(another) Global Warming Question: Where can I find a balanced arguments on global warming?

Question

I, like most poeple, am interested in finding out about global warming but I am finding it hard to make sense of the arguments for and against.

Can anyone please tell me where to find purely scientific arguments for and against the phenominum written for the layman.

Firstly, I would be interested in learning if the climate is really changing (without specific refernce to causes). Secondly, I would like to know about man's supposed impact on global warming.

I understand this is an contreversial emensly complex area but I am really just looking for undisputed evindence to use to form my own opion, other than "it snowed last winter, but not this winter".

Many thanks.

Answer 1

No idea Old chap, as I see it the pro global warming caused by man are the scientists, companies and governments intent on ripping us off, either by being sponsored to do research, make expensive alternative energy systems or to tax us out of existence. The other side of the argument has less sponsorship from governments but no doubt has from the oil industry etc. Personally I go about my business using what is to me the most efficient and cost effective means, whether it be car, bus, train or aeroplane, without reference to any of these people. the problem is that like a war you ae unlikely to be able to find out the truth until the war is over and the pro global warming lobby is going all out with the fear factor. I also think that the summers in the 70's were as hot if not hotter than they are today so do not see what the problem is.

Answer 2

1) There has been significant warming over the last century, this is undisputed by skeptics and global warming experts alike.
2) CO2 has increased due to human activity by 37% since the industrial revolution. Again this is undisputed by skeptics and global warming experts alike.
3) CO2 is a greenhouse gas (traps heat and warms the earth). Again this is undisputed by skeptics and global warming experts alike.

Give 1,2 and 3. the only question is how big the effect is and will be.

4) Many skeptics claim that the sun is warming and causing the problem - yet measurements of the amount of energy coming from the sun are easy to make and they show only very small changes that are not enough to account for the observed warming. The sun does have cycles that change the average temperature on the earth, but the greenhouse gases cause effects on top of these cycles.

5) It is true that the earth has warmed and cooled in the past, however CO2 now exceeds levels seen at any time in the last 650,000 years, and both CO2 and the earth's temperature have increased FASTER than any time in the last 650,000 years. Strong evidence that this is not a natural phenomenon.

Other facts: Skeptics accuse the scientists of promoting warming to get more funding - the truth is the opposite, scientist have been saying the debate is over since at least 2002 and we need to do something about warming, but the skeptics keep pushing the government for more research as a delaying tactic.
Michael Crichton is a NOVELIST. He specializes in works of FICTION - exactly what his novel "state of fear" is. For dramatic effect he exaggerates or misrepresents much of the climate science: http://www.pewclimate.org/state_of_fear.cfm.
For example Crichton repeats the old line that scientist were predicting another iceage in the 70's. This is not true, there were only a few scientists with this view and no concensus. Kind of like the current GW skeptics.

As for the difficulty in modelling the climate, in 1988 scientist James Hanson made predictions before congress about the warming that would occur in future decades based on the best climate models at the time. So far his predictions have been a very good match to actual measurements through the present. This is an ultimate test of the accuracy of the models, and so far they have been right. It is also something that Crichton LIED about in his book: http://columbia.edu/~jeh1/hansen_re-crichton.pdf

The most fundamental argument is this: There is only one atmosphere in the known universe that supports life. We should not make significant changes to the composition of that atmosphere unless and until we know those changes will NOT have significant adverse effects.

Check out this very thorough website:

Answer 3

i've been recently researching the same debate myself. I just finished watching An Inconvenient Truth, and it gave some interesting information, but I didn't stop there. I've picked up the book, State of Fear, by Michael Crichton, and it seems to have plenty of sources to contradict global warming. All in all, you have to do a bit of research. There are no unbiased resources. I've been reading articles online leading both arguments, and in my personal findings, i'm leaning toward the idea that we truly have no clue what the climate will be in the next 100 years. just search on google these two parts: "global warming al gore" and "global warming michael crichton." You'll get two very different sets of websites and articles.

Answer 4

Global warming is a fact. Global warming has been a fact and so has global cooling for millions of years before man came on the scene, If you only listen to the "so-called expert scientist's you will find they will contradict each others findings as to regards man input, but man was not on the planet for earlier warming cycles, But the Sun and Mother Earth has always been doing their part.

Answer 5

You can't. There is no balanced information on global warming any more than there was over Iraq's alleged WMD.

This is a political issue to do with big agendas and lotsa dollars. Notice it has come about just as the world's oil is running out and most of it is owned by Muslim nations.

As Mulder said, Trust No-one!

Answer 6

I think I have just the thing you're looking for. A few weeks ago I created a website that considers both sides of the debate. It looks at the arguments for and against global warming, considers natural and human factors and lets you make up your own mind.

http://profend.com/global-warming/

Answer 7

not again , its a sun cycle nothing to do with CO2, this Will only last another 5 years and then wain for another 7 years, level off for a further 11years wain for 6 years , so all the powers that be will leap on the band waggon and say what a good job we have done