what's your stand on global warming?

Question

do you really think its happening right now? do you think its causing us to end life as we know it?

Answer 1

It's real and it's us and it's a serious problem.

The difficulty is that you can't make a reasonable decision by listening to "logical" arguments. You have to look at the data. That's called science.

Professional climatologists do exactly that. The best summary of their work can be found here. The first is a report, the second a website actually run by climatologists.

http://www.ipcc.ch/spm2feb07.pdf

http://www.realclimate.org/

Because of the data, not some brilliant argument, the vast majority of scientists believe the three things I said. Actual data about that consensus here:

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

It's not volcanoes, it's not the sun, it's not a natural change. Climatologists have investigated all those possibilities. They reject them, not because somebody made a brilliant argument, but because the data shows them to be minor factors compared to man.

Some people post a link to a swindle movie. It's been discredited in many places. Just one example here:

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/climate_change/article2355956.ece

The idea that this is a vast conspiracy is silly, like saying NASA faked the moon landings.

This sums it up:

"the question of global warming was settled years ago for all but a few holdouts in the scientific community"

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/16620307.htm

Which is why these people say:

"The science of global warming is clear. We know enough to act now. We must act now."

James Rogers, CEO of Charlotte-based Duke Energy.

"The overwhelming majority of atmospheric scientists around the world and our own National Academy of Sciences are in essential agreement on the facts of global warming and the significant contribution of human activity to that trend."

Russell E. Train, Republican, former environmental official under Presidents Nixon and Ford

"Our nation has both an obligation and self-interest in facing head-on the serious environmental, economic and national security threat posed by global warming."

John McCain, Republican, Senator, Arizona

"These technologies will help us become better stewards of the environment - and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change."

President George Bush

It won't end life. If we do nothing rich countries will have to spend very large amounts of money fixing the damage. They will become poorer. In poor countries, already struggling to feed themselves some people (not all, but a lot) will die of starvation.

Answer 2

Where did this end of life as we know it come from???
We have enough trouble with youth suicide without this tripe.
A vote on "the world is flat" will not change the shape of the globe.
Pretending that there is a consensus amoungst Scientists on the cause of Global warming doesn't make it true. I'm a Scientist and I blame Solar cycles.
Since a consensus would involve all Scientists then there is obviously no consensus on the effects of CO2. The sky is falling crowd don't even mention that there has been no warming since 1985. Glaciers will come and go as they always have. Ecosystems will function as they always have. The ecological processes on which life depends are sound. Examination of the climate models that give the " worst case senarios" shows that the probability of these occurances are in fact zero. Lower than an undetected Comet crashing into the Earth.
Life a century ago was very different to life today, life in another century will also be very different. Change itself is constant but the biological feed back systems are intact.
To support an increasing population we will need a greater share of resources from nature; there will still be enough to go around. And remember: farm ecosystems still support the ecological processes!!

Answer 3

global warming has been making the climate more erratic, less predictable and quite scary. because of the extremely high temperature of the world as of now (due to fossil burning, forest fires, gas emissions, etc) it causes the ice to melt, thus increasing the amount of fresh water in the seas. from watching tv and things, i learned that the oceans has a sort of conveyor belt-like movement that is greatly altered because of the vast amounts of fresh water from the melting.
when this happens, warm water might not reach the northern parts of the world easily, therefore we experience colder temperatures now than ever. too much warm water over the equator means that the development of hurricanes will be much more frequent, and they are definitely stronger than ever. eventually, the northern areas will be covered in ice..the areas near the equator will soon follow.

al gore might have a reason on his stand for the environment, though. first off, the inconvenient truth documentary is perfectly timed with what is happening to the world right now. naturally, we people will look for leaders who know how to handle stuff like these..we turn to al gore..he becomes president. nice, don't you think?

Answer 4

No, I'm not sure it's happening. And even if it is happening, I'm not sure:

1. The degree to which human activity is the cause.

2. Even if it's occuring, is it necessarily a bad thing? (There are advantages to a warmer planet, after all, like longer growing seasons in much of the world.)

3. Even if is occuring, and it is a bad thing, is the cost of trying to reverse it more than adapting to it?

Even if you believe Al Gore that there is scientific consensus that global warming is occurring, there is no scientific consensus on these other three points.

Everyone's knee-jerk reaction to the idea of global warming is an attempt to alter human behavior in order to reverse it, without considering whether this is necessary, prudent, practical, or feasible.

Answer 5

Anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows that the temperature of the Earth is increasing as a result of the various pollutants we've been pumping into the atmosphere for the last 200 years.
As for the doomsday predictions of tidal waves and everything being underwater... those are a little far fetched. However, we will get more storms, with more intensity, and the climate will become much harder to predict.
People always say that the human race has managed to get through previous difficulties, but we managed that by dong stuff, not by denying problems exist.

Answer 6

It is slowly killing us


Canada is trying to get rid of emissions and gasses from the atmosphere. So far they have been doing somewhat of a bad job - GET RID OF STEPHEN HARPER if you are about the environment.....

I have been working with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to help perserve the environment and crown lands of Ontario and Provincial/National Parks... We have looked at the "Waterpower" project (my friend Paul Norris is the president of the Waterpower Association). We have came up with lots of different ideas. So far we are helping to kill off Coal plants and different Hydro/Power generation stations who gives off soo much pollution but so far so good. We are trying hard here in Ontario.

go to http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/ to learn more about the environment

I am going to College for Ministry of Natural Resouces Law Enforcement for Park Warden, Ministry of Environment person or Conservation Officer.

Answer 7

What do you mean stance?

It's happening, we need to do more than think of solutions that are just throwing money places. It isn't just indirectly solving the problem or temporarily alleviating it so that people can go on living how they live.

I think we as people need to realize that things we do affect society/environment in some way, shape, or form.

But honestly, I'm a cynic. I don't think people are intelligent enough to accomplish that. Myself included.

Answer 8

That only a moron would deny that 6 billion fools are not effecting the environment, but what ever you call it is irrelevant, it is the destiny of mankind to destroy themselves...The planet has survived far worse!

Answer 9

MANS EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

(this is limited to effects of people in the country,industrial effects on the environment and the internal combustion engine as well as the over all effects of cities ,is another story)

DEFORESTATION

expanding populations and expanding farming ,that has to keep pace with the expanding populations are very strong forces that encroach upon the rainforest's
clearing them for farming and settlement areas .

Rainforest's always are in third world countries and always in third world countries corruption and the need for money s highest

the jungle gets smaller by the day
more and more farmers move in .and burn the trees
it is an impossible situation
as long as there is poverty in these regions the destruction will continue

ON THE GROUND
go to the countries on the equator ,check what has happened in history
and listen to what is going on in the many disaster areas on this planet today,(and there are more than ever each year )
: i have seen lands that have been turned from jungle into desserts by people in a matter of a couple of years ,because of the slash and burn method used by settlers and expanding agriculture,and i have seen rivers dry up because of deforrestation in many places in Africa and Mexico ,
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 the ensure living conditions for all life forms

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

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

,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



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