Did you watch 20/20 last night? Is the earth really "warming up" because of us or it changing naturally?

Question

Has Al Gore gone a wee bit over-board?

Answer 1

Research the Little Ice Age.

This event began in the Middle Ages and lasted until near modern times.

Scientists believe it instigated the Black Plague, the end of the Vikings, the French Revolution, and a host of other horrors.

This Little Ice Age resulted from a natural warming of the Earth.

All of this disaster resulted from a mere 9 degree temperature change.

I think the point is that if the Earth does this naturally, with devastating effects on mankind, then we should do everything within our power to refrain ourselves from contributing to such a phenomenon.

Answer 2

ABC has always had a ultra right agenda; it's good to remember this when watching any of their news productions.

1956 was the IGY (International Geophysical Year) which turned out to be a discovery watershed. Scientists investigated unknown phenomena from all over the planet and many of the ideas that are taken for granted today were undreamed of before then. It was an unusually wet, cold summer. My mother, watching the rain fall on our front street told me that the rain never fell like that when she was a young girl (1920's). Sometime in my late high school-early college years, it occurred to me that pollution in the upper atmosphere could change the specific gravity of each raindrop and thus could affect the way the rain hit the ground.Both my parents often spoke of changes they'd seen in the environment. Many of these events are now routinely discussed on TV or written about in Scientific American, Discover, or Atlantic.
The Earth is a living organism: it should not surprise anyone that it cycles and changes or that it is affected by the rest of the universe. It is probably true that global changes are occurring both because they are natural and because we, as a species, are modifying the environment. Since we cannot affect sunspot frequency or intensity, nor planetary wobble, nor any of the other global phenomena which may be causing this warming, it behooves each of us then to do as little harm as possible. We all make individual choices every day which in the aggregate, profoundly change our world. I suggest using these verbs more frequently: walk, fix, save, re-use, plant, work, learn, grow, and most fundamental, think.

Answer 3

Didn't catch the show. But one thing is certain; the climate is changing and will have large scale impact on civilization. Whatever the cause, it's not likely we can reverse it now so we had best start trying to figure out what types of changes we are in for and find a way to adapt our civilization to them. If along the way we figure out how to make the changes less drastic, all the better.

Part of predicting what the changes might be like would have to involve knowing what caused them. The data strongly suggest human activity is involved in the cause, carbon emissions is currently a primary suspect. Since politics is very involved (mainly due to the huge corporations tied to carbon emissions), it's hard to tell how much the data has been manipulated or in what direction.

For nearly 30 years I have been expecting drastic climate change, but I was expecting it to be due mostly to the water vapor and methane cycles. Water vapor is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon, as is methane gas. Agricultural practices, especially clearing of land to produce crops, have a profound effect on these cycles as well as the carbon cycle.

But honestly, I was not expecting the change to be from greenhouse gasses, I was expecting it to be from a change in weather patterns like the amount of precipitation and intensity of storms. With the politicos all concentrating only on carbon emissions and debate over whether we caused it or can stop it, if it is anything else we'll probably overlook it until it's too late to prepare for it.

Hell, it took years of providing massive amounts of direct evidence just to convince many that there is any change happening at all. Politicians need to quit trying to manipulate science. It has much better uses than for a popularity contest.

Answer 4

The climate is changing. No argument.

The climate does that on its own. We have very little, if any, impact on it.

That's doesn't mean that a hot planet won't cause us (or our grandchildren) big problems.

Al Gore is a politician. Its their job to go overboard to induce fear and mass hysteria into the people.

Instead of arguing over who's causing it, we need to band together and figure out ways to keep water clean and keep food growing and keep tropical diseases at bay.

Answer 5

We don't know what the cause is. No one can be sure.

Answer 6

no but i want to know when i diffuse again & wich canel