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Who is Causing Global Warming? »
Posted by: RickyDawkins 2 years, 5 months agoWhile natural forces have influenced Earth's climate (and always will), human-induced changes in atmospheric greenhouse gas levels are playing an increasingly dominant role. Melting ice exposes land or water, BOTH of which reflect less solar radiation than ice. That reinforces rising temperatures, which melt more ice.
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RickyDawkins
Atheism can be either the rejection of theism, or the position that deities do not exist. In the broadest sense, it is the absence of ...
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RickyDawkins
June 4, 2007, 3:39 p.m.The significant increase in average global temperatures over the past half-century can be attributed to human activities with a certainty of more than 90 percent.
Temperature rises have already affected various natural systems in many regions.
Continued greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would cause further warming and induce climate changes during the 21st century that would very likely be larger than those observed during the 20th century.
http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=12457&tid=282&c...
* CO2 levels have risen 35 percent since the industrial revolution began in the mid-18th century and are likely at their highest levels in the past 20 million years. The main source is the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas, and coal.
* Earth's average temperature has been increasing over the past century, with warming accelerating over the past 50 years.
* No known natural forcing can account for the recent severe warming.
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RickyDawkins
June 4, 2007, 3:42 p.m.Health
* Higher ozone levels will increase the frequency of cardiorespiratory disease.
* Climate changes will help spread vector-borne and pathogenic diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and cholera.
* Increased flooding will harm human health directly, and also indirectlyâ;;by facilitating the spread of disease and damaging health infrastructure.
* About 20% to 30% of plant and animal species are at increased risk of extinction.
* Progressive acidification of the oceans will have negative impacts on marine organisms critical to the ocean food web.
* Widespread mortality of biodiverse coral reefs is expected.
* Decreased rainfall in some regions will increase the risk of wildfires.
Economic Costs
* Damages from climate change are likely to be significant and increase over time. Global mean losses could be 1% to 5% of gross domestic product for a likely 4°C warming over the next century.
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tehranchik
June 4, 2007, 7:18 p.m.The question needs to be 'WHAT ARE WE,AS A WORLD, GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?" Look at the list of global warming syptoms--they're here and very real. It's happening people! And for those who have complained about colder than normal tempuratures--global warming doesn't necessarily mean things will heat up and stay that way--it also means abrupt weather change. We are the caretakers here---let's take care while we can.
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FordTruck5Speed
June 5, 2007, 1:02 p.m.OK, I think we get it. Give a hoot, don't pollute. Good idea. I'm with you.
However, I'm still not convinced that the "human" factor is the heavy-hitter that it is being made out to be. I read in a number of other articles that industrial CO2 emissions are a mere fraction of what the earth and all its other life forms produce naturally . When I hear people talking about "doing something" about global warming, I wonder just what it is we're going to do about it If we're not even CAUSING it to begin with.
The other thing that this article misses is the earth's ability to regulate itself. Take the oceans, for example. The article talks about displacement of fresh/salt water in the oceans due to evaporation and precipitation. According to the article, tropical waters are more saline than other areas. (to be continued)
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FordTruck5Speed
June 5, 2007, 1:10 p.m.Hence, more heat is required to evaporate that water. For this trend to continue, the air over this water would have to get unrealistically hot. Besides, tropical storms are nature's way of drawing heat out of the water. Barring a catastrophic event, an increase in salinity will decrease tropical activity (contrary to the global warming crowd). Now, consider that oceans are not static. Currents move warm water towards cool. Somewhere down the line, warmer water moves OUT of the hot zone, and into cooler ones, balancing out the temperature anomaly in the tropical zone. We see this happening in areas of the world now. Tropical waters are cooler than they have been in the last two years as currents have take that water towards the poles.
My point...there are many players on the field. You can't focus on one and ignore all the others.
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normallysilent
June 5, 2007, 2:12 p.m.Who is Causing Global Warming?
And the correct answer is:
GOD
By whatever name you know him.
Yes, we need to pollute less and protect our environment but give credit where credit is do. We don't even have a grasp on what is going on much less have the power to control it.
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normallysilent
June 6, 2007, 6:58 a.m.swasdiva:
What I mean is we are being pretty arrogant to think we actually understand all which is going on with our planet. The truth is we know very little about what is happening in the bigger picture. Yes there is change going on , there is no question about that and OK I agree it does not hurt to try and take care of our environment, we definitely should. I do not believe that we as humans are causing quite as much of the climate change thing as many would have us believe. I think that some among us are using this for personal gain and there are many in this world, which just don't know what to do with themselves without some great cause to push. I am sure the latter have good intentions but are many times very misguided and too quick to jump on the band wagon.
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Radiofreeeuropa
June 7, 2007, 9:10 p.m.I suggest it's quite simple, for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. Newton has not been disproved.
Of course the lesser carbon footprint mankind has the better for our environment. Anyone who believes otherwise is completely deluded.
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