global warming true or false?

the everlasting topic: is global warming true or false? the rise of the temperature on our planet, the rise of the amount of harmfull gasses... is it that significant to do harm to the environment? earth's temperature has been constantly rising for the past 6000 years, there is generaly a scientific explanation to almost everything that is blamed on global warming. what do you think?

[ladyjanuary]

I believe it is true. I have been living in eastern Canada for 31 years and have noticed a difference in the four seasons. Back in 1975 winter started in October and now it starts in late December.
We all need to be aware of products we use, what is flushed down the toilet, sink, our garbage and how we purchase products when it comes to packaging waste, etc. We must show respect for Mother Earth and conserve energy, support consignment stores, recycle when we can before tossing into a landfil waste deposit which then affects the air we breathe and on and on.
I am sure we all have ways we can think of to respect our environment we live in.
Tell me what you think....

[Pirates Armada]

true lady j. i think greener thinking should start at an early age. i for one can say the education i recieved in public schools taught very little on these subjects. it is an important one and should have more curriculum and atleast be a requirement to take a class like that. it should include scientific studies, research and so on.

[Daniel Santos]

Yea, it's really sad to be honest. There is so much controversy amongst common folk, but in the scientific community, there is no two ways about it. This is even true in the business community. Most businesses are evaluating how global warming will impact their bottom line and are forming strategies to deal with this. Scientists are working to prevent illnesses because micro-organisms and the creatures that carry them are moving northward as their comfortable temperature zone moves north. This is changing a lot of biodynamic (there are people dying in UK for example of illnesses that were never a problem there before).

Another nice example is a guy in Southern UK who decided to start growing olive trees! He figures that it'll take 5 years for them to mature and by that time, the temperature should be hot enough to create a prosperous olive orchard. So smart people are learning to capitalize on these changes (like smart people usually tend to do) or otherwise, minimize the impact on their pocketbooks. Leave it up to the almighty dollar to get people into action!

Anyway, there is no debate about it amongst anybody in the scientific community. Those who claim that there is such debate, usually have an economic interest in people not believing that global warming is a fact, and that its cause is mostly or completely human carbon emissions -- this is undisputed (amongst those that matter). See my insane posting (on some other thread in this forum) on propaganda.

Daniel

[Pirates Armada]

yeah there does seem to be a lot of wish wash out there on all this. i guess it wouldn't be up to the ordinary folk to do much about it but to conserve and leave it to the science community to convince our political leaders, some of which are taking strong action while others are loading there pockets with whale jerky (joking)

I ordered the book revenge of gaia by "james lovelock" it looks like good reading. such a cool name ! i read books based on if there are colored pics and if the cover looks nice.

[psr]

Lady,

I pulled my head out of the sand a long time ago and I believe that the earth is trying to tell us that it has had enough!! Yes, I believe in global warming and all the waste humans have been heaping on mother nature has now come back to bite us in the posterior!! (Have to keep it clean for the littlies!!)

I don't know about other parts of the world, but Australian schools have been really pushing the whole environmental thing. Our Green movement is pretty big and the large political parties usually want to keep them happy - most of the time!! (at least when it doesn't interfere with their money-making schemes!!)

psr

[Pirates Armada]

well i haven't been to school in like 10 years and come to think of it im not sure if i was in attendence all that much anyhow, but it is a common theme psr in that "can mother nature handle it" and can we all go out and buy monster trucks now?

[grrr]

"this is undisputed (amongst those that matter)"?. Sorry Daniel i do not know you, but to me this issue effects everyone, and therefore everyone matters, and this type of statement smacks of "the emporers new clothes" I have no doubt that there is a change of climate, and that there is scientific evidence to suggest that our habits could have an effect on it. however science does get it wrong now and again, and it wasnt that long ago that the scientific community were elated that fossils of microscopic life had been discovered on Mars, only to find that this was a mis interpretation of the data. Climate change is real, and there is no hard evidence that our lifestyle has any significant effect on it, and i think we are flattering ourselves if we believe we are significant enough to control this planets cycle. however that does not stop governments and agencies jumping on the band wagon at any opportunity to find financial gain in it.
Just in case you think i am some sort of heretic that is attempting to create conflict here, i am not, i am an ordinary person who believes that we should preserve our environment for the future.

[Paul Ward]

Originally Posted by grrr

"this is undisputed (amongst those that matter)"?

The "(those that matter)" phrase was unfortunate as it effectively alienates the very people who should be listening.

It is pretty much heading towards being undisputed though amongst pretty much everyone, after the recent IPCC conference:

http://environment.guardian.co.uk/cl...004747,00.html

Those who are still denying man-made global warming are increasingly being seen as just plain deluded and not the interesting fiery mavericks they'd like to be seen as. Sort of 21st century flat-earthers.

Originally Posted by grrr

however that does not stop governments and agencies jumping on the band wagon at any opportunity to find financial gain in it.

I keep seeing this sort of thing all over the place. There is far more and far easier financial gains to be made by keeping the current fast-and-dirty approach to global warming i.e. denial, than by accepting it is real and doing something about it.

This is why the US has dragged its feet for so long, for many years going the denial route, because profits will be damaged in the short term at least and by putting off the inevitable allows more short-term profit to be made.

I've not actually seen any rational and reasoned explanation of how getting a "false" acceptance of global warming can readily make anyone (or any government) extra money, above and beyond what would happen if we ignored global warming as a man-made phenomena - anyone care to enlighten me?

[psr]

Dear Grrrr,

I agree wholeheartedly .

Unfortunately the majority of the population has their fingers so firmly lodged between their 'cheeks' that it might be too late to rectify the situation. It makes one wonder when that final glorious dawning is going to take place, and people are going to understand the extent of mankind's brutal rape of the environment.

Although I act a little blase about the topic, I try to apply myself to the environmental issue. I think that the newer generations are starting to think more deeply about these issues. I just hope that the future environmentally considerate generations will still have an environment to save once we handed it over to them...what's left of it anyway.

Maybe we all need to return to our cave man days to truly be in accord with the environment.......hmmm, I don't know if I'd enjoy being clubbed and dragged...but then again (just trying to lighten the mood)!

psr