Global Warming: Reality or Fiction?

[Erienne]

Of course, for me, the latter option itself isn't worthy of merit. I believe in Global Warming, due to our use of more fossil fuels and CO2 released into the atmosphere. The Earth is showing one of the most rapid climate changes in its history, which in itself is cause for alarm.

The Polar ice caps are melting. Huge chunks of ice pour into the Atlantic and Pacific daily, and soon melt in the water, causing the water to cool down. When that cool water flows into the Gulf stream, it reacts with the warm water coming the other way and creates hurricanes. Well, there is a lot more that happens for that, but that's just a basic summary.

By 2050, the UN (I think) predicts that the world will hold a whopping 9 billion people. That might sound like a lot, but if we were all squeezed together, all 6 billion of us could fit in Texas (not very comfortably, but it's just a hypothetical situation). Millions move into highly industrialized areas like cities, and soon our crops will be exhausted from the sheer load they have to produce. Poor practices have lead to huge soil erosion in places like India and China, causing starvation en masse. While this pales in comparison to what happens on a global scale, it's just a reminder of the damage humans are causing to our world.

The Amazon forest is home to millions and millions of species, more than any other place in the world. In addition, the rainforests around the world produce more than 20% of the world's oxygen, which is needed for all complex animal life on Earth. By destroying it, we are not only destroying our major CO2 absorbers, causing more CO2 to enter our atmosphere, but also keeping needed oxygen from entering as well. Why are we doing such? For farmland, raising animals for food. This is not meant to insult meat eaters, but livestock has a profound effect on our planet. En masse, livestock:
-Is indirectly responsible for the destruction of our rain forests, used to make land for the livestock.
-Contributes methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, into our atmosphere.

So what do you guys think? Is Global Warming reality, fiction, or just a natural occurence?

 

[Ethan]

Sources ma'am?

 

[Erienne]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5683655.ece - Melting Polar Ice Caps

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0804_050804_hurricanewarming.html - Hurricanes and Global Warming

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/amazon.htm - Destruction of the Rainforests

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3245635.ece - Rainforests and C02

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/20/content_10389313.htm - Soil erosion in China

There you go.

 

[BigLutz]

The science of Global Warming is way too politicized to make a accurate decision, at any given time the belief can lean one way or another, right now it is leaning toward man made Global Warming to be fiction. Even the UN's own group and study has begun to crumble away under scrutiny and fact.

Global Warming is too much faulty and politicized science, mixed in with fearmongering. The UN's prediction you even mentioned is fearmongering that has been repeated for the past 30 years. There always seems to be a time line that is just close enough to scare, but far enough to provide people with hope that if they follow what is being suggested that it will be averted. In the 70s it was around the late 90s to 00 that we had to change things or else disaster would happen. In the 80s it was by 2000, and it continued on and on.

Man Made Global Warming, real or not, is filled with so much politicization, so much junk science, and so much money on both sides. That you cannot make a real decision on it.

Edit: I also believe the links between Hurricanes and Global Warming have also been disproven, also it should be noted that studies have now shown that while areas of Antartica are shrinking, other areas are growing to make up the growth.

 

[Erienne]

It's called satellite imagery. Politics cannot affect the fact that the glaciers are breaking off at a very alarming rate.

Temperatures around the globe are in fact rising, as well.

 

[Zenotwapal]

I don't really get all of this Global Warmng mumbo jumbo, but my input is:
I don't give a crud about it.

 

[BigLutz]

It's called satellite imagery. Politics cannot affect the fact that the glaciers are breaking off at a very alarming rate.

Yes Politics can affect it as well, as it determines how Satalite imagery has been interpreted.

Temperatures around the globe are in fact rising, as well.

That's true, but not evidence of Man Made Global Warming, not to mention Earth's temperatures have leveled out in the past 8 or so years I believe.

 

[masterleo]

Global Warming is a fact. Ten years ago it could have been a debate, but the evidence is clear now

 

[Ipwnyou]

Global Warming is a fact. Ten years ago it could have been a debate, but the evidence is clear now

It is a fact that the world is getting warmer.
However we still can't be 100% sure about whether or not humans are the ones causing it. Either way we need to find out if there is a way to fix it.

And now people decide which side they support based on their politics rather than actually looking at the scientific facts.

 

[GhostAnime]

I wouldn't lean on it being man-made fiction yet. It is still at least debatable.

I can't pull up anything right now but I find it strange that the Earth is getting warmer and correlates with CO2.

