Is climate change really happening

Answer 1

Yes, the vast majority of climate scientists agree that global warming is happening and it is primarily being caused by man's deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). Global warming is described by the World Meteorological Organization (a body of the United Nations) as posing threats to society in many ways.

Answer 2

Research scientists are in no doubt that global warming is occurring. they estimate that human activities released one trillion tonnes of additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during the twentieth century, and that the current rate of emissions is over 30 billion tonnes per year. This is why global average temperatures have risen by 0.75 degrees Celsius (1.4 degrees F) since instrumental measurements began in 1850.

Answer 3

I think this subject is up for debate, since there is evidence both sides of the argument disproving each other. But let me ask you this question: Do you think Mankind is powerful enough to affect and control the very air around us, the very temperature of the entire Earth? We are so small, and people need to remember that. Can we control the weather? No, I do not think so.

Answer:

Global warming has been identified as a major issue for the global community. More properly this is called "Global Climate Change" as some areas may be warmer, some cooler, some wetter, some drier...

Background:

The contention of the larger number of climatologists is that human activities since the industrial revolution have increased the content of CO2, methane and other gases in the atmosphere that trap solar heat. At the same time human activities have reduced the forest cover that had traditionally absorbed these same materials. They state that an increasing level of these atmospheric constituents has lead to a chain of chemical and physical changes that have increased the world's average temperature.

Observations of atmospheric gas composition, average sea water temperatures, atmospheric temperatures etc. confirm the trends and support the proposition.

Potential Impacts:

1. The sea levels may rise. Technically this may be caused by melting ice from the polar ice caps or an increase in sea height as the less dense water is less compressed. Low lying land like many Pacific Islands and Miami will be under water.

2. Serious climate changes may result from diverted ocean currents. As an example, the Gulf Stream keeps Europe warm. If the Stream is not running Europe may be much cooler and drier. Crops may not grow.

3. Ecology changes on the land could include species of animals and plants extending their range to the polar regions. Local flora and fauna may become extinct. A good example is the spread of Africanized bees and Fire Ants. Sea life may also be impacted both through the introduction of competitive species presently kept in other areas by water temperature changes, and by failure to adapt to less saline water.

4. Human society may be disrupted if changes in rainfall and temperature cause crop failure. Famine refugees may require significant humanitarian attention by the "lucky" nations.

Conflicting opinions?

Yes indeed, some people don't agree!

However, the problem breaks down into two potential scenarios. Either there is a basis for fear about climate change, or, there isn't.

If Climate Change isn't real and we do nothing - good! Except of course many of the problems that science has identified and blamed as causing Climate Change are just plain wastes of resources, and inefficient and uneconomical practices that should be addressed anyway. A polluted, climatically steady world with no fish and no oil will be no fun at all.

If Climate Change is not real and we do all the things that we should - reduce emissions, cut fuel use, re-establish forests - we're out money (maybe) but in general the world is a better and more sustainable place.

If Climate Change is real and we do nothing - we are dead or at least very miserable.

If Climate Change is real and we work to correct all our bad habits we might still be in trouble ... if it's too little and too late, but we'll go down fighting. If we succeed we live.

An afterthought:

Comments to this original post stated:

• it isn't real/ it is made up/ a figment of our imagination.
• There are no facts. The fact is we know nothing about it. Whether we are causing it or it is a phase the world goes through. It is just a theory. It will never be a fact.

If these writers are right ... Wahoo!

However, no case in the summary of potential future scenarios which is based on us sitting around doing nothing at all has a cheery outcome.

Answer 4

Yes. It started the moment the planet Earth had an atmosphere, and has not stopped yet. The climate is changing. That's what it does. It is not a static thing. It changes constantly. The changes are gradual, and take a long time. Regardless of all of the lies spread around about climate change and global warming (there is no global warming), the climate will change, as it always has, with or without our help.

The Earth is not some weak little terrarium that will be wiped out by our meager contributions to the atmosphere. It is a large and powerful system that can easily prevail over anything that humans can dish out, and will win. The Earth's climate will do what it wants to. Always has, always will. Don't join the masses who have been duped into thinking we're all gonna die next year if we don't ban cars and stop using electricity. The leaders of this movement are only after money and power. Take a close look at them, and see what THEY are giving up...

A:Yes, climate change is really happening. Since the industrial revolution 200 years ago we have been burning coal and oil and increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Our increasing population and its demand for meat has resulted in huge number of beef (and dairy) cattle who belch out methane (another greenhouse gas, and one that is about twenty times more dangerous than carbon dioxide). If the earth's temperature increases by more than 2 degrees there will be millions of people with no food supplies and much of our present fertile land will become desert.

Answer 5

Yes. Global warming is not just something scientists predict to happen in the future - it is already happening now. The last ten years were the warmest since instrumental records began in 1850. The more severe consequences of global warming may still be off in the future, but global warming has started.

Answer 6

The vast majority of reputable scientists support the proposition that global warming is happening, that there is real proof for climate changes, that it presents serious consequences for the population of Earth and that it is caused by man-made emissions of greenhouse gases.

Also, note that scientists call it "Climate Change", not Global Warming, as the former is more accurate. Any reputable scientist knows Climate Change is real, and is currently happening. The debate is over which factors are causing this Climate Change - the current majority consensus is that human-caused factors are the primary driver.

The debate is around the mathematical model used to predict future effects of Climate Change. There are many factors to be taken into account; levels of methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor, soot and dust particles, volcanic ash, ozone, and other emissions affect the composition and heat density of the atmosphere. Glacier levels (and rate of melting) affects ocean salinity, which in turn can affect shoreline levels and the temperature of the seas (and currents inside those seas). Solar flares impact the amount of energy that the Earth absorbs. All of these factors (and many more) form complex feedback cycles and have hideously complicated interrelationships. The various models attempt to simulate these interactions, and predict key outcomes at various points in the future. This is an extraordinarily hard problem; frankly, one that makes the Manhattan Project look like a high school project.

There is absolutely no doubt that Climate Change is happening right now. We can measure it in many different ways (warming oceans, rising sealevel, major changes in weather patterns vs historical norms, etc.). The problem is figuring out which of the factors in the model are the ones primarily causing the problems, and this is determined by the accuracy of the estimates and assumption in a given mathematical model.

However, the current consensus is that, when all factors are taken into account, it is the ones which are primarily due to human civilization which are the driving factor behind the changes. That is, the biggest impacts seem to be carbon dioxide, methane, and several other types of gases which have severe atmospheric warming properties. The theory right now says that the vast majority of these gases are due to human activities - burning fossil fuels is the biggest culprit, but modern agriculture and deforestation (mostly to produce charcoal, which itself then heavily contributes to atmospheric pollution) are also significant culprits.

While we cannot be absolutely sure the models are correct, the large majority of scientists in the Climate Change field are confident enough in them to lay the blame on human-created factors. The problem then becomes what steps can be taken to mitigate the problem, and that is an entirely different issue.

Answer 7

Yes, I respect the scientific opinion on this. Most climate scientists say that there is no doubt that global warming is happening and that we are contributing to that change.

Answer 8

Absolutely, no question about it