Global Warming - is it a proven fact?
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What do you think?
See results without votingGlobal Warming
If you watch TV you're probably very worried about the prospect of Global Warming - every day a different study confirms that the world is heading towards global disaster, and man is the main factor in creating this dangerous change in climate.
Heavyweight politicians like Al Gore chime in with their un-disputed facts, presenting convincing evidence that Global warming is a fact.
However, do a little research on the Internet, and you'll find thousands of web sites dedicated to debunking the Global Warming theories, claiming that it is all a myth made up by government to force us to change, and to create wealth for many people. These doubters point to convincing statistics showing that Global Warming is simply part of a cycle that occurs naturally.
So which side of the argument is true?
Does the news about manipulated data change your views on Global Warming
See results without voting*probe into emails*
Whether or not you believe in Global Warming, it is very worrying to read that some UK scientists may have been manipulating the Global Warming data - you start to wonder how many other reports have been manipulated and if there is political motivation behind it.
While this is only an isolated incident, and like anything, emails can be taken out of context, you wonder if in the coming months more leaks will occur that throw the whole Global Warming science into question - perhaps we'll start getting some established scientists, who so far have been scared to speak against Global Warming finally coming forward.
What I feel is needed is proper debate - get the politics out of the way and debate the problem properly and scientifically - we don't need pseudo-experts like Al Gore telling us the problem (or me for that matter) - we need a solid scientific study backed by everyone.
I know there is a lot of decent research going on and many have commented on my article that the science is good - I just would like to see transparency, honesty and integrity - there are so many people making money out of Global Warming that it's hard to really trust anyone.
Just look at all the grants that university are getting to study Global Warming - is this a factor and does it prejudice their data?
- BBC News - UN body wants probe of climate e-mail row
The head of the world's top climate change body says claims that UK scientists manipulated data should be investigated.
What do you think about this news? Isolated, or tip of the iceberg?Loading...
For me global warming is a given and natural cycle but feel that we (humans) will and have impacted this cycle. One reason scientist may have manipulated data is because they see the path we are headed down. It's kind of like telling someone to shape up or something bad will happen but they don't listen to you, so you exaggerate to get their attention (or funding). But it is very prudent that we are given a truthful, examined, and clear view on where we stand globally when it comes to the environment. I think we can all agree that as of now we are not doing enough.
You need my choice as an option: Global warming is real, it is man made, and we need more of it.
Simy, I live at elevation on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. In the summers, for years, the lows have been consistently about the average lows record for over 100 years. I am convinced of global warming but maybe not of the massive adverse effects some warn of. But it should be taken very seriously. This low summer temp occurs in populated and non populated areas of the eastern Sierra Nevada range.
Where do you live ... Is NJ located on the brighter side of moon ?
I mean, don't you keep the door of your room closed, when you want to keep the room Warm, in winters... But,suppose, you go on 'heating' the room, which in the present case is earth's atmosphere, and there is no letting out of the heat and smoke ... the Global 'room' turns into a poision filled 'oven' ... This is a fact, but the situation is politely called Global Warming, by the criminals, chasing Dollars, and in the mad process, choking humankind...
i dont want to offend anyone on this HUB, but you guys are all talking a lot of hot air! (no pun intended!)
"You remember the ice age? It's been warming ever since, and there ain't nothing we can do to stop it." - Senator Burns. i think that this comment really means a lot and has resonated since the day it was spoken! the world is warming and we better face the facts or suffer the consequences up to our watery grave! Sam Birch Out! X
"You remember the ice age? It's been warming ever since, and there ain't nothing we can do to stop it." - Senator Burns
Political Quotes
"There are many who still do not believe that global warming is a problem at all. And it's no wonder: because they are the targets of a massive and well-organized campaign of disinformation lavishly funded by polluters who are determined to prevent any action to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming out of a fear that their profits might be affected if they had to stop dumping so much pollution into the atmosphere." - Al Gore
Green is good - isn't it?
There's no doubt that going green is a good thing for the environment - even if the whole Global Warming 'thing' is a scam, there's no harm reducing our footprint. However, to go blindly into the 'green' world is very dangerous.
- 'Green' light-bulbs contain mercury, providing their own environmental issue.
- Electric cars reduce emissions of fumes into the atmosphere; however, in the US, 50% of the electric is produced at 'clean' coal power stations - there is no conclusive evidence that these power stations are clean, and there are other environmental issues such as coal dust that enter the equation. So just buying that electric car in the US is not enough - the US has to find an alternate to coal power before the electric car really has a large impact.
Read more about the Energy Efficient Light-Bulbs & Electric Cars here:
- Why Hybrid Cars are Not the Solution to Global Warming or Pollution
This is a picture of the Toyota Prius Hybrid Car 3rd Generation There are simply not enough raw materials to convert all the Worlds Automobiles to Hybrid Technologies, nor electric for that matter. As the... - Going Green - Energy Saving Light-Bulbs - what you might not know!
