Climate change doubters; what is your most significant objection to the current data re global warming?

Question

What data would convince you (if anything) to reconsider your opinion. Please be specific and refrain from ad hominem attacks on Al Gore (not relevant).

Answer 1

Great question. I don't have any objections but I haven't seen enough proof. So far it is not science. We are taking multiple scientific studies, combining them and some are saying "see this is proof". Science doesn't work that way. But I digress...to your two questions.



1) Why did we see higher CO2 in the past but not higher temperatures? To quote the article "it appears that much of the last 550 million years has experienced carbon dioxide concentrations significantly higher than the present day." Much of the theory rides on CO2 and temperature being in a causal relationship.



2) What would make me believe the theory is correct...I have thought a lot about this and I don't think one piece of data will do it. But the first thing I would need is for the models to start matching reality. I want to see the average temperature increase for 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, & 20 years with the variance of accuracy. The more accurate the more interested I will be.





What would convince you that the theory of Global warming was wrong?



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Your statement about 650,000 years is correct but when we look at a longer period of time (see first reference) we see that CO2 was higher.

Quote: "Although contemporary CO2 concentrations were exceeded during earlier geological epochs, present carbon dioxide levels are likely higher now than at any time during the past 20 million years[18] and at the same time [PLEASE NOTE] lower than at any time in history if we look at time scales longer than 50 million years [END NOTE]. NOAA research estimates that 97% of atmospheric CO2 created each year is from natural sources and approximately 3% is from human activities."

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Temperature Data.

There is data and you will notice that the temperature of the earth is at the lower end today when viewed over a 500 million year period. When limited to a 650,000 year period the chart shows a major increase.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/All_palaeotemps.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geologic_temperature_record



Even when viewed over 5 million years the increase looks drastic.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Five_Myr_Climate_Change.png



I don't think the facts I have shown prove the theory either way. But I do think there are enough contradictory facts to question Global Warming. Why was the temperature so much higher? Why was CO2 so much higher but life thrived?



I do appreciate that you are a reasonable articulate person willing to discuss the facts. I know that both sides have crazies (read some of the responses above and below) that aren't willing to listen.

Answer 2

It seems that the current models only consider the Earth, but doesn't take into account solar activity. For instance, as the sun ages, it will produce more energy, thus it's energy output is incrementally increasing over time. What affect will this have upon the global warming model?



Another activity related to the sun, sunspots, occurs every so often and can last for a number of years. These also can produce elevated energy production from the sun, certainly more rapidly than the aging process, thus affecting our climate. Again, what bearing will this have on our planet?



Also, with regards to cities, they are ever expanding, thus producing more black-colored roofs that act as great solar collectors. As solar gain within the building leads to increased heating, the building air conditioning system will work to remove that heat from the inside of the building. AC systems are really nothing more than energy movers, as they extract the heat from the inside of the building and move it to the outside, via condensing units or chilled water towers. What affect does this additional heat accumulation have on the surrounding environment, as well as the planetary climate as a whole? Think about the millions upon millions of AC systems working around the world at once.



The problem with all this is that there are so many variables to consider on a planetary level, that there will always be room for error. The question is, how much error and how accurate will our data ever be?

Answer 3

I don't object to the data. The data is that the earth has undergone a warming period similar to some past warming periods. The data is that those other warming periods occurred when CO2 levels were lower than today's, which indicates that some other factor is at least as important. The only data consistent with the CO2 blanket theory is that the stratosphere has been cooling, but the warming started in the late 1800s, while the stratospheric cooling started in the early 1990s.



On some level we contribute but whether that's at all material remains unproven. In a free society you can't go around tripling the cost of power and doubling the cost of people's commutes based on an interesting hypothesis, which when you peel away all the grandstanding is all that anthropogenic global warming is.

Answer 4

It is a proven fact that we are helping to ACCELERATE global warming. Yes climate changes have been happening for centuries, but people do not understand that we are releasing more CO2 into the atmosphere which is what accelerates the global warming process. Yes, the earth can stabilize itself, but only when people stop bashing people and do the right thing and realize this is a REAL threat. The warmer our atmosphere gets, the more ice from the north and south poles will melt. Cooling the oceans world wide, and changing the climate as we know drastically. The movie "the day after tomorrow" was not far off from what will happen. I will find and post some articles...

Answer 5

sure; it replaced into stated as the arriving Ice Age. yet finally human beings wised up and refused to quit limitless political means and by no potential-ending study provide money. Undaunted the liberals replaced the call to international warming. some embarrassing snow storms for Gore and international warming became climate replace. i won't be able to await the subsequent ingredient the communists, I advise the socialists, no wait they are liberals now, that replaced into very last year they at the on the spot are stated as progressives will call the arriving ice age, I advise international warming or is it climate replace now???

