Why do some many people fervently believe that global warming is man made now?

Question

Why do some many people fervently believe that global warming is man made now?

Answer 1

Our advanced civilization is much more vulnerable to climate change. We can't just migrate like primitive man.



The scientific data is undeniable. 99+% of scientists around the world believe global warming is real and mostly caused by us.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_opinion_on_climate_change



And any number of very distinguished people, too.



"I wasn’t convinced by a person or any interest group—it was the data that got me. I was utterly convinced of this connection between the burning of fossil fuels and climate change. And I was convinced that if we didn’t do something about this, we would be in deep trouble.”



Vice Admiral Richard H. Truly, USN (Ret.)

Former NASA Administrator, Shuttle Astronaut and the first Commander of the Naval Space Command



Here are two summaries of the mountain of peer reviewed data that convinced Admiral Truly, short and long.



http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Climate_Change_Attribution.png



http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf



"There's a better scientific consensus on this [climate change] than on any issue I know - except maybe Newton's second law of dynamics. Global warming is almost a no-brainer at this point,You really can't find intelligent, quantitative arguments to make it go away."



Jerry Mahlman, NOAA



Good websites for more info:



http://profend.com/global-warming/



http://www.realclimate.org



"climate science from climate scientists"

Answer 2

Let me go through the points you make one at a time...



<< Why do some many people fervently believe that global warming is man made now? >>



Because people can see the effects for themselves and because there's over 100 years of credible sceintific evidence conducted around the globe that supports the theory of anthropogenic global warming (AGW). No such evidence can be produced to refute AGW despite the best efforts of some to find it.



<< There is conclusive evidence that the earth was warmer 1000 years ago than today. >>



This is a popular error. 1000 years ago the world was experiencing a warming event often referred to as the Medieval Warm Period (MWP). Temperatures were NOT higher than they are now although they were higher than the long term average. The peak of the MWP was the culmination of over 1000 years of warming in which temperatures rose by 0.7 decrees C - about the same that we've seen in just 50 years.



<< And yet many people fervently believe that global warming is entirely man made. >>



No educated person beleives it's entirely manmade. Naturre always has and always will have a role to play. The unprecedented rise in temperatures over the last 200 years is attributable to man, the basal warming is attributable to nature.



<>



The polulation back then was a fraction of that which it is today and people were far more transient. If there was a reason to move (whatever the reason), they upped sticks and went. Hardly feasible in todays society, we can't simply move New York, London or Peking to a new location.



As explained, the change was gradual. The change we're witnessing in just two years was the same as people witnessed in their lifetime.



Species were wiped out (others flourished).



In this current global warming trend millions will not die because of coastal flooding. It's not something that occurs overnight, people will have years in which to prepare and move. Those already affected have moved, they haven't stayed put waiting to drown.



<< So why the obsession with global warming? Is it governments and "intelligencia" playing on the ignorance of the masses? Or are the masses sufficiently ignorant to do it on their own? >>



I'd call it concern rather than obsession. Many people are rightly concerned about our planet - the only one we have, they're concerned about the future for their children and thier children's children. Where's the harm in that?



<< Is the obsession with global warming a result of stupidity or manipulation? >>



It's more the other way around. Can you find someone who has studied global warming and disputes it? Those who know about it are concerned about it.



<< Is is just some red herring that is thrown our way to keep everyone in lock step? Governments like to have an enemy of the people to deflect attention away from their own incompetence. Saddam Hussein, for instance. Is global warming a clever version of this old game? >>



The evidence for global warming is scientific, not political. Politicians make decisions based on the science that is available to them. If, as you appear to be suggesting, it is some form of conspiracy, then it's the most sophisticated and elaborate conspiracy in history. One involving every government in the world and countless thouands of scientists and other professionals. Do you really think every government would co-operate on something unless it was of the utmost importance and of benefit to the citizens of every nation?