This hub is not intended to debate the whole Global Warming Debate; while I may disagree with much I see on TV about this whole issue, there are obviously signs that something is going on in the world. I...
The News or Internet is always right.
There is a lot of information available, both on the TV and the Internet. Suddenly there are millions of experts out there all who 'know' everything there is to know about Global Warming and many other issues.
With the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Myspace, it's very easy to spread disinformation especially about a highly publisized issue.
For instance, did you know that the Swine Flu was caused by Global Warming - there was a NY Times article that refered to a 'longer flu season' because of Global Warming - search and you'll find dozens of pages stating that Global Warming is creating the Swine Flu.
These articles play on people's fears and do not base their information on science.
Some examples:
Self Fulfilling Prophecy.
Did you know that the whole Global Warming debate has a carbon footprint?
Let's calculate the electric used to create view this Hub and other global warming sites for example. (My assumptions or not based on any scientific fact and are merely to demonstrate a point):
- A search for Global Warming on the Internet brings up 33 million 'hits'.
- Assume that the total time to design each of these sites, plus the time people take to read each of these sites comes to about an hour per site.
- The average computer use 50w of electricity in an hour
Total kwh used = 33,000,000 x 50/1000 = 1,650,000 kwh
Total pounds of CO2 per kwh = 0.524lbs (See source below)
Total lbs of CO2 due to the design, implementation adn reading of all of these Global Warming websites: 864,600lbs.
Then you have TV coverage, travel to Global Warming rallies and conferences, the energy used to design and create 'green' products, or re-package products that were already green etc.
It soon adds up - simply removing the debate from the mass media and leaving the scientists to work on the problem would have a huge impact in itself!
Sources:
Statistics and relevance
Both of the statements below are accurate according to 'experts' - the problems in a lot of cases is the facts are being reported, but the whole picture is not - this happens on both sides of the equation.
"Global Cooling: Alaskan Glaciers Grow For First Time In 250 Years"
"Greenland ice sheets melting: Global warming advances faster than anticipated"
A more detailed discussion on the myths and facts:
- Global Warming: More Hype than Reality
What do we really know about global warming? Is is the global warming crisis, or is it the global warming myth? Everything we know comes from people who know people who know people... and from the news. Get a life, and make your own decisions! - Global Warming - fact or fiction?
If you've seen Al Gore's documentary you're probably left in no doubt that Global Warming is real. Every day there's a new news article proclaiming proof of the inevitable demise of the World as we know it....
CommentsLoading...
SimeyC - Nicely balanced article. Gus
Nice hub. Please keep in touch.
Great hub. Alot interesting information!
Tons of info. Wow!
I have always believed that the earth warming is a natural evolution. This hub is great, well balanced and informative. Thanks x
stumbled across this article and found it very helpful. i was just in an environmental science lab today in school and we talked about the ozone layer and how it closes and opens over the poles each year according to the sunlight (cause the poles have none of it for like 6 months out of the year). so in the winter there's barely any ozone and then it replenishes itself in the summer. oddly enough, as a country founded on Enlightenment principles of individual reason, we're far too eager to eat the political nonsense spoon fed us by politicians. you're voice is much needed. thanks.
"Al Gore chime in with their un-disputed facts, presenting convincing evidence that Global warming is a fact."
Rather inconveniently Al Gore's chime has not been adopted by science educators in many countries. In the UK it was scheduled to be released to all secondary schools by some of the more gullible politically motivated "educators" within the UK government. Fortunately, a high court injunction was taken out against the UK government to prevent it being shown in schools because it is technically and scientifically incorrect on at least 9 separate counts. It can currently only be screened if accompanied by rational disclaimers based on the real evidence for and against climate change!
"Al Gore chime in with their un-disputed facts, presenting convincing evidence that Global warming is a fact."
Al gore? Al Gore was on Conan the other night. The Holy Priest of Global Warming said that geothermal energy is a great resource, because the center of the earth's temperature is "millions" of degrees.... The Center of the Sun is millions of degrees... We'd all be toast if the center of the Earth was millions of degrees, Al. The center of the Earth is more like 4,000-6,000 degrees - about the same size error Al is making about our overall climates behavior.
Al - Ice ages and warming cycles have been occurring on Earth for quite some time now - stop scaring people to fatten your wallet.
What a horses ass. (Sorry, horses).
UPDATE!!
You should check out the emails from the University of East Anglia in England (that were just hacked/released) - proud members of the IPCC...
It's starting to look like there has been a lot of falsified data (supporting man-made climate change) and pressure on peers (and scientific journals) to NOT publish contradictory (but real) data...
It appears that not only is the global warming data fake, but also that the scientific "consensus" is a sham too - ah well.
best to read one pro climate change book and one against the idea then form an opinion. snipets of internet information dont do the subject justice.
The problem with the global climate change 'debate' is that it is mainly between non scientists (most sceptics) and scientists/non scientists. As a result there is a huge amount of misunderstanding of the science. Between those who actually understand the science there is far less debate - except about more subtle aspects of the science.
