Global warming

Global Warming is a phrase which commonly refers to a scientific theory and political proposals that would follow if the theory is accepted. The theory states that Earth's temperature and CO₂ levels are rising at a dangerous rate, and that humans need to take action against this perceived threat.

The name is inaccurate, and should be Global Climate Change, as the increasing amount of heat stored in the atmosphere has had disruptive effects leading to colder weather in some areas.

History

The scientific theory is widely but not universally accepted within the scientific community. Conservatives who are opposed to the political proposals that flow from acceptance of the theory, are properly skeptical of the motivations of the theorists, and challenge the scientific validity of portions of the theory. Many believe global warming is simply a liberal talking point, aimed at shackling profitable oil and power companies, forcing them to pursue a "green" agenda that environmentalists agree with. The phrase really includes three separate theories.

1) The theory that we are currently in a period of rapid climate change consisting of increasing temperature, which, if it were to continue, would have important socio-economic consequences well within the next century.

2) The theory that this change is caused by increasing CO₂ gasses and a resulting "greenhouse" effect.

3) The theory that this change is caused by human activity, mostly industrial emissions of carbon-based "greenhouse gasses."

Much of the discussion of climate change concerns

4) The proposal that global warming can and should be reversed by taking large-scale international action to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Point #1 has become very widely accepted in the past few decades, even by conservatives who were once skeptical, but argue that the rising temperature is due to other factors.

Point #1 is argued against by those showing record cold temperatures around the globe.

Points #2 and point #3 are more controversial, although widely accepted by scientists. Points #3 is the one most attacked by global warming skeptics.

Point #4 is what the political and international debate are about. Both climate change itself, and the very large-scale actions that are proposed to combat it, would have enormous economic effects with identifiable winners and losers, resulting in an intense debate. For example, since the industrialized nations emit most of the CO₂, if it were agreed that these emissions needed to be reduced sharply, the burden would fall much more heavily on these nations than on undeveloped nations. _{citation needed}

The liberal view

Global warming is based in science. As science has no loyalty, Global warming can not be attributed to people of a specific political ideology

The conservative view

Just as the pro-global warming scientists are benefiting from promoting global warming, the global warming skeptical scientists have had funding from energy companies. _{citation needed} It can be said that they profit from energy stock, just as well as the pro-global warming scientists. However, the skeptics are not selling carbon credits, but they are profiting from selling alternative energy products and services. _{citation needed}

In the UK, Conservatives propose a bill that will tax flights to combat climate change. Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Global Warming Solutions Act to try and curb global warming. The Pentagon has told George W. Bush that global warming is a real threat. George W. Bush admits that global warming is a problem, but that there is still some debate about it.

Evangelical view

In Febuary of 2006, eighty-six evangelical church leaders backed an initative to combat global warming. This call to action acknowledges the growing body of evidence that global warming is happening and acknowledges the pledge in 2004 that humans have "a sacred responsibility to steward the Earth and not a license to abuse the creation of which we are a part." This stance is not held by all evangelical church leaders; some of whom claim that this is distracting from other social issues.

Conflicting Opinions/Data

Conflicting opinions stem largely from conservative interest groups and have no basis in science or logic.

Global warming advocacy sites

Many web sites, forms, blogs, and other web sites exist for promoting global warming and participate in on the profit by the owners or operators or administrators owning oil stock, selling carbon credits, or selling books or videos that benefit from global warming being true. Here is a list of these web sites:

• Climate Crisis Promotes An Inconvenient Truth, makes profits off of selling videos and books on global warming.
• Stop Global Warming Sells books on stopping global warming, has a list of companies selling global warming items. Claims to be non-political but appears to be political based.
• Climate Change Blog Uses advertising to make money on promoting global warming. Links to other global warming blogs.
• Huffington Post Global Warming Blog Appears to promote news paper and advertising by promoting global warming. Parent company stands to gain a lot of money by promoting that global warming is true and debunking evidence and proof that it is false.
• United Political Debate Administrator has admitted to owning oil stock, and promotes global warming and peak oil theories that drive up his stock. Refuses to allow any videos to be hosted on his site that show evidence or proof against global warming. Argues to death anyone who disagrees with him, and calls them bad names and accuses them of working for the oil companies.