First of all, let me state that global warming is the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere leading to climate change such as the melting of ice caps, melting of glaciers, and rising sea levels. I don’t think there can be much debate about whether global warming is actually happening. I think the term "global warming" is mistakenly used to mean "warming caused by human activity".
Second, I’m not asking what, if anything, can be done to stop/slow global warming. What I’m asking is to what extent do you think human activity is involved with global warming versus natural processes – whether they are Earthly or Solar.
My personal feeling is the warming is part of a natural cycle which human activity might accelerate, but is not the root cause.
Give that man a cigar!
Global climate change IS natural and there are many respected members of the scientific community that believe that global warming is a GOOD thing! Many more people die of hypothermia than heat exhaustion, and if the world temperature goes up, and the atmosphere retains more heat then more areas become habitable while our hydrocarbon envelope protects the equatorial regions from direct sunlight so they dont just become a giant bar-b-q grill!
People rarely mention that another natural phenomenon, that global warming may help forestall, called a "polar shift" could wipe out human civilization as we know it…This is a catastrophic "wobble" that occurs every few hundred million years or so due to the earths vertical axis in relation to the sun. When water evaporates, it precipitates. Some of the water becomes snow and remains frozen in the polar regions, over time the mass of frozen water grows and grows, trapped as ice, until the mass is great enough to unbalance the rotational stability of the planet and the ice caps swing down to where the equator is now…We are talking BIG CHANGE here…Earth scorching magnetic storms, tectonic realignment amounting to BEDROCK TSUNAMIS! The continents as we know them could cease to be with new oceans and landmasses forming from the buckling of the earth’s crust…
Global warming doesn’t sound so bad…
Yes, it has been proven that natural processes cause global warming. But humans also play a major role.
IF man has any effect on Global Temperature, it is minor at best.
IF man is responsible, then what is responsible for the equivalent warming of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto?
I wonder – what could 5 planets and one planetoid have in common in the SOLAR system? Nope – can’t think of a darn thing they share that could somehow cause them to WARM all at the SAME TIME, at equivalent rates when adjusted by distance from the SUN. Hmm….nope…I got nothin’!
I agree with you. Global warming is being hyped up as a political platform. The single biggest contributor to global warming in the US is… the active volcano in Hawaii. Global warming is a natural phenomenon and scientists pretend to have it figured out to get grant $ from the politicians pushing the agenda. We do not have accurate enough info to evaluate the geological time scale that makes OUR frame of time reference just the blink of an eye. Read "State of Fear." It’s a little over the top, but the author’s notes at the end are really good. I am not an advocate of polluting our environment – I am listed in Who’s Who in environmental engineering. I just feel – in fact I know, that pretending to have global warming figured out is about as valid as pretending the bible is the truth of creation.
I do believe that there is a natural progression. How could there not be. ….but I do think that humans have caused a lot of the major global warming that has happened. People drive to much, they don’t reuse things, they don’t recycle enough, etc. Driving less would create less emissions & ruseing and recyling would mean that less bottles, packaging would have to be made so that would probably cause less energy use from machines. I’m no expert but I really am worried about our planet.
During the spring thaws in northern Europe this year some folks found an abandoned silver mine. the tools were stored at its opening and it was determined that it had been abandoned over a thousand years ago because it became iced over and just never thawed out till now. Greenland was so named because it once was a lush sub-tropical paradise.. There have always been climactic changes and there always will be. Man’s part in it has always been minimal, but we, in our vanity, have decided we are able to change the times and tides on a whim— not happening.
