Has it been proven that man is the biggest cause of global warming?

Question

I am trying to make my mind up about global warming and what is causing it. I have come across a lot of evidence that temperatures have been rising in the last few decades, as well as evidence of increased levels of greenhouse gases including CO2. But there seems to be no clear link between the two that I can find, other than that they occur at the same time. Can someone point me to a place where this is cleary explained and proven?

Answer 1

You might find these theories interesting:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4520665474899458831&hl=en

Answer 2

As John pointed out, the really obvious answer is that the sun causes most of the warming. Humans might be responsible for about a hundred parts per million (ppm) for the 400 ppm existing in the atmosphere. CO2, a greenhouse gas, can theoretically trap some of the sun's heat and acts to moderate the temperatures. It generally warms the coolest days and nights. There are other factors in global warming that seem much more important such as water vapor, solar storms, and cloud formation. The problem with these is that humans can't be blamed for them so those who wish to control your activity don't mention them. They also make the predictions for warming impossible. The people trying to blame the recent global warming on human activity are inevitably from the left politically and tend to blame humans for everything under the sun including some things that probably should be blamed on the sun.

Answer 3

You may of been fortunate enough to catch the recent documentry on this very subject

its states quite clearly that infact C02 levels do not CAUSE temperature rise nor do they occur at the same time - infact c02 levels actually lag behind as much as 800 years...

The global warming issue now is all man made - well apparently but major scientific studies deny this in a big way...

only 30 years ago the brightest minds in the world were stating we were heading for Global Cooling and infact a miny ice age... This was later disproven...

Wasnt it only a few 100 years ago the brightest minds in the world thought our world was flat - this we now know as wrong... Scientists can and will be wrong - more frequently then we are let on to realise

Answer 4

A lot of people will claim to have proof that there is global warming and that we are responsible for it. I don't know whether these people enjoy feeling guilty or whether they are just clinging to a little bit of hope: if we are causing it, presumably we must be in a position to bring the situation under control.
The truth is this:
Our climate does appear to be warming up, but we are not in a position to state with certainty what is causing it. It may be human activity, but it could equally well be due to changes in the amount of energy given out by the sun. If it is the latter, we are utterly powerless to influence the process in any way, and probably also unable to predict accurately what will happen.
Now that's scary.

Answer 5

CO2 levels and global warming do not occur at the same time.
The world started warming up more than 200 years ago. When CO2 emissions became noticeably higher (the post war boom) temperatures were actually falling.
There is absolutely no evidence that CO2 has any effect on world temperatures.

See "The Great Global Warming Swindle", broadcast on Channel 4 last week and repeated on Monday (12th).
It should be compulsory viewing, especially for politicians and greenies.

Answer 6

It's good you're trying tomake your own mind up on these matters.

Me I made my mind up some time ago; rapid Climate change is real and humans are a major cause of it. That is not to say that the climate was a static thing before we started in on our industrial revolution, nor is it to say that other things do not contribute now. Life just ain't that simple.

The vast majotity of scientist are convinced that mankind is responsible for the accelerating changes in the climate mechanics.

But let us for the moment assume that the gainsayers are correct in saying there is no evidence (which I think is just idiotic, but that's only my opinion), why would you want to continue waste energy (and therefore money) with low efficiancy electrical goods, unless you own a power plant; why would you want to continue waste fuel (and therefore money) with a gas guzzeling SUV; unless you have an inferiority complex and need to prove your as big as the next guy, an so on the list is endless.

Consider, what will happen if we in the concerned lobby get our way and are then proved wrong, well the world will be a cleaner, more energy efficiant place, with resources that will last a bit longer.

On the otherhand what if the petro funded lobby get their way and are proved wrong, well possibly millions will be made homeless; the changes in precipitation patterns may lead to widesprread famine and these two things alone will probably result in major conflivcts and wars, in addition the world will be less well resourced dirtier place to live in.

Which of these alternatives is the "SAFER BET"

Interesting I've been thumbed down.
I assume I should not have encouraged you to think for youself
or maybe the fact that I pointed out that my option is the no risk option is the safe one is wrong

Answer 7

The CO2 that is causing the global warming is generated by industry, travel and numerous other things, the reason they cause the atmosphere to heat up is that the length of the molecules of C02 along with other green house gasses are about the same length as the wavelength of the radiation of heat that bounces off the earths surface, causing to bounce off the layer of greenhouse gasses, trapping the heat. I suggest you read wikipedias article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming
and perhaps even the ipcc report on global climate change which is a bit more in depth than wikipedias article.

We do have records of the climate for millions of years obtained from drilling ice cores in the worlds ice caps, and while the earths climate does fluctuate it has never fluctuated this fast before and the speed of change of the earths atmosphere is the worrying thing, we shouldnt even be able to notice it over the whole cycle but the opposite is true.

Answer 8

Yes, it has been proven. Or, at least, the latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report said there was a 90-95% probability that man is the biggest cause of global warming. If you're really interested in seeing what they had to say, go to http://www.ipcc.ch/ and download the Summary For Policymakers. And, if you're wondering why only 90-95%, that's because it's a group of people from all over the world, and consensus doesn't get much more than that.

Answer 9

'Al Gore', and a few thousand scientists from some hundred universities and government businesses from dozens of international places have already shown that that 'warming' is as genuine because it gets. subsequently, it rather is in all probability real which you 'have faith' have been @#$%ed by way of a good sized Foot. I recommend you quit listening those perfect wing radio dummies and spot a good cut back.

Answer 10

It depends on who you believe.
today in wellingborough the sun was shining the birds were
singing, the blossom is on the trees the fish were biting, aaaaaaw i forgot i shouldn't be happy its global warming time!!50 years ago a labour government was sending out the same rhetoric about the felling of timber in the brazilian rain forests then it was if it continued, today Europe would be a desert
doom and gloom is what we should all be talking about.
more lies and more taxes i know i who i believe and it isnt politicans

Answer 11

The sun is the biggest cause of global warming and plant life (co2 consumer) is directly regulated by it. Nature is balance, if it wasn't we would have been burnt up or frozen eons ago.