or land ,design to prevent bush fires,such as--fire breaks

,more dams.regulations and control for public behaviour

alternative effeciant public transport to discourage the use of the internal conbustion engine

recicling wastes,limit water use

i am a Permaculture Consultant for the department of Ecology for the regional government in Guerrero Mexico
http://spaces.msn.com/byderule

Source(s) Lester E Brown is the director and founder of the global institute of Environment in the United states .he has compiled a report based on all the satalite information available from NASA,and all the information that has
come from Universities and American embassies WORLD WIDE ,
his little book--a planet under stress , Plan B has been trans lated into 50 languages and won the best book award in 2003.

Answer 6

plants/vegitation,volcanos,car exhaust(very minimal,its usaully monoxide)

Answer 7

Cow farts