Earth has been warming for the past 10,000 yrs. since the ice age. Why are we concerned about global warming?

Answer 1

Here's an interesting little bit of trivia..

Since mankind has heavily industrialized ( starting at about 1940), we've had at least as many years of cooling as we've had of warming. Just something to keep in mind when the "chicken little" crowd starts ranting about the link between human industry and global warming.

Answer 2

The Earth has not been continually warming since the last major ice age but the facts are that since 1950 the average temperature of the Earth has gone up (hold your hats) one degree. That doesn't sound like much until you come to find out that the average temperature during the Ice Age was only 5 degrees colder than now. That the water temperature of the oceans have gone up one degree also, but only in the upper zones, the surface layer. One degree is enough to alter the forests of the sea, that supply oxygen to the planet. That gain can only be caused by the Sun's heat. No the sun has not gotten hotter ! ! The atmosphere has been degraded by Green house gases, mostly CO2, that has increased steadily since the industrial revolution.

We are not concerned about a rise in temperature over thousands of years but over 50 years.

Answer 3

The earth has been cycling up and down since the last ice age. They say that we should be in a cooling cycle right now and that the snows should be on the ground in the mid-western USA like they were in the 1600 to 1700 that would mean that you could Ice skate on all if the ponds in Missouri Kansas, and Oklahoma. from mid Dec to the mid of Feb at the very least. With that in mind think of what the temperature will be like when the warming cycle hits . We would not have to worry about the middle east because the day time temperature could be as high as 180/190. The food belt would change most grains would not grow in there current locations that is why we need to worry now not later.

Answer 4

Because 150.000 people are dying anually related to Global Warming may have something to do with the concern ,isnt that silly??

also 1 degree rise in global temperature represents 10% croploss ,


2 inches of higher sea levels means thousands of hectares of arable lands and also heavily populated lands are lost to the water

And we can hardly afford that because already so much arable land and top soil is lost to desertification

Each year farmers have to produce food for another 70 million people but each year with less top soil or arable lands to do that in
In the near future Farmers will not be able to satisfy the global demand

And neither will there be enough water
already there are people who are forced to drink contaminated water ,so not to die of thirst ,they die of diseases instead,In Africa,India China and Mexico as we speak ,the bulk of the Earths potable water was locked in ice ,but instead of slowly being released into the atmosphere it is quickly running into the oceans ,because of Global Warming

Everybody knows about the earths cycles by now
just check the thousands of answers already given ,

And if you had done that you would have known that Humanity with its behaviour is drastically affecting the natural cycle, speeding it up

you could have saved your self 5 points
instead of repeating this question, that is put just about every 20 minutes

Answer 5

We have to be concerned about Global Warming because Global Warming will cause more Polar Bears & Penguins,all those animals living on Icebergs to lose their "homeland".

Sorry if this answer does not meet up to your expectations.

Answer 6

The answers are pretty revealing. One says we haven't been warming, another says we should already be cooling, another says because it is hot. There are better arguments for the global warming side but the reason it flourishes is that some people are so willing to believe it. People love to believe the worst it seems, or at least some people do. There are always those that think the world is coming to an end because of people, since at least the ancient Babylonians. It is an interesting psychological phenomena that is difficult to fathom and it certainly has little to do with science.

Answer 7

there actually is no proof that the earth has been comtinually warming since the ice age - there are not any records of the temperature for that period. For all we know, the earthhad a stable temperature for 9,880 years and then human activity during the industrial revolution caused temperature increase. However, this is all debateable.

I think the reason that we care is that many scientists feel that if the temperature continues to increase then the existence of humans is threatned

This does not life on earth will end - but only that humans may not be able to survive the change - or that human civilization will not survive the change.
For eg - desertification may occur so that we haveto grow all veggies hydroponically - since we currently do not have the resources to raise enough food it could result in mas starvation for us and animals that we eat. I am sure there are more things that COULD happen.

Therefore we worry, becuase we want the future to be there for the human race - of coursemaybe they are wrong.

Answer 8

For a few reasons ...

1. Our population is heavily concentrated in areas where global warming will have the most impact.
2. Man is helping nature increase the warming rate.

Answer 9

There have been natural climate changes in the past of course.

For the last 100 years man's influence on the climate has been steadily increasing. Until about 40 years ago, natural forces still were the major force controlling the climate. At that point the peer reviewed data clearly show that man's emissions of greenhouse gases overtook natural forces as the most important thing.

http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Climate_Change_Attribution.png

This threatens to become really bad. A few more degrees and coastal flooding and damage to agriculture will become severe. It's like a tank rolling downhill. If it gets really going, look out.

The data is why (note especially the key word - quantitative, science is about numbers, not "logical" arguments):

"There's a better scientific consensus on this [climate change] than on any issue I know... Global warming is almost a no-brainer at this point,You really can't find intelligent, quantitative arguments to make it go away."

Dr. Jerry Mahlman, NOAA

Good websites for more info:

http://profend.com/global-warming/
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science/

Answer 10

You mean the Earth isn't only 6000 years old? & the last Ice Age was a wee tad further back in history than 10,000 years.

Some scientists believe it was the lack of an Ice Age that permitted us to evolve over the past 100,000 - 200,000 years. Global Warming could change the ocean currents and cause another one a lot sooner than expected. That could end the human species and take a lot of other species with it.

Do YOU wanna take that chance? I don't.