Do you believe in Global Warming?

Question

This was a online poll for my local newspaper. Out of about 1200 responses 50% did not believe in global warming. I was absolutely shocked because I believe it is very real.

So I wanted to take this poll where it was available to a more diverse group of people. Just curious to see if the responses would change.

A lot of people are saying its all natural. Was I mislead that all our pollution has done nothing to contribute to global warming? I find it hard to believe that if man had not evolved and changed the earth's landscape and resources so dramatically that global warming would be happening at this same rate. I don't believe it's all man's fault but can we really deny we had no part in it?

These are not points I am trying to argue with anyone. I am just interested in the dicussion and what other people think on this subject.

Answer 1

This is not a contest, to see how many people you can get in your camp. The public is coming around, which is why President Bush finally had to acknowledge a token measure of support for the issue.

I once attended a hearing to expand an approved project from 8,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet. Scores of people showed up to argue against the project, which had already been approved. It was kind of sad, that they didn't have the opportunity to speak up earlier in the process, and that they then chose to come and waste everyone's time by talking about something irrelevant to the topic at hand. Climate change is technically still a theory because it cannot be proven. But right now the topic is not "Does human activity accelerate natural cycles," it is "How can we slow and possibly reverse the process, and how do we fund it?" A lot of people are behind the curve, and in the next decade a lot of this will shake out and we'll begin moving forward and affecting positive change.

The U.N., being an international organization of long standing, has emerged as one of the front runners in producing the kind of research needed to help direct appropriate solutions. It's not going to be easy, it's not going to be cheap, and people don't have to like the process, but the alternative is to wave the white flag and give up. We're not that kind of species, fortunately.

http://www.unep.org/themes/climatechange/

Answer 2

I really wonder if the vast majority of people know there is a difference between "global warming" and human caused global warming. The earth has been generally warming for thousands of years. Before that it was cooling. There have been countless minor cooling and warming periods, i.e. it was cold in the 1970s. The question is extremely inaccurate and misleading unless the word or phrase "anthropogenic" or "man caused" is added to the front of global warming. Only someone that was ignorant would deny global warming and only someone that was equally ignorant would be sure it was all or primarily caused by humans and that it was all bad in my opinion.

Answer 3

Sarge927 has a very intelligent and thought-provoking answer.

As for myself, I've not studied or read enough from the 'experts' to know for sure if global warming is a reality or not. If it is a reality, I have not heard of or seen any evidence that it is a bad thing for us.

Lastly, if it is a reality, I am not convinced man has had anything to do with it or that anything man can do or not do would have any affect on it.

Before any politician or environmental activist in the US or the UN forces any policy down our throats, I would hope they would be 100% positive, no ifs, ands, or buts about it, and are unequivocably sure that whatever policy is enforced will produce the desired results.

Answer 4

I believe that the global climate is warming, but I do not believe it is caused by humans. Two reasons. One, the Earth is so large, we are pretty arogant to think we can do anything to affect it. Two, Do people really think the climate should always be the same? We know it is not from history...colder or warmer but always changing.

Answer 5

The Earth is warming. I do not agree with the theory of global warming being caused by man. It is natural.

Answer 6

Only an idiot would believe global warming. It requires some serious narrowmindedness.

Being a skeptic despite the "consensus" is more then reasonable in the case of global warming. The topic is buried in political and economic agendas.

I've found this source helpful.
http://www.ncpa.org/ba/ba337/ba337.html

Answer 7

I believe there's no way we can be sure. Science is up for sale to the highest bidder. The vast majority of the so-called "proof" of global warming has been funded by pro-environmental groups, and a good-sized chunk of the research indicating global warming is a fraud is funded by industrialists. But if you want a good look into the true nature of environmentalism and just how far they're willing to go to further their agenda, read "State of Fear" by Michael Crichton. I'm sure I'll get flamed by people who will just regurgitate what they heard from Al Gore and say "Crichton's book is a work of fiction," but the research presented in the book by Crichton is all documented and verified. And no one can argue that environmentalists have gone to extremes beyond simply trying to cause widespread panic to further their agendas.

Answer 8

This is an unrepresentative place. It draws people who like to argue against conventional wisdom.

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/412.php?lb=hmpg1&pnt=412&nid=&id=

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

"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

Answer 9

Yes i believe in global warming i mean think about it's been getting alot hotter,colder and wetter and the ice sheet is melting and a lot of foreign species are coming over here because it's getting warmer. Also all the pollution that's been being pumped in to the atmosphere i meen people just don't seem to get it they don't seem to want to have to deal with it, they just want life to be perfect and to just get on with it with out having to do any thing about it.That's just what i think any way (^_^)

Answer 10

I believe in global warming because it is a true phenomenon and is proven by the scientific investigation. Moreover we ourselves can feel the phenomenon ourselves, for example the weather is getting hotter.