Why are the likes of David Suzuki and Al Gore convinced that their idea of Global Warming is gospel?

Question

The idea is that the Earth is warmer now that it has ever been, and that it is ALL mankind's fault.

Anybody disputing this is insulted and threatened with loss of their jobs (if they are teachers or scientists, and especially politicians) or worse.

We don't really know for a fact that the Earth has not been warmed or cooled to a much greater degree over millions of years as compared to today, and what kind of terrestial or solar forces could contribute to warming/cooling cycles, and by how much.

Using two centuries or so of relatively detailed weather records is not enough on this timescale.

Or maybe the last Ice Age ended because of people and their huge cities and SUV's?

Answer 1

There are three questions when it comes to global warming:

1) Is the current rise in temperatures natural or man made.
2) The correlation between co2 and temperature rise ie. if co2 rises by so much how much will temperature rise
3) What will be the effects of these rises in temperatures, if any.

Supporters of Al Gore and Suzuki claim that all of the top scientists support their theory. Saying all is propaganda, but a good deal do. But then again they have an economic interests to support it. If global warming goes away so do their jobs and grants. I find it interesting that those who do not are not climatologists, but they are specialists in other fields, people who are experts in answering the third question, what are the effects. This is what they say:



SEA LEVEL FALLING, POLAR BEARS STABLE, ICE CAPS THICKENING ...

"I can assure Mr. Gore that no one from the South Pacific islands has fled to New Zealand because of rising seas. In fact, if Gore consults the data, he will see it shows sea level falling in some parts of the Pacific." -- Dr. Chris de Freitas, climate scientist, associate professor, University of Auckland, N.Z.

"We find no alarming sea level rise going on, in the Maldives, Tovalu, Venice, the Persian Gulf and even satellite altimetry, if applied properly." -- Dr. Nils-Axel Morner, emeritus professor of paleogeophysics and geodynamics, Stockholm University, Sweden.

"Gore is completely wrong here -- malaria has been documented at an altitude of 2,500 metres -- Nairobi and Harare are at altitudes of about 1,500 metres. The new altitudes of malaria are lower than those recorded 100 years ago. None of the "30 so-called new diseases" Gore references are attributable to global warming, none." -- Dr. Paul Reiter, professor, Institut Pasteur, unit of insects and infectious diseases, Paris, comments on Gore's belief that Nairobi and Harare were founded just above the mosquito line to avoid malaria and how the mosquitoes are now moving to higher altitudes.

"Our information is that seven of 13 populations of polar bears in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (more than half the world's estimated total) are either stable or increasing..... Of the three that appear to be declining, only one has been shown to be affected by climate change. No one can say with certainty that climate change has not affected these other populations, but it is also true that we have no information to suggest that it has." -- Dr. Mitchell Taylor, manager, wildlife research section, Department of Environment, Igloolik, Nunavut.

"Mr. Gore suggests that the Greenland melt area increased considerably between 1992 and 2005. But 1992 was exceptionally cold in Greenland and the melt area of ice sheet was exceptionally low due to the cooling caused by volcanic dust emitted from Mt. Pinatubo. If, instead of 1992, Gore had chosen for comparison the year 1991, one in which the melt area was 1% higher than in 2005, he would have to conclude that the ice sheet melt area is shrinking and that perhaps a new Ice Age is just around the corner." -- Dr. Petr Chylek, adjunct professor, Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax.

"The oceans are now heading into one of their periodic phases of cooling.... Modest changes in temperature are not about to wipe them [coral] out. Neither will increased carbon dioxide, which is a fundamental chemical building block that allows coral reefs to exist at all." -- Dr. Gary D. Sharp, Center for Climate/Ocean Resources Study, Salinas, Cal

Both the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps are thickening. The temperature at the South Pole has declined by more than one degree C since 1950. And the area of sea ice around the continent has increased over the last 20 years." -- Dr. R.M. Carter, professor, Marine Geophysical Laboratory, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.

