Ok everyone is convinced that people are the cause of Global Warming?

Question

Then what caused this warming 420,000 years ago? As you can see even if we eliminated 100% of all human produced gases, that may slow it down, but will not stop it. Warming and cooling is a natural cycle that the earth goes through. Does anyone disagree and if so why???

Answer 1

NO, scientists are saying that people CONTRIBUTE to global warming. There is no debate that there are natural causes at work, some people just refuse to believe that mankind has any effect at all.

We've known for many decades that large cities have their own weather patterns and run temperatures several degrees higher than surrounding areas, so it really isn't much of a stretch to say that mankind has an effect on the earth. It's just common sense.

I say let's just put the debate behind us. By using our resources better and moving forward with new technologies it's just a win win situation. More jobs, a cleaner environment and a better quality of life awaits those willing to unchain themselves from the past.

I'm just a guy who has spent his life behind a wrench and not a scientist or politician so maybe my ideas mean nothing. I just believe action is better than debate.

Answer 2

Warming and cooling always has been a natural cycle. It's caused by a complex series of cycles that both the Sun and Earth go through. Because they're cycles they're predictable, that's whay we have regular ice ages and regular glacial / intergalcial periods. We always have done and if we don't screw things up, we always will do.

The warming now is not regular, does not follow any natural cycle and is faster than has ever before been known. The balance of the planet now is such that any change in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations will cause significant warming or cooling. Historically there have been mitigating circumstances which have regulated the rate of temperature change such as the planet being covered by forests.

If we were to remove all traces of human produced gases the planet would still be warming. We can work this out using climate models and also by looking at the historical evidence spanning thousands of years prior to the onset of industrialisation. When we do this we see that it took 10,000 years for the planet to warm by 1°C, currently the planet is warming by this amount in just 56 years.

Answer 3

I disagree, because the current warming is not part of a natural cycle. According to the Earth's natural cycles, we should be in the middle of a cooling period right now.

"An often-cited 1980 study by Imbrie and Imbrie determined that 'Ignoring anthropogenic and other possible sources of variation acting at frequencies higher than one cycle per 19,000 years, this model predicts that the long-term cooling trend which began some 6,000 years ago will continue for the next 23,000 years.'"

But yes, historically climate change has been caused by these cycles. It's just not true of the current warming.

Answer 4

We're not entirely responsible for the present warming, but we are for most of it. Here's the reason why scientists know that this time is different from the past.

Past warmings were usually caused by changes in solar radiation. Orbital cycles called "Milankovic cycles" cause variations in solar radiation.

So, how do we know that's not what's going on now? Simple. The Milankovic cycles weren't at all mysterious. If we could have measured solar radiation then, we'd have easily seen the increase.

We measure it now. Many different scientists all around the world. The measurements agree. And solar radiation is not increasing. In fact it's recently been decreasing, just a little bit. Reference:

"Recent oppositely directed trends in solar
climate forcings and the global mean surface
air temperature", Lockwood and Frolich (2007), Proc. R. Soc. A
doi:10.1098/rspa.2007.1880

http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/media/proceedings_a/rspa20071880.pdf

News article at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6290228.stm

Also the Milankovic cycles peak regularly at intervals of about 100,000 years. The last peak got us out of an Ice Age about 11,000 years ago. We're not due for a while. :-)

What we can measure from the past is CO2 levels, from air trapped in ice. And it's clear there that CO2 levels have been driven far higher than in the past.

http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Carbon_Dioxide_400kyr_Rev_png

We can calculate the warming that would cause, using physical properties of CO2. It's reasonably close to what we see.

Mr Jello is flat wrong about scientific opinion. Outside of a very few "skeptics", the vast majority of scientists agree with what I've discussed.

Proof:

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

Ben O - I'm not saying man is causing more than the IPCC says. And, while individual scientists can go nuts (like the "skeptics"), very large scientific groups and organizations _are_ conservative.

Answer 5

The debate about global warming really should be over. Some of it is most likely caused by human activity, to say humans definately haven't had a single effect on the climate is not scientifically valid. Also saying that the human effect on climate change is definately more than estimated by the IPCC is also scientifically baseless especially as the IPCC is careful to point out that the gaps in the scientific knowledge required to produce computer models are quite significant.

To those people who say that scientists are conservative - maybe compared to you they are, but throughout recent history, lots of scientists have discovered 'proof' of life on Mars.

Answer 6

There recently was a great show on the History Channel or one of those channels called, How the Earth was Made.

It showed that the 1st Pangea, I forgot what they called this super continent, was located at the south pole disrupting the ocean currents. This caused the entire earth to go into deep freeze for 100 million years killing 99.99% of all life. It wasn't until a freak plumb of magma rose that the earth heated up to melt the ice.

The current ice age cycle didn't exist until central America closed the oceans off between north and south America. The Global Warming nazis don't jack!!

Answer 7

God is in control. If He wants the earth warmed, or cooled or destroyed, there is nothing we puny humans can do to stop it. And if He wants it preserved, there is nothing we can do to destroy it.

Yes, God gave us dominion over the earth. Dominion does not equal destruction. We are to be good stewards of the resources He has given us to use and manage, but the "earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof."

How about we give some thought to the idea that maybe He is displeased with more than our production of gases--maybe just maybe it is our evil ways that reject Him and His teachings that He is sending us a "global WARNING" about?
He did it once with the Great Flood, and He did say it would be fire next time!

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Answer 8

I'm not convinced that global warming is caused by people. I used to believe it. Since the trendy bandwagon began though, I believe it's cyclical.

I've done my part for the past 20 years by leading a greener life. I'd like to see big corporations do their part now, before I believe that people are the cause of GW.

Answer 9

That there have been natural warming cycles in the past is irrelevant. THIS global warming is caused by humans.

There is no "debate" about this--thescientific evidence is consclusive. There is no "agree" or "disabree" when it comes to scientific facts--only knowledge versus IGNORANCE.

Answer 10

Sheep also cause global warming. It's the bacteria in their intestines that make the harmful gases. I can't remember where I heard it, I think it was a study they did in Australia.