A question for global warming / climate change skeptics?

Question

Please say whether you beleive the following statements are true or false...

1 - Without ANY 'greenhouse gases' in our atmosphere the temperature of the planet would be considerably colder

2 - Nitrogen, oxygen and argon make up more than 99.9% of our atmosphere, these gases do not contribute to global warming

3 - Water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are the main 'greenhouse gases'

Thanks for answering.

Answer 1

1 - Without ANY 'greenhouse gases' in our atmosphere the temperature of the planet would be considerably colder. Much colder. Inhospitable in fact.

2 - Nitrogen, oxygen and argon make up more than 99.9% of our atmosphere, these gases do not contribute to global warming:
I imagine they contribute somewhat but not as much relative to other greenhouse gases such as CO2 and water vapor. Good question.

3 - Water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are the main 'greenhouse gases' true (in that order).

Answer 2

1. True - absent some other effect created by whatever process rid the atmosphere of GHGs.

2. Not precise. N2, O2, and Ar make up slightly less than 99.9%. But water vapor can be as much as 4%. Without quibbling over tenths of a percent - True

3. True, if by "main", you mean greatest volume.

Answer 3

I believe in all three statements.

Greenhouse gases are essential in insulating our planet. We'd suffer a permanent Ice Age if there were no greenhouse gases.

However, when greenhouse gases become excessive, as it is now from our prodigious carbon dioxide and methane emissions, it overheats the Earth. This has many disastrous environmental implications. Sea levels rise with temperature, since water becomes less dense as it is gets hotter. This can cause extensive floodings. And as polar ice melts, animals, like polar bears, that depend on the ice lose their habitats. We will thus lose many species this way.

Hurricanes may also become worse. There may be droughts in some areas. Upwelling can be disrupted, depleting some areas of nutrients and closing down fisheries thus devastating economies. The oceans will have less oxygen from higher temperatures, which may adversely affect many marine ecosystems.

And worse of all, we may be accelerating the natural cycle of climate change. The Earth has fluctuated between periods of warming and Ice Age many times throughout its existence. By causing global warming, we are accelerating this cycle!

And yes...the Earth is indeed warming. Data has shown a drastic increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels since the Industrial Revolution. Sea level is rising, indicating temperature rise (See sfgate.com for the article on how a rise in sea level of 100 ft. may completely inundate certain parts of the Bay Area in California). And also, polar ice caps are indeed melting. Polar bears are drowning.

How can anyone deny that global warming doesn't exist? Those that do are just ignorant!

Global warming is a natural phenomena. It has happened before. The earth has fluctuated between Ice Ages and periods of warming. But again, with our current indiscriminate, prodigious greenhouse gas emissions we are ACCELERATING and EXACERBATING a natural process!!!!

Oh yea sure...we can keep on burning fuels and chopping down all the rainforests and increase the percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to over 50% and that wouldn't have any affects whatsoever on the climate and the welfare of ecosystems.

That's completely logical. Bull crap!

Answer 4

1. True

2. Not True, water vapor is highly variable, upto 1%. There fore N2, O2, Ar make up 99%+. Yes, i am quibbling over numbers. But it is important ot have the correct numbers, especially when 1% is parts per hundred vs the parts per million for other gases in the atmosphere.

--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_chemistry

3. True

Answer 5

Say, why don't you explain what activities humans were engaging in 10,000 years ago that caused glaciers to recede, ending an Ice Age ?

And I'm not saying you're wrong. But you prove NOTHING by citing those processes. Nothing at all.

Best wishes,

pup

P.S. Most "skeptics" believe Global Warming is a natural event.

Answer 6

the Earth has been warming for the last 11,000 years . . .
look around . . . no Ice Age going on is there

also Mars is warming at the same rate as the Earth
so how could Global Warming be caused by people ?

Answer 7

There is plenty of evidence that the earth climate is warming. The real question is if humans are having a significant impact on it. I have not seen any credible evidence that shows the correlation that is suggested.

Answer 8

i believe that the first and second are true and the third is false.i am an eleven year old and i know that earth is a family heirloom and this my friend is self explanatory

Answer 9

of course the planet is getting warmer. the disagreement is about what causes it and/or if it is just a normal planetary cycle.

Answer 10

http://www.thebear.org/essays2.html#anchor506010 this is true.

A green house is a place where life flourishes and somehow people have come to use it in a negative way. I wonder who? most likely people who hate nature.