Questions for my global warming friends?

Question

I have some questions about global warming?
Many of the posts I read from people who say global warming (or global change) is real say "many scientists BELIEVE it is real", or "the majority of Americans say it is real (70%)"
Don't we need MORE than opinions, even if they are the opinions of experts?
Also, do you feel we need more EVIDENCE, indisputable evidence? Not like in a civil trial, where we say there is 55% of the evidence one way, and only 45% of evidence the other way, so we will say global warming is real.
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Last question, is it even possible to prove it is real and that it is caused by humans?
If this issue is REAL, then it is one of the greatest issues facing our planet.

PS- DON'T tell me it is HOT OUT, so global warming is real, as it is the middle of the SUMMER!!!!!

Thank You for the time!

Answer 1

First, it is important that when we are confronted with something that could be so damaging to our way of life that we deal with it before there is incontrovertible evidence. What would be the indisputable evidence you are talking about? Sea level rising? Summer camps in Antarctica? The sad fact is that the harms are so great that we can't wait. It is smart (economically, militarily, socially) to deal with even a 50% possibility that the evidence is right. If it is wrong, we lose very little. If it is right and we act, then we save possible irreperable harm.

Let me put it this way, if 4 out of 5 doctors said a surgery was necessary to save your life, would you get the surgery? Would you trust the experts or wait for indisputable evidence (i.e. death) that they were right?

Now on to the issue, the evidence is clear and without contradiction. Not simply most experts or even a pluarlity of experts agree on the exact cause and results of climate change science, ALL of them do. The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 4th Assessment report included over 3,000 scientists that had to undergo a thorough vetting and fact-checking process to even sit in on meetings. What is important is that this group did NOT do any fact finding of their own. Instead, they looked at all the published literature on climate change and constructed a report that summarized the findings of all the literature. Sceptical views were not included because they largely do not pass the peer-review and standards required to be published in scientific journals (they are usually speculative and cannot present any real evidence). This group found that evidence of warming of the earth is unequivocal. In other words, NO piece of evidence disputes the theory that the world is warming. In addition, they found that the most likely cause is anthropogenic (90% confidence level).

The result is that the evidence is clear and without a single dissenting piece of evidence that the earth is warming. The most likely cause from ALL the scientific reports is human. This is not just expert opinion, this is the results of the entire scientific community comming together and presenting their findings. Once again, the harms are so great that it practically necessitates action. Maybe it is time we listen to the 3,000+ doctors and actually do something about it.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSE:
Alright, I couldn't believe the ice cube analogy below so felt it necessary to respond in my answer. Here is the real scientific experiment if you want to see possible ill-effects from melting ice caps (I still can't believe this). Fill up one glass full with ice (really well packed is preferable). Fill up another with water. Let the ice melt, pour contents of ice glass into water glass. Does the water level rise?

Yes it does. The reason this is the experiment that most closely shows possible ill-effects from climate change is because most of the ice is not floating in the ocean but on land. Antarctica is a continent, not just a frozen ocean. This is why the main concern is the ice shelfs on Greenland (once again land) and Antarctica. The ice will be new water added to the oceans leading to a rise is overall levels. Before arguing against an idea, it is very beneficial to understand the argument.

Answer 2

Of course we need evidence and not just opinions. The opinions are BASED on the evidence.

The evidence is indeed indisputable and overwhelming. The IPCC concluded with over 90% certainty that humans are the primary cause of the current global warming. That's a bit more than 55%.

It is not possible to 100% prove that global warming is caused by humans, just like we can't 100% prove that the evolutionary theory is real. They both simply have overwhelming evidence which is sufficient to base a conclusion on.

Indeed, global warming may well be the greatest issue which the human species has ever faced.

Answer 3

'Many' scientists 'believe' the data that they see, and the 'data' is what's 'real'. For a scientist to 'believe' data, that data must be proven fact...not just opinion. Scientists first publish an 'hypothisis'..a conjecture that explains a phenomena. The hypothisis is based on a collection of facts, but too few to publish a 'theory'. A 'theory' is a large group of general propositions, based on 'observed' data....in other words a hell of a lot of facts that have been observed, tested and peer reviewed by a hell of alot of people who've tried hard to 'disprove' the data. All of the data, the 'facts', point to a massive shift in weather patterns, or climate change. Human intervention is a large part of the equation. We live under a razor thin atmosphere that human activity has loaded with CO2 from burning fuel....that and some natural forces are what we're dealing with. Don't let anyone tell 'ya different. Science is science...opinion doesn't enter into it!

