Firstly the individual elements leading to warming are well-understood. For example, it is a fact that burning fossil fuels produces CO2 based on centuries-worth of evolving knowledge leading to modern chemistry. It is a fact that CO2 is a greenhouse gas. It has been studied in the lab since the 1860s by people like Tyndall. With the advent of quantum physics in the 1930s, we understand exactly why it is a greenhouse gas. We know that energy cannot go missing. This is the law of conservation of mass/energy which we have never, in four centuries, found to be violated and forms the basis of the laws of thermodynamics. All of our current understanding, which is considerable, tells us adding CO2 to the atmosphere at a rate faster than it can be scrubbed means the average temperature should rise.
So everything we know tells us the planet should warm. How do we check that?
Well, fossil fuels contain carbon. They contain different types, or isotopes, of carbon, some of which are radioactive and we use for carbon dating. Now, fossil fuels have been buried underground for millions of years, decaying away. The ratios of those isotopes is different to the carbon circulating our environment today. And we can look for that tell-tale ratio in plants (which absorb CO2) and in the atmosphere itself. The concentrations are such that we can conclude that most of the additional CO2 we've measured since the 1950s has been caused by us.
If we, using the established laws of physics, calculate how much energy is trapped by that additional CO2 and factor in mechanisms that counteract it, we find we can pretty much calculate the temperatures we've observed since the 1970s. No theory, model, calculation, etc has managed to mathematically reproduce the temperatures we've measured since the 1970s without including the CO2 we know is produced by us.
The world's scientific community supports human-induced global warming. I think it is a rather foolish thing for us not to listen to them, or to somehow think that we know better having never taken a single atmospheric measurement. In fact, it would be worse than foolish. It would be unbelievably arrogant.
1 Accurate scientific records haven't been kept long enough
Perhaps
#2 Temperatures globally have been rising for millions of years, as have sea levels
You mean thousands but the warmest period was probably around 7 thousand years ago. Millions of years ago it was warmer.
#3 Most of the ice caps are under water and water shrinks when thawed from ice, so sea levels should go down?
Sea levels don't change significantly when floating ice melts.
#4 When both poles are covered in ice it is classified as an ice age, maybe one is just ending?
It ended about 15 thousand years ago and it was period several degrees colder than today.
#5 It would be impossible to terraform mars' atmosphere, we can't do it here.
It probably costs a million dollars a pound to move anything to Mars so it isn't exactly apples and oranges.
#6 In the Tudor era temperatures would have been much cooler, is it still warming up, see 2
They lived in a relatively cool time, IMO, but it cooled and then warmed since then. A thousand and two thousand years ago, it was much warmer and more like today based on historical accounts and some proxies.
It is pretty tough to prove a negative. About the best you can do is remain skeptical. When additional evidence is provided, your skepticism should be reduced.
I will address your concerns individually.
#1 is based solely on your opinion and without any scientific justification for this claim. Scientific records of .... what?
#2 There is absolutely no truth to this claim. A simple "Google" search will show you how ludicrous this claim is. This claim even defies simple logic. Had global temperatures and sea level rise been occurring over millions years then this would suggest that there are no pattern changes and there has only been a continuous warming.
#3 Land based glaciers are not mostly under water and yet many of the glaciers are melting and at an accelerating pace. Water expands as it is heated so when ice melts it expands as well.
#4 An ice age is determined by the amount of ice on the planet and not just at the poles.
#5 We are not on Mars, we are on Earth. Mars and Earth are known as "sister planets" but there are vast differences between the two planets.
#6 What? What exactly does past global climate warming/cooling periods have to do with the observations being made now concerning climate change?
How do we know that is the burning of fossil fuels that are adding to the CO2 levels in our atmosphere?
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/outreach/is...
How do any of your concerns escape what the Laws of Physics, Chemistry and Thermodynamics that tell us about adding greenhouse gases to our atmosphere?
1 Accurate scientific records haven't been kept long enough.
Through ice core drilling in Antarctica and sedimentary studies on the continental coastlines, temperature and atmospheric gas content of the earth up to 100,000 years ago has been established. See peer reviewed studies done by Paleoclimatologists with Ph.Ds. In Antarctica, snow forms, falls and captures the earths atmospheric gases then lies on the ground and builds and builds every year. Similar to if you froze a bottle of soda it captures the gases in the soda, which could later be analyzed to tell you what gas was in the soda before it was frozen. Through these studies, 90% of climatologists (doctorates in climatology (not politicians or political pundits) (not including the remaining 10% of climatologists mostly funded by biased groups like the Libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute (funded by ExonMobil)) are in a consensus that these studies prove that the rate CO2 increase in the atmosphere is greater than what has occured during any natural warming period on earth over the last 100,000 years (this period included natural ice ages and warming periods).
#2 Temperatures globally have been rising for millions of years, as have sea levels. Not true. The last ice age ended 10,000 years ago. Before then, temperatures were always rising. They were cooling and the earth entered an ice age.
#3 Most of the ice caps are under water and water shrinks when thawed from ice, so sea levels should go down? Not true. Together, the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets contain more than 99 percent of the freshwater ice on Earth. This is ice on land that if melted would enter the ocean thus causing it to rise. See National Snow and Ice Data Center website for fact check.
During the Earth's history when the ice was melted. Coastal plains in America were underwater (most of NJ and all of Delaware). A lot of MD and all of DC were underwater. This is undisputed historical geology. Half of NJ is sand and that b/c is used to ocean floor. You can find ocean animal fossils in the middle of NJ.
