Why is global warming serious?

Answer 1

Global warming is very serious, the melting of ice caps is rapid, and Earth could be finished within a 100 years if we keep going at this insane rate. Answer: 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

YES!!! Global warming (see Wikipedia for more information)could, in the foreseeable future, cause rising sea levels, stronger and more frequent hurricanes, widespread drought, and mass extinction. Although humans as a species would probably survive, thousands of live could be lost. Note that the science of climate change is relatively new (compared to, say, astronomy); therefore, we don't have INDISPUTABLE evidence that global warming is caused by humans, that humans could affect it, or that it would cause catastrophes. WE will never know this, but humans (or whatever replaces us) in several thousand years will. The "wait and see" policy is like experimenting on our planet -- how many times to scientists repeat experiments to avoid ERRORS? And how many chances will we have to relive the 2000s and change our destructive ways? Sure, global warming may turn out to be a complete farce. Then, we would have more jobs, cleaner energy, more efficient transportation, and healthier lifestyles. But what if the majority of scientists are right, and global warming is REAL? TAKE GLOBAL WARMING SERIOUSLY. Good planets are hard to find! 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 posts such as thesehave stated 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 3

Climate change is very serious.Have a look at the satellite images of the northern icecap in the summer of 2007.It is by far the biggest melt in human history. Glaciers everywhere are shrinking at an accelarating rate, the most worrying is the Greenland icesheet, which has enough ice to raise sea levels by 7 metres.Ice reflects nearly all of the sun's heat, but once the dark ocean is exposed, 75% of the suns heat is absorbed,making it much harder for ice to re-form.10 years ago, It was predicted by the International panel on climate change(IPCC) that the north pole would see its first ice free summer around 2100.Then it was 2050.Now its 2013.The consequences are almost too frightening to imagine.As well as rising sea levels,the changes to weather patterns could threaten the bread baskets of the northern hemisphere, and the world .This is rarely discussed in the media.What is discussed is the scramble for more oil and gas and new shipping lanes.The oil companys are waiting for the ice to melt. Maybe they plan to turn the oil into food.There are a great many people around me who think this is all scaremongering and is just part of a natural cycle.The climate change denial industry is largely responsible for this.This is a group of conservative think tanks,public relations firms and lobby groups funded by the fossil fuel industry and the big polluters, such as the aluminum and cement industries.They influence the media, dictate government policy, and tell people what they want to hear, and the people believe them because they lack scientific understanding, and the truth is too scary to contemplate.They employ scientists who lack principles(and the relevent credentials) and are prepared to lie and distort information for their own personal gain. All of them know full well that the Earth is in big trouble,and that fossil fuels and deforestation are the causes.They put their names to highly dishonest(and dangerous) documentry films such as "The great global warming swindle". One way or another, we have to end our addiction to fossil fuels and do it very soon, otherwise we are in for a major population crash or extinction.

Answer 4

At its worst, assuming we do nothing to alleviate the global warming effect, it could result in disastrous economic consequences and dramatic loss of species on the earth. Fortunately for me, this outcome is not likely within my own lifetime, although I fear for the position of my grandchildren.

Those of us who are past childhood and early adulthood probably have less to fear from the consequences of global warming and can focus on the short-term economic advantages of doing nothing. This is why the higher forecasts for global warming and its effects are probably more realistic. We should therefore expect significant rises in sea levels, which along with increased storm surges will result in inundation of important coastal regions and even the displacement of entire populations. There is a real possibility that arctic Siberia could warm to the extent of melting the tundra, which sequesters enormous amounts of carbon in frozen vegetation. Once this melts it will rot, emitting enough carbon dioxide to lead to uncontrolled, runaway global warming. If this ever happens, as well it might, humans wil be entirely unable to prevent catastrophic changes.

A:

Global warming is extremly dangerous. It can kill millions of people.

Answer 5

• Of course. If we don't sort it, many countries and islands such as Bangladesh will be drowned, as will cities such as London and New York. Climate change will also bring food shortages.
• Global warming is extremely dangerous. Global warming can kill millions of people.
• Global warming warms the earth, causing unique wildlife to decimate as they can not adapt to the new temperatures. If global warming continues, all the animals in the world will die.
• There is still a great deal of debate about exactly how big a threat global warming is, and what should be done about it. Chances are, global warming is going to get worse, however, we cannot predict exactly how rapidly this will happen or how bad it will get. My guess is that I will not live to see severe global warming, but the next generation after me probably will. And severe global warming could be very destructive. The immediate threat is that the ice caps will melt, and the sea level will rise a great deal, causing massive flooding of coastal regions. Many other problems are likely to result as well.
• The consensus of scientific opinion worldwide is that global warming is happening and we are causing it largely through our burning of fossil fuels.
• Even a global oil company like BP has accepted since 1997 that the science on climate change is clear and they are working (sometimes not too well) towards a greener world.
• The ten hottest years on the planet have occurred since 1997.

Answer 6

Global Warming is DEADLY SERIOUS! It's melting ice caps which is making the sea levels to rise, sooner or later the world will be drowned and COVERD in water! And obviously we all would be dead! That's why its serious! But nob heads around the world don't care, and there not taking any serious action

Answer 7

The Union of Concerned Scientists say it is a serious threat. "Global warming is already having significant and harmful effects on our communities, our health, and our climate."

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming#.WJpHIRBiai4

Answer 8

Yes, 97% of peer-reviewed climate scientists warn us that life on the planet is threatened if we cannot slow global warming.

Answer 9

Global warming warms the earth, causing unique wildlife to decimate as they can not adapt to the new temperatures. If global warming continues, all the animals in the world will die.