Is Global warming real, and if so, is it man-made?

Question

I have recently read 'proof' that Global warming is a cyclical phenomenon and the current increase in global temperatures is down to sun spot activity rather than CO2 emissions;

- our CO2 emissions count for a tiny fraction of the atmosphere
- other CO2 emission far outweight those we give out
- volcanoes emit more CO2 in one erruption that the human race has since the industrial revolution
- global warming cause by ;greenhouse gases' would show increases in temperature in the 'troposphere'
- temperature increases are at GROUND level (hence not due to greenhouse gases)
- historical data showing the relation between CO2 levels in teh atmosphere and global temperature are misleading - there is a lag between temperature going up - then CO2 levels increasing
- sunspot activity inhibits teh creation of clouds - hence more sunlight & heat gets through to heat the Earth at surface level

Just wondered what you thought. All comments welcome

Answer 1

Yes, the earth is warming. Proponents that we are the cause are probably full of hops but it seems to be an almost religious belief especially among our youth. We may add to some of it but it's all conjecture.

The sun's output has gone up .2% in the last 40 years and Mars and Pluto are warming up but people ignore that fact. Here's a 2003 article that recognized that; people tend to dismiss these measurements.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/sun_output_030320.html

Answer 2

You should post where you read this proof. I work with two departments that study climate and I can point you to a number of articles that dismiss all of the above claims. It would be a momentous paper (actually, a book) that would sufficiently address all of the knowledge we have about the many points you list above. And unless this is coming from a climate scientist, there is no way they understand what they are talking about. I can dismiss a few of the comments with the most rudimentary knowledge. For example, greenhouse gases blanket the planet, you know, like a blanket. This means they increase temperature entirely under the blanket. Whether at the ground or right below the gases (which are in a zone of the atmosphere, not a thin little layer), the temperature is still increased.

The rest of the comments are just as much BS. That's the worst part about these nonsensical, fascist talking points. They take an incredibly complicated subject like the ENTIRE FREAKING PLANET and think it can be reduced to and dismissed by a few platitudes.

Answer 3

Real and mostly man made. Let me address your questions.

Man made CO2 is small.

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 (in addition to the shape of the graph, the increase numerically matches the increase in fossil fuel use; an unlikely coincidence). Scientists can also use "isotopes" to show that the increase in CO2 is man made. The natural carbon cycle buried carbon in fossil fuels over a very long time, little bit by little bit. We dig them up and burn them, real fast. That's a problem.

Man is upsetting the balance of nature. We need to fix that.

Volcanoes don't emit more CO2 than man. They emit much less, and that is pretty much cancelled out by their emissions of dust.

http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/climate_effects.html

Ground versus troposphere. The heat comes mostly from sunlight striking the ground, which totally blocks it.

The historic lag is because CO2 not only causes warming, but is increased by it as warmer ocean waters release CO2. Historically warming started for other reasons, and CO2 rose later. This time CO2 is both the cause and an effect, and temperature and CO2 are going up together.

Solar radiation is carefully measured at ground level, and is included in climatologists analysis. It is about 10% of the warming. Page 4.

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

The data clearly shows it's real and mostly caused by us. Some is cited above. Here is a very short summary, that includes it all, solar, volcanoes, etc.

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

Answer 4

Global warming is real, of course!
At worst it has been accelerated by man, but ultimately there have been ice ages before our time, there will probably end up being another - the only question in my mind is the ability of mankind to survive it?
I comment on Ice ages because that is what will happen when global warming reaches it's threshold... The Earth will eventually try and correct the balance natures way.

Selfish as it may be i sincerely hope this does not happen in our life time... but that does not free anyone from the responsibility of doing their part for the environment... It's just a shame that all we can do is slow down what is inevitable.

Answer 5

Yes global warming has definately been provoked by humans. since the industrial revolution there has been more ozone loss, more CO2 and other green house gases entering the atmosphere by big buildings and of course all the emissions from transportation. without all of our man made industries the world would still experience a warming but not nearly as severe as it is occuring now, especially not enough to melt all the glaciers and ice caps at the rate they are melting now. just something to think about, im no al gore but humans are definately a major cause of global warming.

Answer 6

Global warming is definitely real. i personally doubt that humans are the sole cause of global warming but we do contribute to the phenomenon. I think the real question is should we attempt to slow down the rate of global warming regardless of our part in the cause? What does it hurt to live a "greener" life?

Answer 7

Yeah there was a documentary about this on channel 4 recently. Type in 'great global warming swindle' into youtube and you'll be able to see it. The government aren't going to pass up an opportunity to tax us with 'green taxes' but it's all crap I'd say

Answer 8

agriculture and war
Global warming in the country


there is a lot of evidence of man made climate change .and there are many reasons to hide the truth

scientists who work for politicians ,get paid by these politicians and they have downplayed the facts because solutions are expensive and means change and change effects many peoples incomes,and upsets profit margins,so most of the world is kept in the dark of the real things that are going on.for political and economic reasons


Global warming is a very complex collection of many effects

this text only covers some aspects of global warming ,mainly agriculture i.e.effects of deforestation and subsequent man made desertification

water and air polution such as caused by
industrial contamination ,the contaminating effects of the cities(the internal combustion engine) ,are other stories,

and all of these are also man made ,such as the high industrial chimneys pumping contamination into the clouds and the burning of tires,some of this polution has been found in the ice in the polar regions

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

climate change is caused in great parts by desertification ,and most desertification is caused by man
the thinner ozone layer helps to speed this up.and this is caused mainly by air polution ,also as a result of mans actions

DEFORESTATION

in the past
the Building of the Spanish Armada deforrested Spain
the Phoenician trading fleet turned Lebanon in a dessert
Ganges Khan put everything to the sword and torch, then filled the wells with sand,
the sun finished of the job and whole countries turned to wastelands.
He would have been envious of the effects of modern day farming.Slash and burn destroys the protective vegetation (which helps to form the soil ),
leaving it open to the Sun ,and then ,wind and, water erosion.
The Plough turns the soil ,killing micro-biotic life (essential to soil building) and accelerates the drying out .
Pressures of the :vehicles, cattle and rain impact brings the salt to the surface.

Mono cultures ,aided by chemicals Exhaust and pollutes the soil .
Adding to this the effects of overgrazing has resulted in large scale desertification.

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 .

In Mexico is a famous jungle that the Media has been trying to save for years
the Naturists ,and the government ,keep watch .laws are made for protection the wild and to forbid logging.
TV put out a series of documentaries
there are campaigns in the News papers
and all of this has not made the slightest difference

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

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 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 ,


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..
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 could be slowed down to some extent,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,instead of just some third world countries

Answer 9

Yes very real created by man and pretty much created by are gas powered vehicles.