global warming?

Question

are sunspots responsible for global warming rather than cabon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels?

Answer 1

Sunspots have little to do with global warming.

There is a lot of current research into variations in the solar cycle (Sunspots are one indicator of one solar cycle - there are quite a few) influencing Earth's climate. But sunspots aren't a big factor - there are much more influential solar cycles.

For instance, Mars - 45,000,000 miles further from the sun than we are - is also undergoing global warming, caused by increase in solar output. It seems logical to conclude that increases in solar output are having some influence on our climate as well.

Lots of people believe that anthropogenic (man-caused) global warming is somehow proven. You can usually tell who they are because they're screaming that there is no debate and that their theory has been utterly proven. This is foolhardy. There is a lot of debate (See the Heidelburg Appeal - signed by thousands of climate scientists and 72 hard-sciences Nobel prize winners).

The truth is we don't KNOW what is causing global warming or even if it's anything other than a natural climate cycle. The people who want us to DO SOMETHING! are paniced. They're the same folks who, in the 1970's, thought global COOLING was going to doom us all to a new Ice Age and wanted to (no joke!) melt the polar ice caps! Good thing we didn't do that, hunh?

We don't eve have a working climate model we can use to test out assumptions yet. Heck, we can't even predict the weather next WEEK, much less 100 years down the road.

I've attached some links for you, including one to the BBC's "The Global Warming Swindle" programme.

Hope this helps!

Orion

Answer 2

Sure solar activity is "plausible". It's only when you look at the numeric value data that you see the increase in solar radiation is not enough to explain the observed warming.

Solar radiation amounts to 0.12 watts per meter squared. Man's warming is 1.6 watts per meter squared, more than ten times as much.

http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf

You could not possibly lie about the solar radiation value, it's been measured over and over and reported in the scientific literature. You couldn't possibly lie about the reality of global warming either and not get caught. Few scientists would be so foolish.

There are a host of theoretical arguments about other causes for global warming. But they aren't backed up by the data. Man as the main cause _is_ backed up by the data, which is why the vast majority of climatologists agree the problem is real and it's us.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5702/1686

Here's another interesting link re the Channel 4 program:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2031455,00.html

Answer 3

No, CFC's are the big cause. I sent this letter to Al Gore:

Putting the technology together to start cleaning up and reintroducing new ozone to the atmosphere is possible. The cost and size of this project means taking a long term commitment. I am proposing the biggest cleanup in history. Al, I do not see any proposal that is realistic or proven at any cost, not even Washington can solve this problem. But if every person on earth does his or her share, we may be ok. Never-the-less, I see governments acting like a deer in a car’s headlights and people doing the same thing. The inevitable is almost upon us. Cleanup and change is the only option.
The first cleanup machine starts with a ten billion dollars investment. Ten year later with twenty-five machines operating, these machines will produce enough ozone to replace both holes at the poles. But more importantly, these machines will remove chemicals that deplete the ozone. Beyond making ozone, decreasing the poisons that deplete ozone, these machines reduce the major greenhouse gases and unbelievably we can have all this for fewer than one hundred billion dollars.
Beyond cleaning up our atmospheric mess as I am suggesting, we humans must do a better job reducing or cleaning up carbon monoxide, collecting and storing methane and ethane for fuel, burning less of everything, cleaning up our forests and using more solar insolation. Solar steam electric generators are the type of systems we need and are 90 percent efficient and near 100 percent if heat recovery is used. I believe nearly 30,000 MW are needed in the USA and Mexico over the next 30 years. This opens the door to new electric cars, new construction vital to our way of life, new bullet trains, and these industries produce new high paying jobs. From small scale solar generators on malls, to 2000 acre collector sights, these systems are viable and ready for production. The Federal Government must give up some land, money and have less regulation to help save the planet from disaster.
Al, spreading the message that we can help ourselves is a key to the development of these businesses. Washington can help: the businesses need grants, patents, land and regulations. Congress must create a pollution surcharge. From gas, coal, diesel, wood to cooling towers, from cattle, other ranches to cigarettes, from agriculture burning to airplane passengers, this surcharge can fund parts of these projects and many stationary pollution control devices in general.
Your personal support is very important to getting the atmosphere cleanup started and developing sights for solar generators.

Sincerely,

Answer 4

If you look at the data folks like Al Gore use to plot CO2 next to global temperature, you will notice something quite interesting. While looking at the chart, it would appear that when CO2 rises, so too does temperature. However, if you look at the raw data, when temperature rises, CO2 gas levels rise on average 800 years (sometimes up to 3,000 years) later. This would suggest that Mr. Gore has it backwards. Temperature affects CO2 levels, not the other way around. Therefore, CO2 has no effect on temperature. The same is true when temperature decreases. When temperature decreases, it takes about 800 years for CO2 to decrease. While I have not researched the sun as the cause for global warming, it would certainly seem plausible.

Answer 5

How did we get out of the last Ice Age?

Why are the other planets warming? Mars' polar ice caps are getting smaller.

Vikings used to farm in Greenland. How do we know we're not warming BACK up to where we used to be? And why would that be a bad thing?

How many lies are in An Inconvenient Truth?

Answer 6

No.

There are numerous models for global warming, and there are many types of simulations for sun activity... sun activity has been considered for the cause of global warming but has been rejected.

The obvious (and proven) cause of global warming is human activity, which is constantly changing the planet's ecosystem at an increasing rate.

Answer 7

global warming is cause by toxic gases that are caught in the upper atmosphere. the gases block light and heat from the sun, throwing the ratio that gets to the surface out of whack.

Answer 8

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9005566792811497638&q=%22The+Great+Global+Warming+Swindle%22