Is Global Warming going to destroy the environment or the economy first? Is Global Warming even happening?

Question

I believe its all natural and that WE can not change natural causes of the environment.

Answer 1

Here is truth about global warming:

Global warming is one-half of the climatic cycle of warming and cooling.
The earth's mean temperature cycles around the freezing point of water.
This is a completely natural phenomenon which has been going on since there has been water on this planet. It is driven by the sun.
Our planet is currently emerging from a 'mini ice age', so is
becoming warmer and may return to the point at which Greenland is again usable as farmland (as it has been in recorded history).
As the polar ice caps decrease, the amount of fresh water mixing with oceanic water will slow and perhaps stop the thermohaline cycle (the oceanic heat 'conveyor' which, among other things, keeps the U.S. east coast warm).
When this cycle slows/stops, the planet will cool again and begin to enter another ice age.

It's been happening for millions of years.

The worrisome and brutal predictions of drastic climate effects are based on computer models, NOT CLIMATE HISTORY.
As you probably know, computer models are not the most reliable of sources, especially when used to 'predict' chaotic systems such as weather.

Global warming/cooling, AKA 'climate change':
Humans did not cause it.
Humans cannot stop it.

Answer 2

It is almost certainly true, and every institution in the world that studies climate is confident of that. The natural causes that have affected climate change in the past - the earth's orbit cycles (Milankovitch cycles) with cycles of 60,000 years, and the sun intensity with cycles of 11 years - are in cooling cycles right now and yet the atmosphere is warming. There is no dispute of that. That leaves man-made CO2 as the only known possible reason. For it to be caused naturally, there would have to be some other force that operates that has not yet been found. Keep in mind that the warming over the past 100 years is unlike anything that has previously happened on earth. The rate of warming is much faster than has been known to happen naturally. There is no movement of scientists away from the consensus that AGW is real. There some doubt raised because some did not understand nor fully believe that the slight cooling over the past decade or so was caused by the cycle of currents in the Pacific. However that doublt has vanished this year because the sun has been at a minimum but the atmosphere has warmed in 2009, exactly as predicted by the experts as the Pacific shifted from a La Nina (which cools) to El Nino (which warms). We get year-to-year fluctuations due to changes in the sun and Pacific currents, but overall the warming over the century is known. Warming is very rapid during the natural warming periods and almost flat during the natural cooling cycles. The net efffect is rapid warming in coming decades with no known natural causes.

Answer 3

First: Yes, global warming is happening. Some part of the warming may be natural, but some of it is due to "greenhouse gases" (mostly carbon dioxide and methane) that we humans have added to the atmosphere. Since I see there are lots of global warming skeptics answering this question, let me spend a few paragraphs on the science.

The earth absorbs heat from the sun. The earth --- like all warm objects --- also radiates heat to space. If, on average, the earth absorbs more heat than it radiates, it warms up. If the balance tips the other way, it cools down.

Several things affect the balance between absorption and radiation. The energy output of the sun varies a bit, for example. The tilt of the earth relative to its orbit around the changes (very, very slowly), which changes the pattern of snow and ice formation and loss. This changes the energy balance since snow and ice reflect more sunlight than water and land; the fraction of energy reflected by the earth is called the "albedo" of the earth, and the earth's albedo can change naturally.

And --- the most important fact for this discussion --- the earth's atmosphere traps heat. To understand global warming, it's important to understand a bit about how this trapping occurs.

Some of the sun's radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere, some is reflected by the atmosphere, some hits the earth and warms it up, and some hits the earth and is reflected. The earth also emits its own infrared radiation (heat), like all warm objects do. If you feel the warmth coming off a brick wall after the sun has been hitting it, you are feeling infrared radiation.

The atmosphere lets most infrared radiation (heat) right through, so the earth's radiation zips right off into space, cooling the earth. But greenhouse gases have the special property that they absorb infrared radiation. Adding more carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere makes the atmosphere absorb more heat than it did before. These warm molecules in the atmosphere then radiate the heat (remember, anything warm radiates heat). Some of the heat radiated in the atmosphere escapes to space, but about half of it is re-absorbed by the earth. So adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere tips the balance towards a warmer earth. Adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere is a bit like replacing a thin blanket on your bed with a thick one.

Contrary to how some people are answering this question, the reason scientists know that the "greenhouse effect" is warming the earth isn't just based on the observation that the earth is getting warmer (which it is). If all we knew was that the earth is getting warmer, we might not be sure if this was happening because of natural changes in snow and ice patterns, or changes in the sun's energy output, or something else. And indeed, those factors might be occurring too. But: we KNOW the greenhouse effect occurs --- we can measure the infrared absorption of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere --- and we KNOW that adding these gases to the atmosphere increases heat-trapping in the atmosphere.