#4 When both poles are covered in ice it is classified as an ice age, maybe one is just ending? No, the last ice age ended 10,000 years ago. See studies completed by Professor Thomas J Crowley BA,MS,PhD. These studies can be viewed on his University of Edinburg website. Google his name and "climate". He is just one of the 90% of experts who agree that humans are impacting the climate. Don't believe what politicians who are getting campaign contributions from Big Business have to say about climate change. Believe the real scientists, 90% of which are done debating this.
#5 It would be impossible to terraform mars' atmosphere, we can't do it here. It has been proven that CO2 levels affect the temp of the earth. This is simple physics. Heat from sun enters earth in wavelenghts. Certain molecular gasses trap and allow more heat to enter than others. Similar to how certain certain metals (molecules) have different properties when it comes to conducting heat. Same goes for gases. All the CO2 humans are releasing into the air has had a large change to the former gas makeup 200 years ago.
#6 In the Tudor era temperatures would have been much cooler, is it still warming up, see 2. I would recommend leaving climatology up to the experts (See studies completed by Professor Thomas J Crowley BA,MS,PhD.) Do some research and you'll find they are in agreement on this.
You believe there's not enough records etc to prove it , records haven't been kept long enough,and its just a theory ? Really you actually believe that , actually look up papers that actually professors and researchers have done .
We have not been warming up for millions of years you obviously have done no real research in to this yourself . The issue is not that the earth is warming it's actually mans influence in speeding up this warming that a big issue.
We don't need records to be kept a thousand our a few hundred years ago , we can take ice core , sediment samples , and measure radioactive decay our the chemical composition etc
That's a natural record that gives us thousands of years of data.
Ps besides the fact that we differ in opinion I do agree green people go to far with silly theory's with out looking at the real world and figuring out that actually we have to live in the modern society and that we need our wasteful technology while we figure out a way to make less wasteful technology more economically viable, which at the end of the day is what decides what we do.
please be consistent. In #1 you claim records are not long enough, yet in #6 you claim to know what temperature was.
# 2 is wrong. The ice age ended only a few thousand years ago, in the past millions there have been cold and warm periods.
#3 has no relevance. Sea levels rise mostly from LAND ice, not sea ice.
#5, Mars is different from earth.
Just a theory... just like gravity is just a theory. Please lean some basic science.
Experts said it's the largest swimming reptile they have ever found in the Grand Valley. COLORADO !
Forest down under... no not in Australia, but under the ice in Alaska.
Arctic's tropical past uncovered
Q: How is the universe changing?
................the way I see it is that global warming/change is happening but there is nothing mankind can do about it.......mankind's part may be equal to a 10 year old boy P'ing in the ocean !
Please check out the web sites to see what I mean !
To be very honest with you, It is not just human contribution. Methane and other factors naturally released to the atmosphere is changing the Earth and Earth will suffer either another Ice Age, or a heat wave that will once again kill off all life, it happened many times before, it will happpen again to suit Gods needs for this planet.
In my opinion, the biggest contributor to (overall) pollution for our planet is large factories (throughout the world) and automobiles the emit harmful gases into our air & environment. While little things we as individuals do to be 'green' surely don't hurt, I don't see how any real (significantly noticeable) change or improvement can be made until large industries/factories and the overall (harmful) practices and methods of how we use & harvest our resources (as a planet) are changed and brought to a healthier, more sustainable standard. It is something all industrialized countries have to get on board with and actually enforce. And as long as our more environmentally-damaging methods are more financially (and immediately) beneficial (i.e. are cheaper & faster), I can't imagine how that will change. The majority of corporations and industries are concerned with the immediate, not long-term consequences. And as a result, we all suffer.
Even as an everyday 'layman' consumer, I know most Americans here are not willing to spend extra (hard-earned) money on products that are manufactured in a sustainable fashion (because they simply are more expensive to make). And many people (in this country, and especially in poorer nations) simply do not have that luxury of options. They take what they can get.
It is a sad reality that requires genuine cooperation and willing sacrifice (from wealthier, powerful nations) to help teach and establish more sustainable methods of resource production & usage (globally) in order to balance our resources, production, distribution (and power) for the greater (long-term) good. That requires less greed on everyone's part, (especially the government)...
There is currently no credible, unmanipulated, scientific data that supports the notion of catastrophic, man-caused 'global warming'......none.
I have many reasons to prove it wrong...
#1 Accurate scientific records haven't been kept long enough
#2 Temperatures globally have been rising for millions of years, as have sea levels
#3 Most of the ice caps are under water and water shrinks when thawed from ice, so sea levels should go down?
#4 When both poles are covered in ice it is classified as an ice age, maybe one is just ending?
#5 It would be impossible to terraform mars' atmosphere, we can't do it here.
#6 In the Tudor era temperatures would have been much cooler, is it still warming up, see 2
I'm not against green people who believe in human caused global warming, I hate it when they say that we are warming up our planet and stuff like that without scientific fact. I don't disagree nor do I agree because it's just a theory...not proven...
Yes we can prove it. It is directly measured.
Global warming is the reduction of long-wave radiation escaping to space. As greenhouse gases trap radiation, less escapes and more remains in the environment as heat. So researchers track the escaping radiation. They are also measured the frequency of the increasing radiation at the earth surface to prove that the increased radiation that is reflected back to the surface is at the same frequency as that affected by CO2.
Global warming is directly measured and proved. Follow the research.
Not proof not even evidence, mostly lies. Denialsm at it's feeblest but also it's best, which is to say abysmally bad
Amen.
It not only an unproven theory, and a weak one at that, it is a scam.
good idea
Research online, it can be proven.