you are right. the earth’s temperature has fluctutated greatly during the history of it. there have been times when the whole planet was incased in ice and there have been times where most of the planet was tepid jungle-like landscape. we find fossil and geological evidence of this all the time. i think what most people fail to realise is that we are a part of this planet and its natural evolution. anything we do (or have done) with our fossil fuels and green house gas emitting technology can be considered part of the earth’s natural course of things. previous to us, there were no species with out capabilities so there was never a previous example as to how green house gases could have effected the earth’s natural temperature fluctuations. don’t even think for a minute though that i am saying we have been doing the right thing in allowing our technologies to accelerate a climate change. if you look at the natural way of things…all creatures obey the laws of nature. we’re the only species who have justified putting ourselves outside the laws of nature because of our advanced techonologies. it is my belief that we should look to our anthropological roots to figure out how best to live in harmony with the planet and with all the other life it supports though.
man has about 6 to7 percent direct impact on the climates.with cars and power plants if add farming to the it will add another 8 to 10 percent that includes the cu ting down of tress. most of the comes the earth. by way volcano’s stored gas. the location of the play a large part to the warming.with the orbits of the worlds shifting from time to time the temps of the other planets would go up like what is happening now. the probes that we have sent out shows a warming up of the worlds that we sent out.
I am so arrogant to believe that i am more clever or i have more information than 2500 scientists working along years for the IPCC reports. And we all know, if we are honest enough, why some scientists state doubts about it, in most cases the root cause of those doubts is oil related money.
My feelings dont count.
And my actions are the same, even if humans would not be the root cause of climate change, we must do our best to stop it. Unless we dont care about humankind.
Well–you’re a bit off base on a couple of points. First, scientists do not use the "term "global warming" to refer to warming caused by human activity.
Correctly stated, here is the situation: scientists identified a global warming trend some years ago. then they set out to find the cause–though even as far back as the early 800s some suspected CO2 emissions as the culprit. But the reference to this as caused by human activity became general only after exhaustive research confirmed that human activity was indeed responsible–and after research that ruled out other possible causes.
That brings me to the second point where you are off base. There is no longer any debate among (legitimate) scientists: the current global wrming is not due to natural causes, but to human activity. It’s no longer a matter of opinion, it is established fact.
The focus now needs to be on solving the problem–what changes are needed and how dowe make the changes in a way that will foster economic growth, and minimize downside costs.
I think "global warming" in general is a misused term, so I do agree with your initial premise. "Climate Change" is a more accurate and descriptive term for fluctuations in global or regional mean temperatures.
Do I think human activity is the cause? No. Relating global statistical trends to local phenomenon is very fuzzy science. Not illegitimate, just model and inference based (fuzzy).
Do I think human activity is involved? Yes. Any time we manipulate our environment there are affects beyond what we would intuitively expect.
I’m certainly no expert on this subject (despite how many wbsites I visit), but do have a pretty good background in scientific research and inference. I just don’t think there is enough data to firmly say yes, no or to what extent, legitimately.
Cyclical climate change is normal. it’s been going on for 4.6 billion years.
The supposed IPCC report which uses 2500 scientists names as references fail to take the actual scientists recommendations into the report I would strongly suggest every one view the Global Warming Swindle. Tim Ball, among other scientists involved in the study of the report have said what the report contains is invalid. It about politics and power and not about anything more then that.
of the 2500 contributing scientist 1700 have written letters of protest to the IPCC for not following scientific peer review prior to publication.
Human activity effect microclimates. As another thread was pointing out, the earth is covered by nearly 3/4 oceans, of the land surface man occupied maybe 20% most of which the population density is less then 1 person per square mile.
When I was studying climatology and meteorology back in the late 1970s the prof I took microclimate course from John Gray of the University of Colorado went into detail about the microclimate of cities. The biggest portion of our population density is jammed in an area that would fit in the size florida all told.
Most of these people rarely go outside their condo or apartment let alone travel across the country or the world to see anything.
Has the earth’s temp risen? yes, 7/10s of one degree celsius over the last hundred years. that said the trend over the last five was a drop back to 5/10s.
Does CO2 impact climate or temp? actually the rise in CO2 levels follow rather then precede a rise in temperature…
So yes, virginia if the earth is warming it is due mostly to the increase in solar activity as noted by NASA, NOAA and SOHO.
Lastly about the word "BELIEF or BELIEVE!"