Answer 4

The issue is not whether or not the Earth is getting warmer...it clearly is. The question which cannot be proven, yet is widely assumed is, to what extent are these changes manmade?
The temperature of the Earth is always changing, and always will. This is normal. To assume that we control it is delusional.
It has been both hotter and colder than it is now. A much better correlation can be made between fluctuations in the temperature of the sun, and the warming and cooling cycles on Earth.
More CO2 generates more plant growth, which creates more oxygen. More heat creates more evaporation, which leads to more rain, which cleans the air and again, promotes more plant growth.
The eco-system is not static. It is a dynamic process which is self regulating. It is always changing, but it remains a closed system. All of the pollutants and water volume we worry about have always been here. They are not being created, they are being released.
Likewise, the panic mongering about flooding caused by ice melting. It doesn't work that way...prove it to yourself. Fill a glass with ice cubes and water, absolutely all the way to the brim. Let the ice melt and see if the glass overflows. It won't because frozen water displaces more volume than a liquid.
A lot of people stand to make a ton of money at your expense, by scaring you about this. They have their own agenda, which doesn't include protecting or helping you, only themselves. Carbon Credits anyone?
To really protect yourself, you have to think this through on your own, and be smarter than them, which luckily, isn't that hard to do.

Answer 5

There are one trillion barrels of oil left in the world’s crust. Conservatively estimating, that accounts to $70 trillion worth of business yet to be done and there is very little which could threaten that business. Global Warming, as an issue, is probably the only long-term threat to the fossil fuels industry.

It’s no secret that the GOP is propped up by Big Oil. I think we can all agree on that. It’s in their best interest to cast as much doubt as possible on Global Warming. That insures long term-profit to these companies.

On the other hand, The Democrats are not that stupid. They know the GOP is propped up by Big Oil, and they know that Global Warming is the biggest threat to their industry, and they know what hurts Big Oil, hurts the GOP. So it’s in the Democrats’ best interest ot push Global Warming as a catastrophic problem.

What we, the public, get is a bunch of nonsense from both sides of the aisle. Neither really has the public’s interest at heart.

Personally, I believe it makes sense to do everything possible NOT waste energy. Efficiency just makes sense.

Answer 6

Indisuputable evidence:

1. If you add more carbon dioxide to the air, the level of carbon dixode level in the air will increase. (Nobody disputes this basic mathematical fact).

2. Carbon Dioxide is a greenhouse gas, that bounces heat back to the earth instead of letting it radiate out to space as infra-red rays (Nobody disputes this either).

3. Based on indisputable facts 1 & 2, the earth will get hotter. I am not sure why people dispute this given indisputable facts 1 and 2.

>>It even possible to prove it is real and that it is caused by humans? If this issue is REAL, then it is one of the greatest issues facing our planet.

It does not matter if global warming is caused by humans or not. If the earth gets too hot, all humans die, except those on the space station will live longer.

Answer 7

Im not trying to be smart or scare anyone but ice caps are starting to melt and there has already been some of the ice actually break off, and it was a very big portion. And with the ozone layer gone that means a high chance to contract cancer. Carpooling and buses is a really good idea but how many people are actually going to do that? Especially people who have to travel far distances and work somewhere that requires them to take their own vehicles. Anyways thats just my say in it so no one accuse me of "not getting my facts straight"

Answer 8

I love that a scientist can put a man on the moon and no one questions it, but people question this.

Anyway, having spent a number of years in higher education any scientist of reputable dispute will state that their is conclusive evidence, but never indisputable evidence. For example there are very few actual laws in science. Even, Einstein's most famous theory of relativity is simply that--at theory. Do you discredit Einstein then?

There is always room for new knowledge or a change in the outcome. The factors going in are not constant and so the outcome can change based on that. This is why we say evidence, but not proof and so on.

Answer 9

Not unlike evolution theory, most people who argue against global warming don't have any idea what they are talking about.

They simply repeat talking points, and ignore reality.

Global warming IS HAPPENING. The only debate now is how much of it has been due to human activity, and whether or not anything we do will have any effect on it one way or the other.

Answer 10

global warming/cooling is a cyclical phenomenon
that has been happening for thousands of years. even now we are coming out of the mini ice age. 12,000 years ago the Sahara wasn't a desert. the same people who are getting federal funds to study the man made global warming THEORY were getting federal funds 30 years ago the study the man made global cooling THEORY.