Answer 3

You are right in many if your facts. Yes, global warming did happen, has happened, will happen, and is happening. The earth has been warmer, yes. But, humans are making global warming go far faster than it ever has natually - not just by a bit. We have pushed global warming off the known charts. It has been scientifically proven many times that humans are putting a knife in our own backs with global warming. But by the time the rest of the world - such as you - realize it, it may be to late. www.climatecrisis.com if you dont believe me. THey have facts. Take a look. If you can find me some proven facts to the controverse, then tell me. If not, look at the facts that are here. When it comes to death, more than 90% of scientists arn't fooling around I don't think.

Answer 4

Great taste! Less filling!



OY! With the poodles already!!!



Because people are too stupid to realize that the Canadian scientist that pushed "Global Warming" now retracts his findings.



I find this rather interesting.



We put out 30,000,000,000 tons of CO in the atmosphere every year.



To put that in perspective, that's 38 molecules of CO for every 100,000 molecules of air. It would take 5 years to change that 38 molecules to 39 molecules at the above rate.



Interesting, huh?

Answer 5

It is just their interpretation. The earth has gone through these cycles before - fact. I seriously doubt that the cavemen were using too much oil. They see the earth temperatures on an up CYCLE and feel it has to be man made, that is the easy answer. They don't want to believe that it is not under man's control.

Answer 6

It might be us.



It might not be us.



There isn't proof that it is us. Well, there's the cooling stratosphere / shrinking troposhere but that started when Monica was servicing Bill 15 years ago - - - which doesn't explain the previous 100 years of warming, and which would mean that even if whatever caused THAT warming just magically stopped after 100 years even though that's not the pattern of prior warming periods, and you attribute everything since then to human-generated CO2 alone - - - i.e. if you give them EVERY benefit of EVERY doubt (which I'm doing only for purposes of argument) - - that would make us responsible for 0.2 degrees F of warming.



I.e., not material.

Answer 7

You are twisting the facts to support your own conspiracy theory. Of course global warming isn't all man-made. No one says it is. However, even the small percentage change that man's actions do contribute to it have had damaging effects. Also, whether or not we are 10% responsible or 40% responsible, most intellgient people understand that pending climate changes will have a huge negative impact on much of the world. We need to do what we can to stop it, or at least slow it down, before Ohio becomes a beach resort.

Answer 8

Actually your timeline is way off - yes the EARTH was warmer - but it was more along 10,000 years ago - a huge difference in timeline - also the entire flora & fauna makeup was different ..... While the earth may (& will in a few Million years when the sun expands) warm up naturally - 95%of all scientists (not political leaders or corporation owners) agree that the wastes humans are releasing into the air is causing a faster warm up.



So why are you and others so hostile to having two trash cans - one for recycling and one for regular garbage?



Let's say you are right & but all you have to do to hedge your bets if you are wrong is use solar and wind energy? I truely don't understand the hostile reaction here to changing very little the way of daily habits ?

Answer 9

this sentance........ "There is conclusive evidence that the earth was warmer 1000 years ago than today"



Where is the proof to back up that statement? Who wrote it, can you prove its true? and who was the miracle man who went back in time to find out? The statement is clearly ludicrous......Therefore the rest of your question isnt worth reading because it starts with an unproven factoid....

Answer 10

"Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had.

"Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus.

"Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus."

Everyone once believed the world was flat, in the 70's we were going into an ice-age, one population alarmist predicted the population of the earth would be so great the by 2001 there would be standing room only, Y2K, and the list goes on and on. Today it is "global warming" tomorrow it will be?.

Answer 11

I think it is for one of four reasons.



1) People want to be in control, the idea that we have no control of our environment scares them. If you are causing something than you can stop it. They are afraid that the world could undergo drastic natural climate change and leave us with no food or land.



2) $$$, this is a big one, there is a lot of money to be made off climate change by carbon offset companies, alternative energy companies, etc. Alternative energy companies have had to take a back seat to oil companies but now with this new scare the alternative energy companies are gaining standing.



3) Power and control, it is another way for the government to control how you live and what you do along with raising taxes.