The eco-marxist religion is clearly agenda driven. It lacks scientific validity. It is a "belief" not fact.
One fact they have correct, the earth’s mean temperature has risen 7/10s of 1 degree over the last hundred years. That is the end of their factual evidence.
There is no evidence it is human caused.
Here are two websites that contain a large compendium of valid scientific climate information.
http://www.oism.org/pproject/s33p36.htm...
http://www.junkscience.com
Any time the word "BELIEF or BELIEVE" enters the conversation think "RELIGION". It is cult of epic proportion. The only way to deprogram yourself or others is with facts and understanding.
I am a lifelong student. when I first heard of "Global Warming" I recall in my environmental studies in college the "prevailing" wind was around a new Ice Age.
With certainty climate changes, and has been doing so for 4.6 billion years. Sometimes quickly sometime slowly.
Man is inherently narcissistic and our cultural shapers have found ways to manipulate this for the purpose of gaining power.
The validity of IPCC report fails based on inadequate peer review, Most of the supposed 2500 scientists involved are saying the content of the report is NOT what they recommended of even wrote.
What we can do about it? nothing. Don’t believe it. Use your common sense. If there is money involved, someone’s pocket will be lined.
Al Gore’s is definitely one of the primary pocket liners of the ecomarxist religion.
WHO OR WHAT IS TO BLAME
Irresponsible Agriculture , expanding populations and its effects are the planets biggest enemies.
This text only covers some aspects of Climate change ,i.e.effects of deforestation and subsequent man made desertification ,because of irresponsible farming using chemicals ,over pumping carbon aquifers,over grazing ,wild fires (because of slash and burn gone out of control).
Water and air polution ,such as caused by
industrial contamination ,the contaminating effects of the cities(the internal combustion engine) ,are other stories.
All of these are also man made ,such as the high industrial chimneys pumping contamination into the clouds and the burning of tires,some of this polution has been found in the ice in the polar regions.
There are natural cycles in the planets life
but a lot is influenced by mans existance ,this is increasing with overpopulation,putting strains on Natural resources and increasing contaminations .
The thinner ozone layer helps to speed this up. This is caused mainly by air polution ,also as a result of mans actions.
In North Africa,India,Mexico ,millions of people are effected by land loss , desertification and some have died as a result.
Now many animals are becoming sick because of changes in temperature .
Vital links in the food chains are disapearing affecting other species further along in the chain .
We are witness to a mass exstinction ,for the first time since the dinosaurs.
Of the earth’s estimated 10 million species, 300,000 have vanished in the past 50 years.
Each year, 3,000 to 30,000 species become extinct.
Everything is happening so fast it is not possible to monitor things any more.
The Sahara is growing by 7 kilometers a year.
Most of the desserts are as a results of mans actions.And they are increasing .In the dinosaurs days ,there were few desserts.
Collectively this planet is drying up .
Each degree rise in temperature means 10%crop loss
There is less and less water (because of deforestation),to irrigate Agriculture.
Arable lands and their farms are lost all over the globe. Many farmers sons abandon farming and head for the cities.
Northern China is drying up, what once were millions of food producing people, are now hungry refugees ,running for their lives from the all consuming dust storms.
This will have a great effect on world food prices when they start buying at what ever cost, to feed their people.
The farmers that are left have to feed some 70 million more people than the year before but with less topsoil(because of desertification and irreverible erosion)
Over the last half century,
Population growth & rising incomes have tripled world grain demand from 640 million tons to 1,855 million
In the near future the global farming community will not be able to feed every body ,food prices will continue to rise. .
RISING SEAS
The northpole is melting ,and we will know it without ice in our life times.
This does not affect the sea level ,because it is ice that is already in the water.but the melting ice from Green land and the south pole ,and the Glaziers is potable water lost forever and rises the sea levels.
Are We responsible ?
Is it the Sun?
Is it God who wants to punish us?
Is it Gaia who wants to clean some parasitic infestation?
