Changes

"Yes" or "No" answers don't fit.  Global warming was evident from about 1890 to 1940, and from about 1978 to 1998.  Global cooling was evident from 1940 until well into the 1960s, and after 1998.  So, is it evident?  Yes, sometimes, and sometimes no.    Is it the fault of man?  Atmospheric CO2 levels are well over the normal level, even allowing for natural cycles in CO2 in the atmosphere, and these levels have been on the rise since the start of the industrial revolution.  It is also well proven at this point that CO2 is a greenhouse gas.  So, for that matter, are water vapor, and methane which is released by animals and humans.  By far the most potent greenhouse gas, is water vapor.  Yet we know that CO2 levels have been rising since, and because of, the industrial revolution, making them the fault of man, and yet there is not all that much correlation of the CO2 increase with actual temperature changes.  I believe man-made greenhouse gases probably do have a small effect on temperatures, perhaps less than 20%.  Global warming alarmists have yet to adequately explain why if CO2 levels in the atmosphere have been on the rise since the start of the industrial revolution, there was such as sharp period of global cooling for over two decades starting in 1940?  The only way they can get around this is by claiming that man-made global warming only started recently, but that negates their claim that burning coal and driving SUVs are the major causes of global warming.  Coal was the main fuel for the early industrial revolution, and cars today put out about 10% of the exhaust that they did before catalytic converters were adopted.  There is of course the possibility that we would have seen more global cooling from 1940-70 if not for human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, but even if that is the case what this clearly means is the human-caused portion of the problem is well outweighed by other natural and uncontrollable factors.  In other words, man trying to stop it, with the Kyoto treaties or anything else, will have such a negligible effect on the actual temperatures that we will literally have dumped billions of dollars down a black hole.  That said, man-made CO2 levels in the atmosphere are well over their natural range.  We can and should, prudently and rationally, have a common sense policy discussion about long-term reduction in CO2 emissions and cleaner energy sources.  But the global warming alarmists with their end of the world, "we're DOOOMED!" nonsense, are right now the biggest impediment to having a sober discussion of this issue.  Al Gore's problem is he is just like any other doomsday cultist.  He believes in the end of the world just around the corner, and he wants to destroy the planet and make us all drink kool-aid in order to save it.  A far bigger crisis than global warming right now is saving the planet from the likes of Al Gore, who want to run roughshod over everything about our society and economy in the name of "saving the planet".  If anything, the free market is automatically going to find the solutions.  [[User:GregL|GregL]] 21:20, 26 February 2009 (EST)

"Yes" or "No" answers don't fit.  Global warming was evident from about 1890 to 1940, and from about 1978 to 1998.  Global cooling was evident from 1940 until well into the 1960s, and after 1998.  So, is it evident?  Yes, sometimes, and sometimes no.    Is it the fault of man?  Atmospheric CO2 levels are well over the normal level, even allowing for natural cycles in CO2 in the atmosphere, and these levels have been on the rise since the start of the industrial revolution.  It is also well proven at this point that CO2 is a greenhouse gas.  So, for that matter, are water vapor, and methane which is released by animals and humans.  By far the most potent greenhouse gas, is water vapor.  Yet we know that CO2 levels have been rising since, and because of, the industrial revolution, making them the fault of man, and yet there is not all that much correlation of the CO2 increase with actual temperature changes.  I believe man-made greenhouse gases probably do have a small effect on temperatures, perhaps less than 20%.  Global warming alarmists have yet to adequately explain why if CO2 levels in the atmosphere have been on the rise since the start of the industrial revolution, there was such as sharp period of global cooling for over two decades starting in 1940?  The only way they can get around this is by claiming that man-made global warming only started recently, but that negates their claim that burning coal and driving SUVs are the major causes of global warming.  Coal was the main fuel for the early industrial revolution, and cars today put out about 10% of the exhaust that they did before catalytic converters were adopted.  There is of course the possibility that we would have seen more global cooling from 1940-70 if not for human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, but even if that is the case what this clearly means is the human-caused portion of the problem is well outweighed by other natural and uncontrollable factors.  In other words, man trying to stop it, with the Kyoto treaties or anything else, will have such a negligible effect on the actual temperatures that we will literally have dumped billions of dollars down a black hole.  That said, man-made CO2 levels in the atmosphere are well over their natural range.  We can and should, prudently and rationally, have a common sense policy discussion about long-term reduction in CO2 emissions and cleaner energy sources.  But the global warming alarmists with their end of the world, "we're DOOOMED!" nonsense, are right now the biggest impediment to having a sober discussion of this issue.  Al Gore's problem is he is just like any other doomsday cultist.  He believes in the end of the world just around the corner, and he wants to destroy the planet and make us all drink kool-aid in order to save it.  A far bigger crisis than global warming right now is saving the planet from the likes of Al Gore, who want to run roughshod over everything about our society and economy in the name of "saving the planet".  If anything, the free market is automatically going to find the solutions.  [[User:GregL|GregL]] 21:20, 26 February 2009 (EST)

== References ==

== References ==