Global warming skeptics used to make a variety of the arguments about why adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere would not increase temperatures. For example, one argument was that the gases wouldn't stay in the atmosphere very long: they would be absorbed by the oceans, or they would make plants grow faster so the gases would be absorbed into forests and grasslands. Well, we now know for sure that that isn't true: we've emitted huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and sure enough, the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere has increased enormously. Other skeptics used to argue that if the earth's temperature increased a little, more water would evaporate from the oceans so the world would get a bit cloudier, and these clouds (which are reflective) would increase the albedo and thus help keep the earth cooler; in this conception, increasing the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would make the earth a little bit warmer and a little bit cloudier. Other skeptics had other theories. Lots of perfectly reasonable, intelligent, well-informed scientists thought these things were possible, fifteen or twenty years ago. But here's the thing: a lot of data have been collected over the past twenty years, a lot of analyses have been done, a lot more is understood about the role of clouds and ice and about the absorption rate of the ocean. And we now know that the skeptics were wrong. Greenhouse gases do lead to global warming.

As for whether global warming will "destroy" the environment or the economy first, that probably depends on your point of view. Almost any big change is good for some people and bad for others. Global warming will benefit some people, will be bad for a lot of people, and will be disastrous for some people.

Munich Re, an enormous insurance company, has put out a book about climate change. They point out that the world is "highly optimized" to the present climate: our coastal cities and ports are built for current sea levels, our dams and water pipelines are built for current rainfall patterns, our agricultural infrastructure is built for current growth patterns. Global warming will force people to make big changes. Entire cities may have to be abandoned, which will be incredibly costly and will represent a loss of enormous amounts of infrastructure...but some people will benefit, because new cities will have to be built and people will be paid to build them. Some people will lose, some will gain. Total losses will be bigger than gains: if, say, New Orleans has to be abandoned, all of the investment in sewer lines and houses and commercial buildings will be lost. (Actually it may be possible to save some of the raw materials, so it would be safer to say that if New Orleans is abandoned, _most_ of the investment will be lost.

Answer 4

It just climate change. The environmentalists want us to pay an extra tax for gasoline to go toward global warming. They also want us to pay for our carbon footprint, this will be added to our electric and natural gas bill if the law passes where I live. These folks have never explained what caused the ice age or the little ice age. I wish that they would open their history books and do some reading before they claim that it is actually global warming. It's just the changing climate. PS it's cold and raining here today and I'm wondering where that warming is located, it certainly isn't here.

Answer 5

Global warming is happening all around the whole wide world. The reason for this unexpected thing to take place is mainly caused by irresponsible people who do not give their care, concren and protection for the lovely environment which God have gave us.

Global warming is on the rise because of the foolish activities which is done by many foolish people around the globe. There are many activities that contribute to the global warming. Firstly, forest fires are one of the main activities done by people who break the beautiful environment. Related to this activity, people suffer because there is a loss in the percentage of oxygen and there is an increase of carbon dioxide in the air around us. Othere than that, not only do people suffer the loss but also the flora and fauna.

The beautiffully created flora and fauna which God has bestowed us is not taken care of properlly. In my opinion, I fell that humans this days have the greed inside them for only one thing, that is money. Thats the only one that they want. This kind of foolish poeple do not give any respect to the lovely environment. They just want to continuously destroy the environment by burning down the forest, open burning, and etc. I fell that the rules and regulations of all the countries should be tightned. This will actually help people realise that they are not doingany good to the environment but only destroying it further.

Besides that, global warming at this point of time is causing a lot of unwanted things to happen. For example, the melting of ice at the poles and many others. I think that there are many ways to protect our environment. There are actually two parties involved in this matter. Firstly is the government and secondly is the public itself.

The government should tightned the rules and regulations. This will make the "foolish people" to think twice before taking an action. When the rules are tight, people get frightened and afraid to do the foolish acts. This will help protect, preserve and conserve the environment at all times.

Lastly, I fell that the public should always show their concern and protect the environment at all times. Thats all from me now.

Answer 6

I don't think there is any doubt that the Earth has warmed almost on degree Celsius the debate is whether or not humans had any significant involvement in that. Global Warming has almost become a religion to some and they are unwilling to even entertain any dissenting voices. What's ironic is all these high powered people, like Al Gore, who are pushing this agenda are also some of the worst offenders.

Answer 7

Most is natural but some, about a half a degree is caused by man. Longer growing seasons, warmer nights and more efficient photosynthesis especially with how less water is needed by plants should help economies. The chicken littles will cry and scream when the world cools off that will be man caused also. They will go hysterical about that or they will find something else to go into a panic about. It is about how important they are and they don't see the world in a realistic manner. In every age, a group thinks it is the final days. It is always religious people but now it is people who general don't accept traditional religion but they have invented one of their own.

Answer 8

While the Earth is warming, the cause is natural not man, and warming is better for the environment than cooling.

People fear change. This is why people fear any change in the climate. However the climate always changes since there is no such thing as a static climate.

Answer 9

It most likely will boost the economy from the govts mandating how we live and buy things...of course some companies will have to change their products to the new laws or simply go out of business.
GW is a myth.

Answer 10

The economy and environment both suffer from global warming, it is difficult to rank them, and the relative importance of damage to each of these systems is evaluated differently by each individual.
Global warming is happening, never mind the small remaining doubts about what causes it.