Is it a Natural cycle?
Who cares ? that is not important any more
WHAT IS important -is that we are gonna be in trouble
WHAT CAN WE DO????????????????
The best we can do as individuals is be more responsible ,in our own neck of the woods
Organise well publicized clean up parties ,talk on the radio,hold citizan meetings, get the shools involved to plant trees and listen to environmental awareness talks.
If you do any cleaning up ,leave signs behind saying who cleaned,why and ask people not to start dumping rubbish again ,leave a hole or bins ,in case people come back with trash ,and they always do.
We have done a lot of comunity cleaning and if you dont leave alternatives or try to work on peoples guilt feelings (some people actually have those ,but not many) ,than your efforts are a waste of time.
That is what we do in Mexico.
POSITIVE ACTIONS
Print Tshirts with slogans ,hang posters all over the place (with recycled paper if possible).
Classify trash, take out all the organic waste and make compost with it ,the worst you can do is throw it with the trash,or burn it .
70% of contamination is due to organic waste that is mixed in with the garbage .
and it is just as bad in the sewer where it helps to breed rats and in the landfill it poisons the ground .
This is the easiest to take care of .
First of all we have to clasify trash ,at least keep the organic to one side ,like in a plastic bin with a lid .
If you got a few meters of ground ,you only need 1 or 2 square meters in a shallow hole ,(in the shade) ,that you can wet now and again .
Where you dump everything that is organic .
Toilet paper,bones vegetable cuttings ,eggshells,
deadbodies ,excrement ,cardboard,leaves,
shredded paper,old clothes (if they are organic),
Cover regularly with leaves or a piece of plastic,
to keep humid and to hide any smell .
REGULARLY spray some water over it ,but do not saturate it or the worms will die or leave.
The worms will decompose the wastes, turning it into beautifull black soil for the garden of flower pots .
If you are in a apartment ,if you have a balcony get a big plastic bin drill some holes in the side and lid ,
and add a few buckets of sand now and again to put over the trash ,you should realy stir or move the stuff at times to airate it ,and ensure that the decomposition is even ,keep moist
this rubbish does not get big very fast and the thing works for a long time with out getting full
———————-Some more Positive thoughts
Global warming cannot be stopped but being friendlier to our Environment cannot be bad and maybe we buy some time.
If you want to help the planet ,plant a tree every week ,if everyone on the planet did we we would be able to slowdown the destructive processes.
Reduce carbon emisions,and they are already working on that ,by alternative forms of energy We need more regulations on carbon production.
Dont use aerosol cans,
Dont burn trash
Limit water use
Recicling wastes.
AGRICULTURE must invest in
Waterharvesting projects ,(such as thousands of small dams).to redirect over ground waterflows from the rains into the ground to supply subteranian water supplies.
Assist the capture of carbon and the production of water by promoting Reforestation.
The world bank pays large subsidies for reforrestation to capture carbon and the best tree for this is the Pawlonia .
Agricultural education and improvements to follow the principals of sustainability and soil management
GOVERNMENT
The protection of existing forrests.
Stop building more highways,
Urban planning to include vegetation
Stop building cities encourage people to return to the land to conduct their business from there ,which now has become possible thanks to the internet.
More environmental or land ,design to prevent bush fires,such as–fire breaks .
More dams,regulations and control for public behaviour.
Alternative effeciant public transport to discourage the use of the internal conbustion engine.
SCHOOL SYSTEMS
Education to motivate people to auto sufficiency by building more home food gardens.
Education on environmental awareness.
Education on family planning ,to curb overpopulation.
Here are a 100 more ways
http://www.eco-gaia.net/forum-pt/index.p... Source(s) Lester E Brown is the director and founder of the global institute of Environment in the United states .he has compiled a report based on all the satalite information available from NASA,and all the information that has
come from Universities and American embassies WORLD WIDE ,
his little book–a planet under stress , Plan B has been trans lated into many languages and won the best book award in 2003