Who Believes in Global Warming?

[Montana Cowboy]

Evening All
I listen and hear all this talk about "Global Warming". Do you think what the so called experts are saying is true? Myself,No I don't. We have accurate records on global weather for only about 150 years. 150 isn't even a blink of an eye compared to how long this earth has been here. Yes I know that they have taken core samples of the earth in many places and it is but one clue to the whole puzzle.
There are so many things that affect the earths weather. 10,000 years ago we had an ice age, obviously there were not enough people and no industry around back then to influence the earths weather to cause the ice age.
I'm all for doing my part to not pollute by recycling , vanpooling and trying not to be wasteful. What say you? MC

[skeet]

MC, I believe we are in a period of global warming and I feel we(mankind) have a part of the blame to bear. The world historically until the Industrial Revolution had about 1/2 Billion people. With no real industry and all the forests etc etc etc we no longer have. Now there are 6 1/2 Billion without all the good things to help the world. However as the Earth is warming so to is the next planet out in the solar system. Mars is also warming. So it seems as though the sun is helping it along also. I do my part in many ways but you are right.... even a thousand years is but a blink of an eye in the time of global change. Things are changing and neither you or I have the means or wherewithall to stop the changes!

[gd357]

I believe that we do have an effect on the environment, however I don't think that it is as big as people would want you to believe. I've heard (but can't substantiate) that human impact on the environment has less than 2% of the total effect on global temperature. Also, weather patterns are cyclical, and we are probably in an upswing in the cycle currently. Now 1% over the time length since the industrial revoltion would have an effect, but not the significance that is widespread belief in some circles. JMHO

gd

[Rocky Raab]

It may or may not be warming. We really cannot tell because we have not been measuring it long enough to know. It's like measuring your breathing during that brief instant between breaths - and then claiming that you've stopped breathing.

The earth's climate runs in long cycles (analogous to breathing) of warm/cold/warm/cold. We are certainly in a warm period, but where in that period we do not know. We could be approaching the peak, but if so, we won't pause there, but immediately start to cool again. Ten thousand years from now, where I'm standing might be under a mile of ice.

What causes this cycle? Like evreything else, I'd bet there are lots of contributing factors. The tilt of the earth, our distance from the sun, the output of the sun, the fluctuation of the earth's magnetic field (allowing more or less radiation in), the amount of algae in the oceans, the amount of vegetation on earth, volcanic activity...the list goes on. Any (or more likely all) of them may have an impact. If two or three heat their peak at the same time, things get warmer.

Humans might kill themselves off with their own garbage and waste -- but it doesn't have anything to do with global climate.

[L. Cooper]

Anyone who doesn't believe in global warming has his head in the sand. The science is overwhelming. The scientific community has no doubt whatsoever that the climate is warming. It's not a case of believing in it or not; it is.

The exact proportion of the warming trend that is man made is not proven, but the fact that greenhouse gasses produced by human activity are, in fact, contributing to the warming trend is also scientifically indisputable.

Canada and the U.S. are the biggest contributors of greenhouse gasses on a per capita basis. Continued production of greenhouse gasses will worsen an economic and social disaster of such proportions that it will make the economic and social price of reducing our emissions look like peanuts.

We are fools if we don't act to reduce our contribution.

[Niteowl]

any one who thinks we are warming up....hasn't spent the last several weeks in Michigan....hahaha....one morning was -34 with the wind...air temp was -22,I don't know if we are warming up or not...but in a thousand years I don't believe I will be bothered that much by it,but I will wear these just in case.........

[M.T. Pockets]

I'm no scientist, but I believe it's happening. People a lot smarter than me keep track of the average temperatures and can track it. Just living in Minnesota I can tell you the winters aren't what they were just 30 years ago. 20 below used to be a normal low, now it's big news. When they start canceling dog sled races because the ice isn't safe in February, it's something to think about.

I don't know if it is caused by man's pollution or not, but either way, why don't we quit polluting so much and see if it helps.

[DogYeller]

I believe man made Global Warming is a hoax, but if it isn’t at least one Canadian has a plan.
http://wordpress.com/tag/global-climate-treaty/feed/

[Andy L]

"Anyone who doesn't believe in global warming has his head in the sand. The science is overwhelming. The scientific community has no doubt whatsoever that the climate is warming. It's not a case of believing in it or not; it is.

The exact proportion of the warming trend that is man made is not proven, but the fact that greenhouse gasses produced by human activity are, in fact, contributing to the warming trend is also scientifically indisputable.

Canada and the U.S. are the biggest contributors of greenhouse gasses on a per capita basis. Continued production of greenhouse gasses will worsen an economic and social disaster of such proportions that it will make the economic and social price of reducing our emissions look like peanuts.

We are fools if we don't act to reduce our contribution."

Most of this post by L. Cooper is absolute, left wing, Al Gore spread BS. Yes there is some warming. Its happened many times since the beginning of times. The same crowd thats spouting this now was spouting an Ice Age 30 yrs ago. Its a knee jerk reaction.

In short:

The little puffs that Mt St Helens put out over the last few years released more harmful gunk in the air than all the people on earth.

Alot of the reason for the warming of the oceans and subsequent extreme weather can be traced to earthquakes and volcanos under the sea. There is alot of plate movement right now. Go look it up. Where do you think the tidal waves are coming from?

And, if humans have any impact, why would you think the US and Canada are the worst offenders? When China and India have basically no regulation on what they put in the air? Their populations make us look tiny.

Its natural cycles folks. I cant believe how many people are buying into this crap. Scientists will say whatever they are told to say. Cash talks.

Of course this is totally my own opinion and we all have one. It just shocks me to see the same generic replys, over and over. Its a trained response.