 

[ImJessieTR]

I'm of the impression that we as the human race are simply exacerbating a natural occurrence. In other words, both God and man are at fault.

If we don't dirty our own nests, so to speak, and clean up after ourselves, I think life will at least be livable.

 

[Alloute]

Reality.

However, I believe that it should be called climate change instead, my opinion.

 

[Vaporeon4evr]

Climate shifting is part of the Earth's cycle. Man-made CO2 emissions aren't the only source of pollution. Volcanic eruptions release tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and every time anyone breathes, there goes some more.

I could understand if man is responsible for accelerated climate shift, but as far as Global Warming goes in general, I believe it was always inevitable.

 

[Alloute]

Climate shifting is part of the Earth's cycle. Man-made CO2 emissions aren't the only source of pollution. Volcanic eruptions release tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and every time anyone breathes, there goes some more.

I could understand if man is responsible for accelerated climate shift, but as far as Global Warming goes in general, I believe it was always inevitable.

True.

Though, there hasn't been a great volcanic eruption in a very long time. So I wouldn't site volcanic eruptions as a major source of CO2.

 

[Darkrai00]

its a big reality i mean with all our fossil fuel emissions in the last few decades the atmosphere is very polluted and causing the ice caps to melt at an astoundingly greater rate then prolly ever before, DONT YOU LOVE THE POLAR BEARS? save the bears ride your bike dont be lazy

 

[Erienne]

Ignoring the previous post, never has the climate accelerated this fast. That's a fact. CO2 levels are rising, and like said previously, there is a volcanic eruption every 20 years? Hardly enough to equal that of our fossil fuels.

Also, for the fact of breathing, if we still had enough trees, that would easily counterbalance our breathing.

 

[BigLutz]

Ignoring the previous post, never has the climate accelerated this fast. That's a fact. CO2 levels are rising, and like said previously, there is a volcanic eruption every 20 years? Hardly enough to equal that of our fossil fuels.

That we know of, we have only really paid attention and maintained reliable data for the past 200 to 400 years, we have only had satellites that could accurately monitor the planet for the last twenty. Those are miliseconds in the timeline of the Earth. Before that we have to rely on fossil records and core samples which can only provide a general snap shot, and not a completely accurate one. This planet has been around for hundreds of billions of years, and we can only accurately sample a mere fraction of that.

 

[Erienne]

That we know of, we have only really paid attention and maintained reliable data for the past 200 to 400 years, we have only had satellites that could accurately monitor the planet for the last twenty. Those are miliseconds in the timeline of the Earth. Before that we have to rely on fossil records and core samples which can only provide a general snap shot, and not a completely accurate one. This planet has been around for hundreds of billions of years, and we can only accurately sample a mere fraction of that.

You mean 4.44 billion years, right? Also, before 2 billion years ago it was like Venus, so that point is moot.

 

[BigLutz]

You mean 4.44 billion years, right? Also, before 2 billion years ago it was like Venus, so that point is moot.

True, but then again the point still stands, we do not know if this is normal warming cycle from the sun, or if this is man made, or something else, and to say the climate has never accelerated this fast, is just flat out incorrect. Because we just do not have the data.

 

[Black Marauder]

You mean 4.44 billion years, right? Also, before 2 billion years ago it was like Venus, so that point is moot.

I do hope that you understand the magnitude of 4.44 billion years.

Global Warming is a reality. It has always been. What I think you are asking is whether global warming is man-made or natural.

Many argue that climate change is natural and many argue that climate change is anthropogenic (man-made). The topical question of the extent to which human activity contributes to climate change is very controversial, as the chemistry of the planet is complex and there are many uncertainties in the science.

Climate change has always occurred, as shown by the geological and fossil record over millions of years. However, the question of whether rapid climate change is now occurring as a result of industrial human activity is the hot topic. This question raises concern in the political, social and economic realms of the entire world. The precautionary principle says that all possible steps must be taken as soon as possible to combat the worst scenario predicted by current climate change models. But is this really necessary? How can we be sure that climate change is actually being accelerated?

There are many climate models for the future, with differing initial assumptions and final outcomes, all based on science that is still poorly understood. There are carbon cycles in the air, on land and in the seas. The way in which they interact and how they might be affected by human activity is uncertain.

The evidence for natural climate change is there. People agree that Earth undergoes a natural cycle of climate changes. But the people who support the theory man-made climate change rely on the simple assumption that, yes, climate change is natural but it is currently being accelerated by increase human industrial activity. But how do we know that for sure?

[this post is not complete, I will return later to expand]