Read books by all means and surf the web for info. But please don't think that by reading one 'pro' and one 'anti' book you will ahve got a balanced view of the debate. Climate change science is hugely complex. Unless you are prepared to spend a LOT of time studying the subject you will at some point have to rely on scientists to provide you with information - as is the case with any branch of science. Among scientists there is broad agreement that climate change is happening, is a result of human activity, and will have sever concequences for humans - with a small number of dissenters. So if you are interested in climate change science buy yourself an undergraduate geography text book on climate change and accept that what is contained in it is probably a good summary of our current understanding.
MNichopolis: yep interesting stuff! I wonder if this is isolated or the tip of the iceberg - these universites get grants and funding to research Global Warming so it's in their best interest to find something!
Jonmillet: I agree climate change is a huge science, and it's far more complex than simply being man made - I'm sure man has some effect, but so does mother nature, and other factors. My concern now, with the East Anglia leak is that there are other researchers being 'dishonest' with their research - there is a clear monetary benefit to continued research - I'm hoping East Anglia is an isolated incident, but it certainly makes people think twice. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out..
Well who is giving these grants to these scientist? and if they are giving grants for research they must believe its likely to be real, if so why not just give the money to factories making micro generating solar power and heat pumps and get everyone self sufficent. they amount of alternative energy that could have been generated by the money spent on two oil and gas wars must be huge.
self sufficency isnt popular among energy companies because they want us to pay monthly bills. but to me its an answer.
in response to jon millet
i still think it would be better if people actually read some books on the subject rather than snippets off the net, the likelyhood would be that they might change their minds.
Songster: I agree that people should read books - however, the average person won't be able to differentiate between the 'good' books or the biased books - there are so many books to read now that it is hard to know which to buy. Like the internet, it's also very difficult to really understand the problem just by reading selected books.
The other problem that is occurring is that people are believing everything they read about green products and not thinking about other consequences - as I mention in my article, these new lightbulbs do save energy, but they also have other 'bad' effects such as the mercury content.
Additionally, electric cars may sound great - but the electric comes from (in the USA) a coal powered electric plant.
So there has to be a whole shift - not just by consumers but by governments - more wind and air power, alternative powerstations - even Nuclear power must be looked at.
Even if the Global Warming is a fraud, changing the way we make and use power can only benefit us all....
As for the Grants - well some Grants are specifically for research into finding solutions to the Global Warming problem - now what university is going to turn around and say - there is no Global Warming problem - we don't want the Grant.....that's the problem in my mind - while there's Grants and Funding around, then no one is going to take the opposing view.
If there was a specific Grant "Disprove Global Warming Grant" - you'd suddenly have dissenters in the Unis as they would want this money!
One other thing - the grants are being given by governments who are being told by scientists that there is a problem...the governments do not know this....so there is a potential for 'insider dealing'...we do live in a very corrupt society....
Here is an interesting rebuttal piece for you and your readershttp://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2766216.h
Barryrutherford: that's an interesting article and does add a lot to the argument - the whole 'argument' should be taken out of the main stream and put in the hands of scientists - who can debate the facts rather than some of the pseudo-facts that both sides are feeding us...
"Electric cars remove fumes from the atmosphere"
Electric cars might put less fumes into the atmosphere than a comparable internal combustion engine, but they don't remove fumes. Our electricity comes predominantly from coal-fired generation plants. The fossil fuel is still burning, but it's in someone elses back yard.
nicomp: I'll rewrote that bit based on your feedback to make it clearer - I didn't mean to say they remove all fumes - they just put less into the air - I also did comment about the supposed 'clean' coal burning plants in the US - I note that in France and other countries, most of the electric comes from Nuclear power - so eventually, if the US ever uses alternate power, there will be a benefit with electric cars...my concern is that a lot of people are taking what the TV tells us as fact - they assume that electric cars are 100% green - and don't think of the 'power station' problem - the same goes for these energy efficient light bulbs....
SimeyC, we need more nuklar plants in the US, as I suspect you agree. No CO2, no Sulphur Dioxide, no strip mining, no mine disasters. If France can do it, so can we. :)
SimeyC,
I just finished reading this hub -- didn't click on all the links -- lots of info.
I finished a hub on this topic too (about a week or so ago).
You mirror my skepticism. I still try to have an open mind, however. I used to be a believer in human-caused warming, so I have diverged greatly from my normal bias already.
Robert
gazook 2 years ago
Hi SimeyC, I usually follow your hubs, but this one escaped me for some reason. It's a very interesting topic - one that has become (unfortunately) extremely politicized and anything you read about it is either squarely in the skeptic's camp or in the alarmist's.
This hub is an exception and looks very balanced. Well done! One of my personal conclusions after the leaked emails is that the uncertainties about global warming and the climate are much, much greater than the IPCC would have us believe. It's a complicated issue and I agree with you that, in the future, the science should be much more transparent. We should demand no less - this is an important issue for all of us and we need balanced science to make balanced decisions. Real science is never, ever "settled"!