Why is the first argument against global warming always - that warming is a natural occurence?

Question

Of course warming is a natural occurence - just like ice ages (otherwise there would be no term for an ice age...). The question is not whether temperature changes are natural, the question is whether we are changing the natural cycle - accelerating it or even amplyfying it.
The CO2 in the air can be measured as far back as 100,000 years ago, and it has been shown to be directly related to the temperature cycles. The current CO2 levels are directly tied to our pollution, and are higher than any other time in the last 100,000 years. The question is not whether we are changing the natural cycle - the question is how much, and whether we can reverse the effects.

Answer 1

Well it's the first argument because it's a simple one to make. It's not absolutely proven that human CO2 emissions are the primary cause of the recent spike in global warming, it's simply the best fit to climate models and the logical answer. But since it's not proven, skeptics can always go back to old faithful and claim it's entirely a natural occurence and human contributions are insignificant. They can't prove it, but they can claim that it's not proven that humans contribute significantly to global warming, either. As long as they can delay action on human greenhouse gas emissions, they're happy because it means they can continue living their lives as they please, driving around their gas guzzling SUVs and such.

There's no question that we're amplifying global warming by emitting greenhouse gases, but the skeptics would like to believe that it's an insignificant amplification, despite the evidence to the contrary. Since it's an easy argument to make and sounds like a real explanation, they always go back to the well and claim it's all a natural occurence. It just shows how weak the skeptical argument is.

Answer 2

The scientific question is, if we double co2 levels how much of a temperature increase will we get. If we assume that the current rise in temperatures is due solely to rising co2 levels, the computer models will project the appropriate rise in temperatures.

But if part of the temperature increases we are experiencing is due to natural cycles, then the projected increase will be lower once the natural cycle comes to an end. So there would be no cause for alarm.

The co2 levels that are related to the temperature cycles is the other way round. Temperatures go up/down co2 follows 600-800 years later. Both sides of the debate have accepted this as fact. Forget what Al Gore says.

Answer 3

It's not as simple as saying:
1. We are producing more and more CO2

2. There is more CO2 than ever directly recorded.

3. There is a greater global temperature than ever directly recorded.

Therefore, we are producing the increase in temperature.

The sticking point is your statement: the current CO2 levels are DIRECTLY tied to our pollution. If you accept a global sea temperature increase, then you have to accept a natural CO2 increase. (if there is any direct relationship it's CO2 solubility and temperature.)

The "accepted" science of global warming presupposes that this warming is caused by CO2 forcing, but I haven't seen anybody touting the numbers that show just how much of the increase in CO2 is due to the expected natural increases and how much is from man-made sources. Knowing exactly how much of the greenhouse effect is due to man has to be answered before we can decide just how much energy/resources to consume in order to reduce/reverse the negative impact.

Don't get me wrong: I'm all for doing what we can to lessen our impact on the environment, but when you talk about major initiatives you HAVE to be realistic. Resources, both human and material, energy WILL BE CONSUMED. There are a lot of problems that this globe and its civilizations are facing. We can't solve them all in our lifetime, and overspending on one problem means that others will be ignored.

Answer 4

We are not sure we are significantly changng the cycle...

The predictions of how fast temperatures would rise over the past several years have been wrong... temperature has not gone up at the rate predicted by people who like to scream about how harmful the warming is.

Then there's the problem that 30 years ago environmentalistts were screaming about the impending ice age and sea levels going down (exactly the opposite of what is being screamed about now.)

The ice age that was predicted han't happened... the sea level hasn't gone down...

They were wrong before...

CO2 content of the atmosphere is not only a cause of warming... it is a RESULT of warming. Melt ice and the trapped CO2 is freed into the atmosphere.

Defrost frozen vegetation debris and it can decay releasing CO2.

The earth has a very complex environmental system that is not fully understood yet...

Global warming "chicken littles" were screaming that we'd have ANOTHER very bad hurricane season this year... They were wrong. Apparantly, warming resulted in a stronger jet stream that chopped the tops off of the tropical storms preventing them from becoming as bad as last year's storms. The tropical storms formed, they just couldn't become strong enough to be a problem.... Looks like warming HELPED PREVENT natural disasters.... The sky didn't fall.

Answer 5

Why do proponents of global warming hysteria conveniently ignore the truth. CO2 in the air can not be accurately measured as far back as 1 year ago. The current CO2 levels have not been directly tied to our pollution. Deal with facts not theories.

