Is global warming real?

Question

I just finished watching this show on national georaphic and Im confused. Some people say its real some say that its a big hoax. What do you think?

Answer 1

If it can be proved, then it's real. If it takes a consensus to tell you it's real, then it's a religion.

Answer 2

Contrary to some of the above answers (which are largely based on opinion not fact), global warming is real. Nobody would deny that AIDS is real yet there is now approx 60 times more evidence confirming the reality of GW than there is for AIDS.

It would be possible to make a case that AIDS didn't exist by employing the same tactics that are used by many GW skeptics and deniers but it wouldn't alter the facts.

When deciding for yourself look at the facts, ignore websites, the media, politicians etc, these can all be biased and tell you only what they want to tell you. Look at what the people who actually know about global warming are saying, look at the scientific evidence. It's no coincidence that there is greater than 99.9% agreement amongst climatologists that GW is real and over 98% agreement within the wider scientific community.

Answer 3

Global warming as part of general climate change is real.
Whether we are contributing significantly is what's under debate.
We definitely contribute something.
We are producing pollutants of various kinds in abundance, but are we doing more than just localized damage?
Personally I doubt that; historically the earth has had multiple climate shifts, since it's creation, circa 3.9 billion BC.
All, for different reasons, this time however, we MAY be contributing, but as of yet, we don't know really to what extent.
Current trends of hysteria is what is driving the debate right now.
We need to look at this 'problem' with rational, dispassionate regard.

Answer 4

If you're an environmental-case or a politician, yes. Or rather, "Man Made Global Warming" to these groups is real, to the rest of the sane people in the world. No. It's a natural cycle in the change of weather patterns. Think about this, for just one moment. If weather (which includes climate) was consistent it would rain at the same time on the same day every year.

Answer 5

some of these were mainstream scientific ideas. some wer even taught in public schools. All HAVE BEEN PROPOSED SINCE THE 60'S:

famine
mass death
shifting of food production regions
climate change
overpopulation
global cooling
mass starvation
massive glaciers
uninhabitable places on earth
running out of fossil fuel
pollution physically altering man (through adaptation)

all this was supposed to happen by the year 2000, and if man didn't stop using fossil fuels. we had 30+ years of "irrefutable data" showing that man caused it too.

but we didn't stop, we used more!

STRANGELY, NOT ONE PREDICTION HAS CAME TRUE YET!

now i'm supposed to "believe" global warming is "real"
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trevor-
aids IS real. there are no doctors denying it.

on the other had global warming is a "belief",
not proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.

all scientist just aren't sure of what is causing it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientists_opposing_the_mainstream_scientific_assessment_of_global_warming

http://www.livescience.com/environment/041217_sealevel_rise.html

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,176495.shtml


in fact, you seem to confuse the issue often.

why can't we have an honest debate?

Answer 6

If you are to find that global warming is real find out how many percent of people today has a heart and high blood problem? Also for asmatic people this is also the problem?

Answer 7

It probably is. But - is it man made? I think only a very small part of it is. Do research on the "Little Ice Age" and you will see that the climate became cold, then after a few decades became warm, by itself, because this happened before we had cars, industry, etc.

Answer 8

I seriously think there is nothing to worry about. Only God knows when this world is going to end, and if it's warming up it's only because of the natural cycle of things. Over the ages there have been times of colder years, and times of hotter years. I don't think it's necessary to get all hot and bothered over something that is normal. That being said, this past year and a half has been cooler than like the last ten years.... that just kind of proves me right, doesn't it? :) God is in control of the Universe, so no one really should worry about that - just be sure to take care of what God gave us by not littering, polluting, killing animals unnecessarily, etc.

Answer 9

Very real.

This is science and what counts is the data.

"I wasn’t convinced by a person or any interest group—it was the data that got me. I was utterly convinced of this connection between the burning of fossil fuels and climate change. And I was convinced that if we didn’t do something about this, we would be in deep trouble.”

Vice Admiral Richard H. Truly, USN (Ret.)
Former NASA Administrator, Shuttle Astronaut and the first Commander of the Naval Space Command

Here are two summaries of the mountain of peer reviewed data that convinced Admiral Truly and the vast majority of the scientific community, short and long.

http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Climate_Change_Attribution.png
http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf

It's (mostly) not the sun:

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/sun-on-earth/FAQ2.html

And the first graph aboves shows that the sun is responsible for about 10% of it. When someone says it's the sun they're saying that thousands of climatologists are stupid and don't look at the solar data. That's ridiculous.

Science is quite good about exposing bad science or hoaxes:

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/ATG/polywater.html

There's a large number of people who agree that it is real and mostly caused by us, who are not liberals, environmentalists, stupid, or conceivably part of a "conspiracy". Just three examples of many:

"Global warming is real, now, and it must be addressed."

Lee Scott, CEO, Wal-Mart

"Our nation has both an obligation and self-interest in facing head-on the serious environmental, economic and national security threat posed by global warming."

Senator John McCain, Republican, Arizona

“DuPont believes that action is warranted, not further debate."

Charles O. Holliday, Jr., CEO, DuPont

There's a lot less controversy about this is the real world than there is on Yahoo answers:

http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/home_page/329.php?nid=&id=&pnt=329&lb=hmpg1

And vastly less controversy in the scientific community than you might guess from the few skeptics talked about here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_opinion_on_climate_change
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5702/1686 and:

"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://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn11462
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science/
http://www.realclimate.org
"climate science from climate scientists"

Answer 10

It is so real! Im a Geography student.Can't you see the impacts it already has.Winters were not the same, it wasnt that cold.Doesnt it make you wonder?just look around you and see the changes in seasons..

Answer 11

Global warming is real, it is mainly caused by solar variability, just as it always has in the past.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2003/0313irradiance.html

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