Is global warming a human occurrence?

Answer 1

Global warming has been identified as a major issue for the global community. More properly this is called "Global Climate Change" as some areas may be warmer, some cooler, some wetter, some drier.

Background: The contention of the larger number of climatologists is that human activities since the industrial revolution have increased the content of CO2, methane, and other gases in the atmosphere that trap solar heat. At the same time human activities have reduced the forest cover that had traditionally absorbed these same materials. They state that an increasing level of these atmospheric constituents has lead to a chain of chemical and physical changes that have increased the world's average temperature.

Observations of atmospheric gas composition, average sea water temperatures, atmospheric temperatures etc. confirm the trends and support the proposition.

Potential Impacts:

1. The sea levels may rise. Technically this may be caused by melting ice from the polar ice caps or an increase in sea height as the less dense water is less compressed. Low lying land like many Pacific Islands and Miami will be under water.
2. Serious climate changes may result from diverted ocean currents. As an example, the Gulf Stream keeps Europe warm. If the Stream is not running Europe may be much cooler and drier. Crops may not grow.
3. Ecology changes on the land could include species of animals and plants extending their range to the polar regions. Local flora and fauna may become extinct. A good example is the spread of Africanized bees and Fire Ants. Sea life may also be impacted both through the introduction of competitive species presently kept in other areas by water temperature changes, and by failure to adapt to less saline water.
4. Human society may be disrupted if changes in rainfall and temperature cause crop failure. Famine refugees may require significant humanitarian attention by the "lucky" nations.

Conflicting opinions?

Yes indeed, some people don't agree!

However, the problem breaks down into two potential scenarios. Either there is a basis for fear about climate change, or, there isn't.

If Climate Change isn't real and we do nothing - good! Except of course many of the problems that science has identified and blamed as causing Climate Change are just plain wastes of resources, and inefficient and uneconomical practices that should be addressed anyway. A polluted, climatically steady world with no fish and no oil will be no fun at all.

If Climate Change is not real and we do all the things that we should - reduce emissions, cut fuel use, re-establish forests - we're out money (maybe) but in general the world is a better and more sustainable place.

If Climate Change is real and we do nothing - we are dead or at least very miserable.

If Climate Change is real and we work to correct all our bad habits we might still be in trouble ... if it's too little and too late, but we'll go down fighting. If we succeed we live.

An afterthought:

Comments to this original post stated:

* it isn't real/ it is made up/ a figment of our imagination.

* There are no facts. The fact is we know nothing about it. Whether we are causing it or it is a phase the world goes through. It is just a theory. It will never be a fact.

If these writers are right ... Wahoo!

However, no case in the summary of potential future scenarios which is based on us sitting around doing nothing at all has a cheery outcome.

Answer 2

That depends whether or not you subscribe to that idea that current climate changes are human-caused. Two opinion expressed to date here are:

1. No. It is a natural process
2. Global warming can become a disaster if we do nothing to stop it. The time for action is running out.

Answer 3

The earth is kept naturally warm by the greenhouse effect, supported by the water and carbon cycles that move these gases in and out of the atmosphere. This has been happening since life began on earth.

The present global warming, that is, the unusual warming of the earth since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when we began to burn fossil fuel, is not naturally occurring. This is happening because of human activities.

Answer 4

A:No. Global warming is partly natural, but the recent increase in global average temperatures is the result of human activities.

Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring greenhouse gas. At normal concentrations, it, along with other greenhouse gases, helps maintain global temperatures at a level that is comfortable for humans and other animals that have adapted to the present climate. This is the natural part of global warming.

By adding new carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, which we do by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, and by cement manufacture, we interfere with the natural process and create enhanced global warming. Throughout human history until the Industrial Age, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were in the range 260-280 parts per million (ppm) and never higher than this. The increase in concentrations of carbon dioxide to the present level of 380 ppm is accepted by research scientists as principally the result of human activity and so the resultant enhanced global warming is anthropogenic, not a natural phenomenon.

A:That is the 64-trillion-dollar question. (Actually, it's probably going to cost us a whole lot more than that if we get the answer wrong.) Some say it is a natural occurence. Others say it is caused by man. Still others say it is a combination of the two. Personally, I don't fall in any of these groups because I don't believe that global warming is happening at all. A:I believe that there is no such thing as "Global warming." It is a natural process, it freezes, melts, freezes, rains, freezes again.."Natural." Then again I also do believe that we are also speeding up the process of nature...Okay, I hear people say that the green house gases don't let the sun to the earth and the sun sits on the outside of the earth and heats up the earth..."Not all that true."

Answer 5

Global climate fluctuations, both long and short term, are a natural occurrence. Even with the present quite rapid increase in average global temperatures, climate fluctuations mean that not every year sets a new record above all previous temperature records. So, for example, the record average global temperature of 1998 was not matched until 2005 and then not exceeded again until 2010.

In fact all global climate fluctuations are natural, except the recent global warming that results from human activity. This is caused by an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, resulting principally from our use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, and from the manufacture of cement and deforestation.

Answer 6

Yes, scientists agree that global warming is largely being caused by the human activities of deforestation, and the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), both of which activities result in additional amounts of carbon dioxide in the greenhouse gases of the atmosphere.

Answer 7

Every country and the vast majority of climate scientists agree that global warming is caused by the human activities of deforestation and burning fossil fuels.