"From data published by the Canadian Ice Service, there has been no precipitous drop-off in the amount or thickness of the ice cap since 1970 when reliable overall coverage became available for the Canadian Arctic." -- Dr./Cdr. M.R. Morgan, FRMS, formerly advisor to the World Meteorological Organization/climatology research scientist at University of Exeter, UK

"The MPB (mountain pine beetle) is a species native to this part of North America and is always present. The MPB epidemic started as comparatively small outbreaks and through forest management inaction got completely out of hand." -- Rob Scagel, M.Sc., forest microclimate specialist, Pacific Phytometric Consultants, Surrey, B.C., comments on Gore's belief that the mountain pine beetle is an "invasive exotic species" that has become a plague due to fewer days of frost.

On hurricanes, Gore implies that new records are being set as a result of human greenhouse gas emissions. Gore fails to note that the only region to show an increase in hurricanes in recent years is the North Atlantic. Hurricane specialist Tad Murty, former senior research scientist Department of Fisheries and Oceans and now adjust professor of Earth sciences at U of O, points out, "In all other six ocean basins where tropical cyclones occur, there is either a flat or a downward trend." Murty lists 1900, 1926 and 1935 as the years in which the most intense hurricanes were recorded in the United States. In fact, Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, has stated that global warming has nothing to do with the recent increase in hurricane frequency in the North Atlantic. Murty concludes, "The feeling among many meteorologists is that it has to do with the North Atlantic oscillation, which is now in the positive phase and will continue for another decade or so."

Answer 2

Don't be silly Bill. No one has been fired or threatened for disagreeing with AGW theory. Least of all scientists.

And we *do* know for a fact that Earth is most certainly warmer now than at any point in human history. Making this argument irrelevant. And we also know exactly what kinds of solar forcings may be contributing to the warming. All of this is well documented and fully integrated into the theory.

Yes it is.

Of course not you silly goose. Obviously humans didn't cause the end of the last ice age. But you would have to be a complete idiot to deny that *something* did. Glacials don't just end without something making them end. The fact that humans weren't around for the last one just shows how unique this current trend is.

Answer 3

The reason is that a vast body of data supports the fact that it is (mostly) us. Other theories don't have such a strong basis in data. Some (the sun, volcanoes) have always been seriously considered by climatologists, but are directly contradicted by the data.

The best summary of the data is here;

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

The data, not some brilliant theory, is why the vast majority of climatologists believe it is us causing it. Proof here:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/fu...

And why this is true:

"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...

This is science. You can't decide about the truth by what argument sounds good to you. You have to look at the data. That's what the climatologists do. And the data clearly says it's a real change, it's significant, and it's (mostly) caused by us. More info here:

http://www.realclimate.org/

"climate science from climate scientists"

Answer 4

are Yes the theory of the earths ever changing climate is at issue and what these guys are trying to tell us is that we are to blame for exceeding a natural phenomenon to an unnatural scale. WE are contributing in a Big way to climate change. We contributing with our air, water and ground pollution and our lifestyles to climate change and it is making us all sick. Think about it. It is common sense if you put crap in your house can you breathe, live properly?

Answer 5

Because they don't believe the whole idea the we arrived to this planet on The Great Space Ark (...which was used to escape the original Earth that had exploded. And the government decided not to tell the stupid people because it might affect... oh...)

But seriously.

Al Gore wanted to be president to be noticed. He got his 3 months of fame and wanted more. He lost being president and people moved on. Now that he voiced his opinons, he's back in the spotlight.

The other guy... um... Who is he?

Answer 6

Politicians are all picking their pony to get ready for the Presidential race next year. Al Gore thinks this pony might have enough public interest to out distance the "Ponies" the other candidates are riding to get him the Democratic nomination for President.

It is not so much that he is worried about global warming as it is finding a "Voter warming" topic to promote his candidacy.

Answer 7

The science community is in concensus that global warming is real and that it is caused by the actions of man. THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY!!!

Oh, and, by the way, you might also be interested in learning that they've realized that the world isn't flat.