Is man or nature causing global warming?

Question

We have all heard about how CO2 is causing the earth to become warmer and humans are being blamed for it.

Since 1980, scientists have monitored geologic unrest in Long Valley Caldera and at adjacent Mammoth Mountain, California. After a persistent swarm of earthquakes beneath Mammoth Mountain in 1989, earth scientists discovered that large volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas were seeping from beneath this volcano. This gas is killing trees on the mountain and also can be a danger to people. The USGS continues to study the CO2 emissions to help protect the public from this invisible potential hazard.

A preliminary estimate of the current rate of CO2 gas emission at Mammoth Mountain is 1,300 tons per day. Similar rates of CO2 emission have been measured from the craters of Mt. St. Helens (Washington) and Kilauea (Hawaii) volcanoes during periods of low-level eruptive activity.

With sun spots, volcanos, etc. why is man being blamed?

Please see this article for more info:

http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/prepare/factsheets/CO2/

http://www.ees.nmt.edu/Geop/mevo/geochem/co2.html

Here are some of the items Larry G was referring to:

An August 9, 1923 front page article in the Chicago Tribune declared:

“Scientist Says Arctic Ice Will Wipe Out Canada.” The article quoted a Yale University professor who
predicted that large parts of Europe and Asia would be “wiped out” and Switzerland would be “entirely
obliterated.”

A December 29, 1974 New York Times article on global cooling reported that climatologists believed

“the facts of the present climate change are such that the most optimistic experts would assign near
certainty to major crop failure in a decade.

Answer 1

Both, but nature is way ahead of us.

Note to bashers: This is one volcano. There are tons around the world, volcanoes far outproduce man in terms of CO2 output.

Answer 2

Global Warming is being caused by human action. Nature or the planet can absorb the co2 from Volcanos and it has done so throughout history without real long term consequences. Same with sun spots etc. But all thebillions of tons of CO2 being spewed into the air by humans all over the world is causing this. This is something that is relatively new to the planet since it's only been happening since the industrial revolution. But when one studies ice core data and co2 in oceans and soil since the beginning of the industrial revolution, one sees consistant rising co2 levels. And, those levels have increased rapidly since WWII. The drastic change in global climate started in the 1950s. But it has really taken off until the 1980's, 90's and now 2000's. And, scientists say that these really rapid rising temperature and co2 levels have never been witnessed before in history. In other words, these temperatures are rising faster than they ever did in natural history. Meaning that they are man made because there is no other reason for it. I'm afraid we haven't seen anything yet. Once China and India's economy ramps up to even more than what it is today, our planet it going to be vastly different that when we were kids.

Larry G. Do you have proof that the scientific community was saying that we were going tohave a global freeze? Where are you getting that information.

Answer 3

Yes, and both.

There is a certain amount of CO2 gas that exists, and the more there is, the more it keeps in heat.

Like your car on a hot summer day, the heat can't get out with the windows closed.

If we add more CO2 gas to the air, it keeps in more heat.

Only 1 degree warmer on the average can melt the polar icecaps, and increase sea levels.

Then it snowballs (pardon the pun), the white ice no longer reflects sunlight, and instead the larger ocean and land area absorbs even more heat.

During the last ice age, there was over a mile of ice covering most of the northern USA, and the oceans were 300 feet lower.

The "bridge gap" across the Berring Strait, between Alaska and Asia, was 600 miles wide, and is now under 300 feet of water.

The difference between ice and water at 31.9 degrees and at 32.1 degrees respectively, is only 0.2 degrees.

Yes, anything that adds more CO2 or more heat to the earth, can make it hotter.

It is not a matter of who is to blame, it is a matter of will we survive.

Answer 4

Why is it always an either/or scenario? Nature AND mankind are causing global warming. Why are people so damned interested in not being up front, and taking responsibility for their actions? And, conversely, why are people trying to ascribe all of the blame to mankind? These are the questions that must be resolved before tackling Global Warming. Until then it will be nothing but *****, *****, *****...

I'm so sick of listening to both sides of this argument, that I am absolutely certain to vocally boo the next public meeting with a politician who brings it up. Thank you for taking the enjoyment out of trying to make the world a better place. Both sides are guilty, so stop pointing at each other! Jeez! You all are like a bunch of kids!

Answer 5

These volcanos may have emitted some CO2 in our air, but nature has provided us with so many forest to clean the air. Man is being blamed as the main CO2 contributor because we cut trees, pollute the air and water but we don't have the power to change CO2 into breathable air.

Answer 6

Man is being blamed because man is responsible.

Your little article failed to mention the fact that while this volcano releases 48,000 tons of CO2 a year, emissions from human activity exceed 24,000 BILLION tons.

That's a wee pinch more than your little volcano, wouldn't you say?

Answer 7

Both. And since I worked at an archaeological site near Mammoth, I was very interested in your relation of what is happening there.

Answer 8

Nature...if you call a 1/2 of 1 degree global warming!

Answer 9

There is no monetary profit for Al Gore and his buddies if Global Warming is not man made...be careful what you say or Al will send Manbearpig to get you! Remember he is cereal...

Answer 10

20 years ago the liberal press was warning everyone about the coming Ice Age, they do what ever they can to scare people into their envirojunkie agenda. The earth goes thru cycles of warming and cooling and for those who doubt the facts visit the NASA website.