What is really responsible for Global Warming? Sun spots or CO2 levels?

Answer 1

Mostly CO2 from us.

Actual data shows it's not the suns radiation that's the major cause of global warming on arth, it's us. Solar radiation is carefully measured. Climatologists include it in their analysis.

The results are in the report below. Increased solar radiation is 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

What scientists think. Not from the "liberal" media.

""While evidence suggests fluctuations in solar activity can affect climate on Earth, and that it has done so in the past, the majority of climate scientists and astrophysicists agree that the sun is not to blame for the current and historically sudden uptick in global temperatures on Earth, which seems to be mostly a mess created by our own species."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258342,00.html

Man made emissions of CO2 are very important. There is a natural "carbon cycle" that recycles CO2. But it's a delicate balance and we're messing it up.

Look at this graph.

http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/graphics_gallery/mauna_loa_record/mlo_record.html

The little squiggles are nature doing its' thing. CO2 falls a bit during summer when plants are active, and rises during the winter. The huge increase is us, burning fossil fuels. Nature buried them over a very long time. We dig them up and burn them, real fast. We're ruining nature's balance and we need to do something about that.

Answer 2

My understanding is that global warming happens every 11,000 years or so regardless. This is what I've read, anyway. I think a combination of the 2 items you listed contribute to it, but we, the general public rarely are given all the proven facts. While I'm sure we as humans are not blameless, I do believe it will happen no matter what. And I agree, there has not been enough research to PROVE anything - just to open up discussion and raise some interesting theories. Right now, unfortunately, it's a political tool. Maybe after the elections, scientists will be allowed to take a more objective look without pressure from special interest groups. Trust me, someone's going to make money, regardless of the findings.

Answer 3

There is strong evidence that solar activity helps drive cloud cover which helps warm and cool the earth, and is roughly a 1500 year cycle. As for CO2, it has been considered a very mild contributor to any sort of warming and many have hypothesized that future amounts of CO2 actually contribute less of a warming affect than the initial CO2 releases.

Answer 4

I have heard that the sun has a cycle of about 400 years and it is in a warm period. Sun spots are mostly an 11 year cycle. Man made CO2 likely contributes less than 1 degree. It has to be exaggerated by linking it with an increase in water vapor to hype the actual contribution. That is where some of the wild predictions of our doom come from.

Answer 5

The variance in solar energy output caused by the sun spot cycle would have to be almost 2 orders of magnitude greater to account for already observed changes in global temperature. This issue is covered in some detail in the recent ICPP report. It's a little technical to read, but if you're interested, there is some good peer-reviewed informaion in there by the world's leading scientists.

Answer 6

Combination of many factors. CO2 is a minor greenhouse gas and humans contribute a minute percentage to the total.

Answer 7

id say both but mostly co2 levels due to the burning a fossil fuels every single day.

Answer 8

its a combination of both but i think its a little more of the CO2 levels!

Answer 9

both really,
the ozone collapsing and the green house warm up
the ozone "holes" are allowing in uv rays that super heat the earth more than normally and the green house gasses trap that heat so its a double kill

Answer 10

neither. global warming is caused by the planet heating up.