Global Warming: Fact or Fiction?
“On Feb. 2, 2007, the United Nations scientific panel studying climate change declared that the evidence of a warming trend is “unequivocal,” and that human activity has “very likely” been the driving force in that change over the last 50 years. The last report by the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in 2001, had found that humanity had “likely” played a role.”
as quoted from the New York Times online article: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html
I know this topic has been beaten to death over the years, and plenty of us are tired of hearing it in the same old manner. I encourage you to do your own research, and bring your findings here. Let us set up a miniature panel on Global Warming.
Is it real?
What are the short term and long term effects?
Did we cause it? Or is it a natural occurrence?
Did we just speed things up?
I want to hear what you have to say; let us try to answer every one of these questions, free from political and religious viewpoints; based solely on facts and logic.
-Sean R.
Tags: global warming, New York Times, short term effects, long term effects, co2, methane, global warming panel, global warming discussion, international laws, intergovernmental panel, climate change, united nations scientific panel, warming trend
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June 12, 2008 at 1:25 am
Since this site is all about expanding upon ideas, I have this to say. I do not believe that we are experiencing global warming. It seems more like just a cycle of the earth than anything else. It has been claimed that we, the human race, are contributing to most of the problem, but how can that be possible? For instance, a volcanoes produces ash when it erupts. This ash then floats around in the atmosphere for many years after the fact. Another thing, dinosaurs. If they roamed the earth for ‘thousands of years,’ then the amount of methane gas that they released into the air must be tremendous. If you were to look at other planets in our solar system, you will probably find that their temperature is increasing as well. Maybe it’s not the earth, maybe the sun is just getting hotter. It is possible. Not only that, but if anyone were to look outside as of late, they would see that we have had rainfall. Rainfall and cold weather. Not something I’d be wearing shorts in anytime soon.
Maybe we aren’t warming up. Maybe the earth is tilting. Right now, the earth is tilted at about 23.5 degrees. This causes our seasons and climate changes as the sun hits the earth at different angles. My theory is that the tilt of the earth may have shifted slightly. This would cause the sun to hit the earth at a different angle, resulting in a different climate. Look at the icebergs. They are melting right? But I’ve also heard that they are freezing on the other side. That’s my theory anyway. Slowly, but gradually, the earth is tilting. Global Tilting.
June 12, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Do you have any sources pointing towards proof of Global Tilting?
June 14, 2008 at 2:04 am
Of course not. It was just an idea I thought I’d throw out there.
June 14, 2008 at 2:22 am
I guess what I mean to say is…
We are seem to be stuck on the idea of global warming. It’s either, there is or there isn’t. I think that we should also look into the possibility of something else. If what is going on is even something to be concerned about. A problem that I see with the theory, is that you have some scientists that say that they have proof that global warming is happening, and others that say it is not. They are looking at similar sets of data. What would make them say two completely different things?
[The tiliting idea was more or less a joke of sorts.]
June 17, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Hey all,
I’m glad to hear that the Global Tilting Theory was more or less a joke, because to my understanding it’s a point that’s been addressed. Yes the earth is tilting, and no the tilting does not contribute to the global warming that has been witnessed over the past decades.
A couple things.
Dinosaurs did most likely emit tons of methane during their time on earth, but the earth has ways of processing these kinds of imbalances. This source of methane has long since been dealt with.
Volcanoes are not erupting at significantly higher rates/volumes than in years past, according to the best science available, and thus are not likely a causal factor in the CHANGE that we’ve seen over the past fifty years.
Rain is not contradictory to Global Warming. Neither is snow, sleet, hail, freezing rain, nor my uncle Tony’s Grandmother. These points are entirely erroneous to this issue. I don’t have the time to explain all the ways and reasons why at the moment, but the gist is that Global Warming makes reference to the AVERAGE temperature over a period of time (e.g. a year) and only small changes have thus far occurred (though at increasing rates – which is the alarming part, as exponential growth need not start out large to produce devastating results relatively quickly), so of course snow and rain are to be expected.
The sun is not getting hotter, that’s been looked into as well.
You’ve heard that the icebergs are freezing on the other side as part of a propaganda campaign, it’s known and it’s a problem. The potential of public acknowledgment of Global Warming is very bad for a lot of industries, and thereby for the investors/owners of companies at the top of those industries. Billions have been spent keeping this scientific finding away from public acceptance.
This is precisely why we have scientists who acknowledge Global Warming and “scientists” who dispute it. If you follow the money for funding, the ones who acknowledge it have no financial incentive one way or the other, the funding of the dissenters is sadly ENTIRELY biased in this case.
With regard to people’s role and “how can that be possible?” I do not have the time at present to do this point justice now. However, imagine if you will the following scenario: A group of people get together and want to make the worlds largest lake, but agree to only contribute by carrying one pound of water each per year. How could they possibly? Well, if there were 6 billion of them, they’d quite easily more than keep up with evaporation. Now imagine that they automate a machine that weighs one pound, but moves 16 pounds of water at a time, all of a sudden they’re moving more water than anyone ever thought possible at first glance. So Shown, with regard to Global Warming, take a second look.
Personal experience will not answer this type of question. That’s why we use science.
Sean, I know what you’re thinking my man: ‘Great, but where are the sources?’ Well, I’m working on 12 hours sleep over the last 4 days. The sources will have to wait a few days, but I will provide them soon (my apologies, but I can’t muster the will to locate them all now; I recognize their importance, bear with me).
Thanks,
Paul