Answer 6

you have defined Al Gore. Reject the flexibility guzzling mansion and preaching. The earth has classes of heat temperature and chilly over thousands of years, so any organic phenomenon should not be preached against and a modest homestead could use much less ability.

Answer 7

Your highlighted question is correct...Lots of links below, click on the one that starts out in "seed", scroll down to the 425,000 year temperature chart and you'll understand natural occurance.

Answer 8

there is a documentary called an inconvenient truth with Al Gore which gets into details about how much damage we are causing as well as what we can do to change it. there is part were they look at the ice formation on a glacier and they can tell exactly when the world passed the cleaner air act because it made the ice clearer from a certain point on. its a little boring but the information was good.

Answer 9

People mistake controversy for dialog. So what if global warming were a myth we still need to curb our dependence on foreign oil for the economy's sake if nothing else. Air quality will improve if we reduce emissions.

Answer 10

EXACTLY
people want to shift the blame ,they hate to admit that humanity has behaved like a pig in Paradise.
So everybody is quick to jump on the Natural band wagon .
But some things cannot be ignored or whitewashed or forgotten

WHY

Why cant people accept what is happening to this planet ?

Why cant they accept that we humans have caused devastating destruction all over the planet .

And not just for the last 50 years ,the Sahara used to be forrests (,but you cant deforrest on the equator because you cant replant under that hot a sun.It is now growing 7 miles per year burning the edges .
IN THE PAST
The building of Spanish Armada made Spain a dessert country as the Phoenicians deforested Lebanon for their trading fleet.

Ghengas Kahn burned everything(cities ,agriculture,forrests ) and filled all the wells with sand ,turning vast teritories into desserts.
TODAY
Large parts of the world are turned into deserts because of irresponsible farming,overpumping carbon Aquifers ,over grazing ,deforestation,all causing desertification.

I have been in the jungles of Oaxaca and discussed with the Natives the mountain before us ,Mostly deforrested ,scarred by landslides and dotted with madly steep corn patches (which only produced for 3 years ),and devoid of clouds.

They all agreed that the days were hotter ,there was less rain ,And the river was dry part of the year.

When they were boys ,the river was bigger and ran all year around,the mountain was always covered in clouds with daily rains .And the days were more bearable .

Their actions in the desperate plight to feed their enormous families of avarage 12 kids per family ,often much more ,had destroyed their home ground with indisputable climate changes.

In Africa I have seen lush wooded lands change into dessert within a few years by large invading comunities ,who devoured the trees for building and firewood ending up in a dessert with out water
and with a hot sun under which no new plantation was possible.

Granted the climatic changes are local ,but effects neighboring areas ,there is less rainfall, rivers dry up ,

BUT these things are happening ALL over the world and nobody can convince me that COLLECTIVELY this does NOT effect the Global climate
Global precipitation,Global temperatures,Global water supplies ,Global everything.

Millions of hectares are lost because of the roads systems ,expanding population and the resulting settlements.

Mexico looses half a million hectares per year in the quest for Ethanol and this is happening in Africa ,Borneo,Malasia,etc and will become much much more ,when America passes a new bill about the production of Ethanol ,

Replacing indigenous forrests wiping out all the wild life and bio diversity and replacing it with monoculture plantations grown with fertilizers that will only have plagues of insects as inhabitants,which will be combatted with Pesticides .The natural soil balance will be destroyed and contiued growth will only be possible with chemicals .

Is there no limit to the waste of money and natural resources in this insane attempt to suposedly save te Environment .

Humans ARE contaminating ,the Air,the Soil and Waters.This evidence is for all to see all over the world ,
And cannot be whitewashed with claims that humanity is inocent .

OVERPOPULATION puts pressures on all Natural resources and increases all the bad side effects of Humanity such as deminishing the overall bio mass and wide spread polution

Why dont they want to look after Nature ,it is where all the conditions that makes life pleasant and possible for us comes from ?Air ,Food ,Water to grow food and to make beer with ,and most of all a bearable climate ,not to mention the absorbsion of harmfull gasses.

Why dont they want to keep the neighborhood clean so their kids dont have to play in the trash ,?

Why do they want to kill animals ?

Why is it important whose fault Global Warming is?
If it was Gaia who is fed up with the virus infesting her ,
If the Sun is having a stroke .?
If God (Jehova) is having a tantrum?
If humanity caused it ?
If it is Natural regular phenomina?

Who cares ?
What is important is that we are in the poop,and if we can do something that will make the poop less ,we should try to do it .