4) Concern, consider for a minute asking a person who had never heard of global warming what their biggest concerns were. They would probably say money, war, terrorism, disease, etc. They would not list the environment, very few people really care for the environment and with a giant scare like this the concern for the environment flourishes. However this scare does not advocate for normal measures to curb pollution, this scare is basically calling for every major country to revert to third world conditions with no fossil fuels and little manufacturing, good for the environment but very bad for you.

Answer 12

There absolutely is NOT evidence that the world was warmer a thousand years ago. In point of fact, a thousand years ago the world had entered what is called "The little ice age" and temperatures throughout the year plummeted dramatically. This little ice age did not end until the first third of the Ninteenth Century. You had better get your head out of your back door and actually sit down and read a few history textbooks!

Answer 13

Whatever may have happened to this planet in the ages gone by cannot be compared to what is happening to it right now. Never before has the planet ever attained this level of development with over 6 billion people consuming and competing for its natural resources. Never before have machines that travel by land, air and sea to all corners of the globe been invented and put so liberally to use, never before have computers, communications and information tectnologies so transformed our planet as to make the whole world virtually available to us on our finger tips ....All these developments and many more have so tranformed the structure of the planet as to make your line of argument about what the planet went thru in the past and is therefore likely to go thru in the future quite irrelevant. What should be clear to everybody, if not from scientific evidence, then at least from "commonsense", is that if we continue consuming resources the way we do without cleaning up the waste produced in its wake, we shall alter the structure of the planet to our own destruction. The planet will recover, but only after we and most of its present occupants are dead and gone. This, to me, is the crux of the matter. Political gimmickry certainly exists, but let all discerning people be able to distinguish fact from phantasy.

Answer 14

Global warming is certainly a man made phenomenon... warming at significantly...for at least 2 centuries.. ...ALSO there is no proof we can find, to state that earth was warmer 1000 years before... you need to check the coastal area for the sea level increases over the period... that will tell you the facts.... so everyone should reduce there share of Green house gases.....

Answer 15

it's because we have great scientists and leaders like Al Gore (that's sarcasm by the way). He makes movies like "An Inconvenient Truth" talking about how global warming is such a huge issue and we all need to change our energy consumption to work together to help reduce our effect on global warming. But he himself is the biggest hypocrit. Did you know that in one of Al Gore's like 4 different mansion-like homes, he uses something like 10x more energy a day than the average American? Boy, I'm glad he made that video!



The video is completely political too, and he talks about global warming, and then he goes on to show footage of his life growing up, and then goes on about how he didn't win the presidential election, and he uses every possible opportunity he can to bash Bush and the current administration. I don't care if you like Bush or not, the fact is you have stupid people like Gore making a highly politically-motivated movie and trying to pass it off as scientific and most people are like "oh my god! global warming! al gore is so right!"



The fact is, for every scientific study that is cited in that movie and other places saying that global warming is a huge issue, there are just as many scientists, if not more, arguing against it with different evidence. So who really knows what's going on.



But go to Denver, Colorado where the people there got like 20' of snow just in the first couple months of winter this year and try telling them that global warming is occuring. I live in CT and it was just as cold this winter as always, in fact we set some record lows when it reached around -20. Boy, it's too bad global warming is happenin.

Answer 16

You are highly mistaken please. There are sufficient evidence to prove that new patches are being developed with time in the OZONE layer of the earth which is measure cause for the Global Warming.

Similarly scientists have reasons to believe that Green House gases are the main culprit for creating new holes in the OZONE layer.

Answer 17

Yes

Answer 18

Global Warming is a myth. The "Lemmings" are brainwashed and manipulated. We need people to concentrate on the real issues and make a real difference. All of this smoke & mirrors nonsense simply detracts from the real problems at hand.

Answer 19

GW is a myth. It's a political posturing move and seems to be working with all the sheeple here that believe it's true.



Follow the money!!



Normal cyclical climate changes are occurring as they have for thousand of years.



+

Answer 20

result of misunderstanding. There may be warming, but man has little to do with it.