Answer 6

The IPCC (The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) identified 12 factors in climate "forcings" (i.e., factors like greenhouse gas emissions, clouds, and solar radiation that "force" temperatures higher or lower). These 12 factors went into the computer models to generate the predictions about future warnings but the IPCC said in 2001 that scientific understanding of 7 of the 12 factors was "very low". Now for the new report the IPCC has consolidated the 12 factors into just 9, but the IPCC still says our level of understanding is "low" or "medium low" for 6 of the 9. And we are supposed to impose draconian measures when they can't even understand 6 of 9 factors that were put into the computer models?

Answer 7

1.) Earth warmed and cooled many times in the past, before humans. Ever heard of the Ice Age?



2.) CO2 has been present in the atmosphere in higher concentrations than it is now, and the temperature was colder at that time.



3.) Supposedly, the Earth has warmed 0.6 degrees over the past 150 years. Prove it. There were very very few thermometers 150 years ago, and they were nowhere close to as accurate as today's. How can you reliably compare data from limited sources with bad equipment and say it is accurate?



4.) Evidence suggests that other planets are warming as well, like Mars.

Answer 8

I am very conservative, but I have no doubt of climate change. The truth is that many conservative have embraced this as a real issue, especially recently. I think that it took so long because it was a democrat issue in the past and we all know how much of a partisanship issue has arisen in this country due to political parties. Hopefully your question will be obsolete in a few months.

Answer 9

We've been through it before. In the 50's they saying we had global warming. In the 70's we were headed for another ice age. Now we are back to global warming, but with a twist. Last week I read an article that said global warming would cause all of the ice caps to melt and the resulting increase in evaporation would cause more clouds, which would hide the sun more, which would eventually lead to another ice age. Good grief, let's just run around in circles and scream "The sky is falling, the sky is falling".

Answer 10

Good question, now I believe in GW, and I believe man is influencing climate change, so the real question is, how much? I hear a lot of propaganda threatening us that we are going to kill ourselves in 100 years unless we start going back to the stone age. This is what turns me off about GW, because that stuff is like terrorism: it wants you to fear a possible outcome.



I would like to see good, agreed upon glacial budgets for several years, and computer models that can accurately predict the weather and our impact on it.

Answer 11

I don't think there is much dispute at all about the average temperature rise over the last hundred years.



The debate is about what is actually causing it. Is it natural? Are we to blame for more than a fraction of it? If we all lived in grass huts and rode donkeys, would it get cooler? Is it as bad as Chicken Little says?

Answer 12

there are a few that don't understand the argument.. they think Global Warming doesn't exist.. those need to have explained exactly what GW is so that they know that isn't even a part of the debate.. the rest just need concrete proof that this time around GW is due to our actions in some significant amount.. rather than just another swing in the natural cycle.

Answer 13

my most significant objection to the data is that its cherry picked. its incomplete.

Temperature and Ice melting data is taken only from specific areas which show more of the agenda that the 'scientist' wants to show.

The data isnt correct. Its a farce.



I am not sayin there isnt warming. I am not sayin there isnt some ice melting. I am nto saying that there aren't co2 emissions.



But I AM sayign the data sets being used are BS.



-- yes i do have a link to back it up try http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa576.pdf

Answer 14

The climate changes all the time. This HYPE about MAN causing the warming is a total farce.Don't you know about the hype of global cooling,in the 1970's. The media can make some people believe anything: Y2K , mad cow, Clintons are good!!!!

Answer 15

Some say global warming is all our fault and they want a carbon tax that won't fix the problem and would just line the pockets of governments. Ever hear of "agenda 21"? Just like terrorism, global warming is just another hoax to scare you into becoming a slave. enjoy.

Answer 16

Provide facts to prove global warming. There are no facts at this time to prove global warming exists. There is proof that the sun is producing more heat which warms the planet.



Science is based on facts and there are no or not enough facts to prove global warming.

Answer 17

It's not that the climate is changing, it's the theory that man is causing it. The climate has been changing for centuries and centuries. The climate is not static.



Do you know that a very long time ago, that oxygen was considered a toxin in the atmosphere? Bet you didn't.

Answer 18

Because 30 years ago they were predicting we were going into an ice age. I believe the earth will balance itself out as long as it's Creator chooses for it to exist. Also, Al Gore is not credible. If he were he would be setting an example for everyone else.

However, King Gore believes the rules don't apply to him.

Answer 19

better data then "its definitely a possibility"



actual records, without select years removed



and less of Al Gores hypocrisy, sorry to say, but if AL gore has a mansion that burns more fuel and energy than 4 other houses, as well as a private jet, then it really mustn't be a problem.

Answer 20

All the snow that's fallen in my yard lol. No evidence of warming around here.

Answer 21

Is global cooling still on?

Answer 22

I have no doubt the Climate is changing. Is it caused by Humans ? I doubt it. Its more to do with the sun energy output

Answer 23

some people will never learn, but they will scream hardest, why didn't you do something about it, when it is to late.