Do you believe global warming is occuring?

Question

If so, why? What can we do, if anything?

If not, why?

Answer 1

Global warming is a fact. Because of overwhelming scientific data, not clever arguments. You can't decide the truth about global warming by listening to arguments. You have to actually look at the data.

The best summary of the data is here:

http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf

A very short version is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Climate_Change_Attribution.png

A good website is here:

http://www.realclimate.org

"climate science from climate scientists"

A good book is this:

http://www.amazon.com/Weather-Makers-Changing-Climate-Means/dp/0871139359/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3714892-4628862?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175451041&sr=8-1

Science is about data, not clever arguments. Global warming is not about Al Gore.

There's a movie out called swindle which says it's fiction. It uses bad data.

" A Channel 4 documentary claimed that climate change was a conspiratorial lie. But an analysis of the evidence it used shows the film was riddled with distortions and errors"

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

The data is why the vast majority of scientists think it's fact. Data about that here:

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


Left unchecked global warming will cause coastal flooding and damage to agriculture. Rich countries can adapt but it will cost them hundreds of billions of dollars, and depress their economy. There could be a worldwide depression.

Poor countries already having trouble feeding themselves can't cope. A lot of people (not all) will die of starvation.

We can't stop it, but we can reduce it enough so that we can cope.

Conserve energy.

Develop alternative energy sources; nuclear, solar, wind, biofuels, clean coal.

Develop ways to capture (sequester) carbon dioxide.

Answer 2

Sure it's occuring, just look at average global temperatures over the past 20,000 years. It's clearly hotter than it used to be and it will probably get hotter still. Most reasonable scientists predict that it will probably get about 3 degrees Celsius hotter than it is today.

As to what we can do about it, very little if by doing something you mean stopping the warming trend. Sorry, but that is, once again, the general opinion of most reasonable people who have spent the effort to actually look at the data.

What we can do is get ready for the change that are likely to happen. Fortunately we have time to do this if we start now and don't waste our time and money trying to stop the warming trend.

Think of it this way:

The Earth and all life on it is like a car containing you and your family.

As you cross a railroad track, the car stalls and will not restart.

A train (the global warming limited) is coming, fortunately, it is moving at a relatively slow speed, but it will eventually hit your car and kill your family if you do not do something.

What do you do:

a) Get out, stand on the railroad track between the train and your car and try and stop the train?

or,

b) Get out of the car and with the help of other members of your family, push it out of the way?

The choice is yours, but I know what I would do.

Answer 3

It very well could be! Man may even be helping it along but the sad fact is that the Earth has gone through at least seven ice ages and 6 global warming stages before man ever set foot on the Earth! This is a naturally occuring event! No way will man stop it! Not for a million years at least.....

Answer 4

i like this “new” eco-friendly ecosystem we are entering. I even have the “eco-friendly” customer bags, replaced incandescent with fluorescent tubes, even recycle my ink cartridges. What i come across exciting is this eco-friendly questioning replaced into certainly started with my era interior the early Eighteen Eighties. We known because it ECOLOGY. We actually have a flag with eco-friendly and white stripes such as the yankee flag, and a circle with a line for the hemisphere divider. The circle represents the Earth. Now I purely observed a youthful youngster retaining one as though this replaced into his concept. Yeah, marvelous! people, ecology did no longer artwork the final time by using laziness on our section as a u . s ., greed of money and capability have been given into the way of cleansing our air and international. What we've is a foul case of boastful, paying for a hybrid and questioning they are “changing” the international. Lose the boastful and permit’s certainly manage the smog. I doubt this era will do to any extent further ideal. The acorn does not fall some distance from the tree.

Answer 5

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 some have died as a result

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 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,

each degree rise in temperature means 10%crop loss

and there is less and less water (because of deforestation),to irrigate this production ,
and there are less and less farmers to do it..
and there are 70 million more peole every year that have to eat and drink and wash

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.



http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/ippc-climate-warning-020207

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6321351.stm



if forrest are being exchanged for ashalt,concrete and desserts
what is gonna keep this planet habitable for us

Global warming is a very complex collection of many effects

climate change is caused partly by desertification ,and most desertification is caused by man

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

here are a 100 more ways


http://www.eco-gaia.net/forum-pt/index.php/topic,203.0.html

Answer 6

I believe that climate change is occuring.

Answer 7

It has been going on since the last iceage 20,000 years ago. The process is very complex and will reverse itself at some point in time. No one knows when.

Answer 8

yes, we can put giant ice cubes into the sea to stop it.

Answer 9

NO NO