What are facts and myths about global warming?

Answer 1

Fact: Global warming is real, and caused predominantly by human consumption of fossil fuel.

Myth: Global warming stopped in the 1990s, and earth has not warmed since.

Myth: CO2 only lags temperature change, it never precedes it.

Myth: Global warming is caused by solar cycles.

Myth: During the medieval warm period earth was hotter than it is today.

Answer 2

• Humans produce so much carbon dioxide from cars, power plants, chemical plants, wasting electricity, wasting water, littering, that all that carbon dioxide goes up into the greenhouse gases and creates warmth.
• Right now this is melting glaciers at an alarming rate. With those glaciers melting and becoming water, the sea levels will rise very very much.
• Which could mean bigger floods and hurricanes. (that's very bad.)
• The earth is being heated even more to unnatural temperatures for some places.
• More heat will warm the earth and animals (that are used to different climates) habitats will be all messed up.
• Some animals, insects, and amphibians will become extinct.
• So it's very important to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide us humans produce because every little bit WILL hurt us in the end too.
• Global Warming is a long term secular increase in average temperatures, for all locations on the Earth.
• Global Warming is associated with changes in the climates at many places on Earth's surface. Some will become more arable, and some will become less.
• Global Warming is associated with a reduction in the mass of ice in glaciers, and at the poles (in general). In addition to the increase in sea level (from ice not supported by land), the water itself is warmer which serves to further increase average sea level.
• Global Warming is associated with increased storm intensity, if not frequency.

As sea level rises, the moment of inertia of the Earth increases (like a spinning skater moving his/her arms out), and the length-of-day increases.As more water mass is available to carry tides, the recession rate of the Moon will increase.As the oceans cover more area due to increased levels, currently low lying inhabited areas will either have to install dikes, or be abandoned to the sea.

Answer 3

Anthropogenic (man-made) global warming is occurring. Global warming has been identified as a major issue for the global community. This is causing Global Climate Change and 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.

Answer 4

• Coal burning power plants have launched light reflecting particles that cooled the atmosphere
• 2000-2010, warmest decade on record
• El Ninos are not considered global warming
• 2003- Europe had heat wave that killed 70,000 people
• 18% of Americans don't believe in global warming
• People will raise prices of health care due 2 "global warming"
• "effects of global warming are threatening extinction throughout earth"
• earth contains more CO2 than in industrial revolution
• cars amount to ¾ of pollution
• there has been serious warming recorded
• 2000-2010 was the hottest decade on record
• Since 1990, yrly CO2 emissions went up 6 billion tons
• Climate changes, meaning it does not always increase
• USA has spent $50 billion on Global warming
• W/out normal greenhouse effect, earth would be -18 degrees C
• USA is leading emitter of CO2
• The heat of 1998 was because of el nino
• global warming is not causing ice to melt on mars (climatologists say that it can). there is nothing there to cause it.
• When we cut down our emissions, NASA sent data (they said they were unsure) that said that earth was still heating up
• ⅓ of world population does not know about global warming
• ½ of americans view global warming as a serious concern
• Yellowstone National Park temperatures has gone up 2 degrees F in past century
• Park Managers are "sifting through data" to save wildlife
• They say that their species are dropping down to lowest level in 80 yrs
• coal burning plants spew light reflecting particles into the atmosphere and "cooled the planet"
• society still says global warming is getting increasingly worse
• 85% of U.S. activities try to stop people from causing global warming
• Greenhouse effect- "traps" heat, like how the sun heats a car
• Global sea level is rising @ 1.7 mm/yr
• El Ninos are not related to Global Warming, they have been around 4 thousands of yrs
• Average snow cover in world has decreased 10%
• In order to observe "global warming", the Earth must be constantly monitored every hr
• In order to measure what will happen in the future scientists must make a climate model (computerized program that makes a virtual world) - these models take months to be programmed
• Greenhouse gasses are necessary to keep the earth at an OK warmth.
• 1000 tons/sec of CO2 are dumped into the air constantly
• 20,000 - 25,000 polar bears are still in existence
• scientists believe that in 2040, there will be no ice
• Sea level has risen currently; 100 million people flooded out of homes in past decade
• If Greenland started to melt, scientists proved that the amount of ice there would raise sea levels 60 metres
• Recycling does "help the environment", because it uses coal to generate electricity. The compactors either burn the materials there or just use gas powered compactors (that have bobcat motors) to recycle it
• since 2001, 20% of US schools adopted a environmental education program
• In Jan 2011, 7000 buffaloes died in Vietnam due to the cold
• 1936- USA in midwest had 49 days of temperatures over 90 degrees
• 16% of the money the average family spends is on packaging. All styrofoam ends in the garbage.
• One tree gives off 120 KG of oxygen a year

Answer 5

1. Carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) is the main cause of global warming. Deforestation is the other main cause, because trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
2. We can still slow and maybe stop global warming by reducing our use of electricity and fuel oil, and by changing to renewable energy (solar, wind, water, hydro, tidal and wave, geothermal, ocean thermal, biomass and biofuel) to generate electricity.

Answer 6

1. Global warming isn't happening.
2. It's not caused by human activity.
3. It's not a bad thing anyway.
4. Cutting back carbon emissions will damage the economy.
5. Renewable energy can't provide baseline power..

Another five:

1. The Antarctic is losing ice

2. Sea levels are rising

3. Polar bears are currently dying due to global warming

4. This warming trend started in 1850

5. That there is a general conscience between scientists

Answer 7

That its not true and bent