Why don't people believe in global warming?

Question

Global warming is happening... thats a fact. how can people not believe in it? are they just ignorant, do they think that its not a big deal?

Answer 1

Its not that people don't believe in global warming, its that they don't believe in Manmade global warming.

The reason that they don't believe in manmade global warming is that they are too intelligent to be duped by the chicken-little, sky is falling, world is coming to an end crowd.

The current warming trend has been around 0.6*C in 100 years. This warming followed several centuries of cooling known as "The Little Ice Age." Why should such a small amount of cooling be cause for concern? The answer is "It should not." The earth's climate is always changing, and it's temperatures are always rising and fallling.

Take a look at the attached link "Current Major Interglacial." In that study of ice core data from both Antarctica and Greenland, you will see that the temperatures over the last 10,000 years in antarctica have swung from 2*C warmer to 2*C cooler than present temperatures. You will also see that Greenland's temperature was warmer than present for MOST of the last 10,000 years.

If you look at the NASA Earthobservatory link, you'll see that NASA shows that temperatures were warmer than present before the Little Ice Age. It also describes the Little Ice Age as "one of several cold snaps that briefly interrupted the overall warming trend ongoing since the end of the Ice Age." The current warming is just a continuance of that overall warming trend.

And if you believe that the current warming is faster than any warming that has happened naturally in the past, and therefore must be caused by mankind, take a look at the link from Columbia University on the Younger Dryas event. This study shows that the earth warmed by 10*C in ten years. This is 166 times faster than the current warming rate of 0.6*C in 100 years.

If you look at the facts rather than being controlled by panic and emotion, you would find that the current warming trend is small, completely natural, and mankind can do nothing to stop it.

Answer 2

Because people have been predicting disasters, doom and gloom and the end of the world since man learned to talk. And its usually to fuel their own private agenda. So, most people have developed a healthy skepticism. I was convinced of economic disaster aka the advent of a new "depression" for nearly 40 years. It hasn't happened. So, even though I think global warming is a fact, I have trouble convincing even myself that it is urgent. Although the little voices in my head tell me this is the time the wolf is at the door, and Murphy was right, I'm not panicked about it.
If there is one thing experience has taught me it is that Panic is never productive. The L5 society had a good plan to deal with this 30 years ago and it is still a good idea. There are others out there but they need to be examined with an eye to the long term fix. Growing corn for ethanol is a stopgap measure and possibly not useful in reducing the actual production of world CO2. Nuclear powerplants are not pollution free as it takes fuel to mine the Uranium and that releases CO2. The question is How Much? Nothing we can do will not have some effect, so the debate is what will be best, as well as what can actually be done, remembering the way our economy works. And, How to actually do it?

Answer 3

first of all, international Warming isn't international warming. i've got faith in international warming...that the earth is in a warming variety. it is ordinary. (in spite of the actuality that the severity of the warming is being oversold via activists.) however the earth warming does no longer start to show all of world Warming alarmists' claims. in accordance to organic technology the earth is often the two warming or cooling. in accordance to organic technology (on which international Warming supposedly bases its authority) Europe became lined in Ice interior the semi-contemporary previous. This ice melted long previously any of the meant motives of world Warming existed. How? Mars is likewise experiencing planatary warming. How? guy isn't there polluting something. so a strategies as greenhouse gases pass...the mere coexistence of phenomena does no longer point out causality. And obligatory to a concept in international Warming is a static view of the earth's ecosystem. The organic international isn't static. i'm open to concept in international Warming, however the information isn't there. Why?

Answer 4

Because the proponents of global warming keep saying it's a fact when all data and proof point away from man caused global warming. Global warming and cooling are a natural cycle. There is nothing you can do about it. Deal with it.

Answer 5

If global warming really is a fact and human burning of oil, coal, and natural gas causes global warming, then civilization is doomed. Humans are not going to stop digging up fossil fuels and burning them. That's not much fun to think about.

Answer 6

Unfortunately the hollywood hype has damaged the credibility of anyone associated with the issue of Global Warming.

The excuses have been that it takes egaggeration and hyperbole to get people to pay attention.

The downside of exaggeration and hyperbole is that it destroys your credibility in very short order.

Also, the solutions that are most often proposed, such as more recycling, buying hybrid cars and using compact fluorescent lightbulbs will not result in large enough reductions in carbon dioxide emissions to stop Global Warming or even make a significant reduction in Global Warming.

According to the best estimates we would have to reduce the world wide output of carbon dioxide emissions to less than one tenth of what they are today if we are to have any hope of stopping Global Warming.

We will not get anywhere near those reductions with more recycling, buying hybrid cars and compact fluorescent light bulbs.


Our war on Global Warming is remarkably similar to the war in Iraq.

The measures that we are taking are not sufficient to solve the problem and the majority of the people know it, and are getting very tired of all of the pointless activity and expense with little or no results.

The result is that the majority of the people are left wondering if we are not capable of solving the problem what is the point of all of this activity and expense anyway?

Fortunately although we cannot stop Global Warming, we can mitigate the effects.


The sea levels will rise.

Fortunately coastal cities can be protected with dike systems simialr to those in Holland that are used to hold back the sea.

Hurricanes will become stronger and more frequent. We will need to help the poor countries upgrade their disaster preparedness systems for hurricanes.

Droughts will become more frequent. We will need to help the poor countries with supplemental water supplies and desalination plants.

Although we cannot stop Global Warming we can mitigate the effects of Global Warming at reasonable cost if we start now.

Answer 7

Probably because a growing number of us realise that the earth has ALWAYS had a volatile climate.. or climate change.

For example, go back far enough and there were no polar ice caps, there was no English Channel separating the UK from Europe, parts of the USA now desert were once under water etc etc.

And now there are a lot of scammers and businesses hoping to make lots of money out of us all by shouting about "global warming" and selling all sorts of "solutions" to the "problem"... see "snake oil salesman"

For once in his life I though George Bush had the right idea when he decided not to follow the herd...

For more info ask any Geologist, Marine Biologist, Oceanographer etc.

Answer 8

Without wishing to be disrespectful to the skeptics, the biggest problem appears to be one of ignorance. Take for example some of the responses that have been given to your question, Mars and volcanoes as a for instance, if people actually understood what was happening on Mars or how volcanoes affect the climate they'd know the futility of their arguments. They clearly don't know these things (or if they do they're deliberately ignoring the facts) but out of ignorance they believe they provide explanations for the global warming we are experiencing.

The likes of ExxonMobil with their vast resources and contingents of scientists can find a single credible reason to refute global warming, I think it's a fair bet that your average skeptic is far less well informed than ranks of experts yet they seem to believe they know more than the experts.

Answer 9

You think a planet that has been around 4-6 billion years cannot handle the CO2 from the last 150 years of industry? You have to be kidding, think of the pollution from the volcanos over all those years, and the earth is still going strong. Why is mars, jupiter etc, also warming. Could it be the pattern of the sun?

Answer 10

I believe in global warming and global cooling.

I just don't believe it is mainly determined by GHGs.

Nor do I believe that if the above statement is wrong, that we can do anything to significantly affect it for a multitude of reasons and see no reason to significantly increase electric and gasoline prices (not to mention burn down rainforests) to reduce it's affect by 1%.