What causes global warming?

Question

i need facts not opinions no political views

Answer 1

Global warming is caused by a variety of factors, but by far the most important are the greenhouse gases released into the air by human activities. Of these, the most important is the carbon dioxide released by the burning of fossil fuels.

Natural causes of global warming include:

1. Milankovitch cycles (also called "orbital forcing") which have caused ice ages and inter-glacial periods during the Quaternary period. Orbital forcing is caused by small changes in earth's orbit which can be computed for millennia into the past and future, and should be slowly cooling the planet right now.

2. Solar cycles, the effect of which is controversial and not well understood to any level of scientific consensus. However, most solar physicists contend that the Sun is either fairly static, or currently in a long-term cooldown.

So it seems that natural causes for the recent warmth can either be ruled out, or are minor contributors.

NOTE to Slim:

Here's a list of the 672 peer-reviewers of IPCC's Third Assessment Report:
http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg1/559.htm
And here's their peer-review process in detail.
http://www.ipcc.ch/about/app-a.pdf
What about this process is inadequate, in your view?

Answer 2

a few proven facts are:
1) the upper atmosphere is cooling while the lower atmosphere is warming.

since heat rises it is only logical to assume that greenhouse gases are responsible for the heat being trapped in the lower atmosphere.

2) CO2 concentration is roughly 400ppmv globally and rising at an alarming rate.
in 1850 before emissions grew from industrial related production, it was lower than 300ppmv.
800 ppmv is lethal to humans in under 3 hours exposure.

3)humans produce 30 times the amount of CO2 that all volcanoes do annually

4) CO2 does trap heat

here are some links to some great info:
http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/facts_and_figures/
http://www.ucsusa.org/ssi/archive/ozone-climate-connection.html

many of the facts may be accurate, but they won't be proven true until it is too late.

Answer 3

The scientific community generally agrees that global warming is, indeed, a cyclical event. However, man's industrial revolution of the past 150 years has altered the natural cycle of things, and that's why our smoke-belching factories and vehicle emissions have contributed to the escalation of the global warming problems. -RKO- 05/18/07

Answer 4

the most authorative source for facts about anthropogenic (man made) climate change (aka global warming) is the Intergovernmental Pannel on Climate Change

www.ipcc.ch

eg: "The understanding of anthropogenic warming and cooling influences on climate has improved ..., leading to very high confidence that the global average net effect of human activities since 1750 has been one of warming, with a radiative forcing of +1.6 [+0.6 to +2.4] W m–2 "

Answer 5

Global warming is caused by Al Gore's hot air. And now you know... the rest of the story.

Answer 6

Eco-marxist politicians are the "Cause" of Global warming.

That said solar cycles play a part of earth temperature fluctuations as do the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere.

The eco-marxist religion is clearly agenda driven. It lacks scientific validity. It is a "belief" not fact.

One fact they have correct, the earth's mean temperature has risen 7/10s of 1 degree over the last hundred years. That is the end of their factual evidence.

There is no evidence it is human caused.

Here are two websites that contain a large compendium of valid scientific climate information.

http://www.oism.org/pproject/s33p36.htm...

http://www.junkscience.com

Any time the word "BELIEF or BELIEVE" enters the conversation think "RELIGION". It is cult of epic proportion. The only way to deprogram yourself or others is with facts and understanding.

I am a lifelong student. when I first heard of "Global Warming" I recall in my environmental studies in college the "prevailing" wind was around a new Ice Age.

With certainty climate changes, and has been doing so for 4.6 billion years. Sometimes quickly sometime slowly.

Man is inherently narcissistic and our cultural shapers have found ways to manipulate this for the purpose of gaining power.

The validity of IPCC report fails based on inadequate peer review, Most of the supposed 2500 scientists involved are saying the content of the report is NOT what they recommended of even wrote.

What we can do about it? nothing. Don't believe it. Use your common sense. If there is money involved, someone's pocket will be lined.

Al Gore's is definitely one of the primary pocket liners of the ecomarxist religion.

Answer 7

Al Gore's movies (yes its a jab at him) but its better than some of the above answers that are wrong. Remember people are not worried about the planet, they are worried about themselves. We as a species may die, but the planet will survive and continue with other dominant species.

Answer 8

global warming is caused by fossil fuels such as methane, carbon dioxide and other harmful fuels that harm the atmosphere.

Answer 9

Watch the documentry "Who Killed the Electric Car"
You will be very angry at big oil and GM.

Answer 10

sorry MC didn't mean to boost your ego by giving that sillyness a thumbs up.