Like the great Mr. Gump said. "Thats all I got to say about that."

[Montana Cowboy]

Watching the experts on the boob tube tallk about global warming is interesting. The ones saying that this is a cycle that the earths weather go's through and their data to support it was convincing to me. Man ( in my opinion) is just one part of the problem. There are so many things that affect weather as I had said in my first post, and as Rocky has pointed out some of them. It is just hard to figure out which ones cause the most change. MC

[Rocky Raab]

All due respect, L Cooper, but the scientific community is not in unanimous agreement on this. It may seem that way because only the segment of it that follows the PC/ Gore/ doomsday/ panic-crazy media format get quoted. The scientists who disagree never get a moment of air time or an inch of copy.

And a helluva lot of them disagree.

You are quoting what you sincerely believe, but believing it does not make it true.

[L. Cooper]

The truth is that the vast majority of the scientific community believes the planet is warming very rapidly. The truth is also that it is the minority dissenting opinion that gets way too much exposure through the media that seem very concerned to present a "balanced" view on the subject. The result is that many people think that there is some sort of split in the scientific community. There is no such split.

The media talk to one scientist supporting the theory of climate change and then find a dissenter to present the "balanced" view. It looks like it's almost a 50/50 split, but that is a complete distortion of the science of climate change.

No scientist will say, "This is the cause of climate change" because that is not the way science talks. Absolutes do not exist in any scientific discussion. But that does not, as so many think, mean that the science supporting climate change is weak at all.

Science talks about the "theory of plate tectonics". The word "theory" does not mean there is any doubt in the scientific community that the earth's surface is made up of moving plates. There may be the odd person with science credentials that is a dissenting opinion, but plate tectonics is supported by overwhelming scientific evidence. Theories of climate change are in exactly the same state.

Another example: no scientist will say he knows what an electron actually is. But we are doing very well with present theories of quantum mechanics as everything from nuclear energy to this forum will prove. It's "only" a theory, but it works quite well.

One of the great dangers of our time is the misunderstanding of the way scientists describe their "theories" and how that word is used by some to try to discount the truths on which those theories are based.

The vast majority of scientists who study climate are united in their view that the earth is warming, and that human activity is contributing to it.

[gumpokc]

L Cooper, believe what you wish, but look at a few things first:

We are entering a period of increased solar activity. This has been proven.

We are in the process of a magnetic field reversal, this has been proven.

We are in a "warm spot" in the current geolocigal "period" and technically are still in an iceage, this has been proven.

None of the above items are in debate at all, they are accepted as fact to the best of our knowledge.

Now lets put a little common sense here.....the earth has been warming slowly for the last 8000 years out of it's glacial iceage.
Sure there's little lows and highs but warming nonetheless.

mangetic field reversal's can take from 2000-15000 years to switch, during which the magnetic fields drop drastically in strength. It's also the thing that protects the earth from the vast majority of "cosmic radiation" and even radiation of many types from our sun.

as mentioned our sun is more active than usual, and as the"power source" for the solar system, this means with less protection, we are goign to get more radiation from all sources including heat.

Now...are we as humans affecting out environment??? most definately. Are there things we could do to affect it less? most definately. Are we a major contributor to our planets weather conditions, and weather cycles??? not a chance in hell.

We can affect small (relitively speaking) areas with smog, poison our lands and waters, kill each other in any number of ways, but to even suggest that we are capable of affecting the total global weather patterns on a long term basis is such an egotistical view that it's laughable.

Is the planet warming? yes, it has happened before, and it will happen again, it's perfectly natrual.

Now you'll bring up the "hole in the ozone layer".
Guess what Einstein, the earth is spinning on it's axis and it isnt perfectly round, no matter what your globe looks like.
it's a little fatter at the equator, and a little squished on both ends. Now when you take a spinning object with liquids or gasses at the poles, because of centifugal action, it makes the atmosphere thincker at the equator and thinner at the poles.
(interesting point they never like to mention, but the mantle and crust are also thinner at the poles, imagine that) Now where is this hole at??? oh yeah the poles....they get bigger and smaller...in cycles...gee just like everything else on the planet.
Maybe it's mother natures way of being a "saftey valve" to either let in more heat/radiation or let it out?

So what is global warming? it's the same thing as the Y2k and any number of other scams. People don't want to know that something is natural and there is nothing they can do about it.

They want to be told they can help, so they can feel better about themselves and what is happening. Thats natural too.
Also natural are the predators, both literal and figurative, who feed and prey off others, whether it's for food or money, or political power, doesnt matter, it's the same principle.

[Montana Cowboy]

Evening All
Would like to thank all of you for your replies to this subject. Did do not want this subject to turn into an argument . We all have our opinions. Rocky feel free to lock this down if it starts to go toward the dark side.
I asked what folks thought about global warming because I do not feel that man alone is the major cause of global warming the way the media, Al Gore and the Holywood elite would like us all to believe. Man in my opinion is a small part of global warming.
Mr. Cooper I respect your thoughts and opinion on this subject but I disagree with you. MC

[skeet]

Wow, Gumpokc. Hate to say it but you just about hit the nail on the head. Yeah we are affecting the weather on the earth but we surely aren't THE major cause. But I must say that we affect it more than most imagine...at least on a short term extent. When we cut the rain forests in the world and denude the edges of the oceans with our pollution it will just take a bit longer for all to turn around. Maybe you are right about the radiation thing too. More radiation means more cancers etc as well as a possible lowering of the birth rates for obvious reasons. Less people means less people to ruin the place we call home. When scientists say that there is more CO2 put into the atmosphere by one (or two or twenty) volcanes every year than people put there...well ours adds to the destruction too. But you are right. There are more things affecting the environment than just us people. LOTS more!!