Let's Put the Global Warming Debate to Rest, Please!!
Posted: Thursday, January 15, 2009
by Myla Madson
Myla Madson.com
I'm all for thoughtful debate over controversial subjects such as global warming, but the opinions of a growing number of doubters as to the legitimacy of this man made crisis epitomizes the ignorance and misinformed notions this group has on perhaps the most important environmental issue in the world today.
Most do not understand the science behind global warming, nor do they even understand what they do not understand about the science of global warming for that matter.
When someone argues that global warming does not exist because it does not feel warmer than it did in the past, they simply have no idea what it is they are talking about. Pepper those statements with sound-bites from climate scientist speaking on the subject of the earth's periodic changes in position relative to the sun, and therefore global warming being the result of nature and not us polluting humans, and they really expose themselves as misguided, ill-informed sheeple who should perhaps decline comment and stop listening to those with political, economic or fifteen-minutes-of-fame agendas.
Here are the facts. Sit in a car with the windows rolled up parked in the sun and you will begin to notice that the interior of the car becomes much hotter than the outside air. This is because glass allows solar radiation (sunlight) in, while at the same time not allowing infrared radiation, or heat, out.
Carbon dioxide, a byproduct of the burning of oil, natural gas and coal, acts in the same way. Carbon dioxide is important for life on earth as long as the levels stay where Mother Nature intended them to be, at around .03 percent of the total atmosphere. This amount of Carbon dioxide along with water vapor and ozone act as a type of blanket, or insulation and is necessary to keep us from freezing to death.
Problem is, and this is a proven and measurable fact, that over the past 100 years, atmospheric Carbon dioxide has increased about 15 percent so less heat escapes the earth. Throw in the fact that we have chopped down abut 50% of the forests on our planet, forests that would have used hundreds of thousands of tons of that Carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and replaced it with oxygen, well then it is hard to argue with the fact that man has contributed significantly to global warming.
"But it doesn't feel any hotter than in the past, the winters seem just as cold, maybe worse even", skeptics shout "Global warming is a sham!" Well, the truth of the matter is that it most likely doesn't feel much different to you as the temperature has only risen a degree or so on global average over this same time span; which is where a lot of people lose their minds on this whole Global warming debate.
A one degree shift in temperature is almost impossible for your body to detect. However, our world is burning proportionately more fossil fuels each and every year and at the rate we are going, we could very realistically see another two or three degrees in warming over the next century, and that is all it would take for a global meltdown of sorts. And this WILL happen if we continue to burn fossil fuels and put Carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The more Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the warmer it will get. Simple as that.
So what about the earth's periodic change in positioning relative to the sun and its effect on temperature, you may be asking yourself?
Well, once again, here are the facts. This "astronomical" theory is widely accepted and actually responsible for setting in motion past "ice ages". We are, in fact, living between such times when a large surface of our planet was covered in ice sheets and temperatures were 11 to 12 degrees cooler than they are now.
Our fortunate timing has placed us in a 10,000 year "interglacial" period where we can enjoy more temperate weather, but that time will one day run out due to the earth's ever changing orbit and position relative to the sun.
We are actually 7,000 years into this 10,000 year window and the next ice age is, at least in geological terms, right around the corner.
Due to a tilting, wobbling earth axis and an ever changing orbit around the sun from almost perfectly circular to highly elliptical, our great planet is unavoidably placed farther away from the sun at certain times, greatly effecting the amount of solar radiation our earth receives and therefore plunging us into 100,000 year long ice ages on a fairly consistent basis.
So, what about Global warming? Well, it is true that the earth goes through cycles so it would stand to reason that the earth does heat up over time all on its own. However, this happens over thousands of years and never in earth's history has it happened faster than it has over the past 100 years.
If we keep it up, we will raise the temperature enough to melt the polar ice caps. Which is already happening because of our positioning to the sun anyway, but the rate of melt will increase dramatically by our own doing and change life on earth as we know it, several thousand years before it's schedule to make life altering changes all on its own.
If (when) the ice caps melt, we risk rising sea levels which will destroy coastal cities, low lying islands and reek havoc on our weather systems and ocean currents. Experts agree this would not be a good thing if it were to happen. And why take that chance?
Of course many researchers and scientist on each side of this debate will abuse their position and succumb to monetary gain and cloud the facts with misinformation and scare tactics.
We are going to pay out our noses no matter which side of the fence you are on, it's just the way corrupt government works, and making your argument that Global warming is not happening because you do not trust the politicians or scientists out trying to make a buck on research grants, is going to leave you on pretty shaky ground in any thoughtful debate, or possibly under water if you live near the coastline!
For more from the mind of Myla, please go to http://www.MylaMadson.com
Hi Myla.Even if one doesn't believe that global warming is the fault of mankind, it still makes sense to find better ways of using alternative fuels and stop polluting the atmosphere with all the other junk.Also, the sheer mass of humanity puts out tons of carbon dioxide every day just by being alive. I read somewhere how many trees each person should plant and maintain in order to offset the carbon dioxide they exhale in their lifetime, but I've lost the reference and the data.There is a lot to think about here.DianneThankyou for the comments Diane, I was hesitant to post this article because I hate negative feedback and some folks are pretty passionate about what they think about something. I'm glad you read the piece and gave it some thought.You are absolutely right about humans just being here that adds CO2 to the atmosphere as well as your thoughts about just doing the right things for the environment...it certaianly would not hurt to clean the place up a bit.
Myla, I suspect that you are right when say "Most do not understand the science behind global warming, nor do they even understand what they do not understand about the science of global warming for that matter."I'm am one of them and that's why, even though my gut reaction is to argue against it, I don't have anything to support my argument with, so I stay out of it. However, the complexity of this issue cuts both ways. While I don't know enough about it to make an educated argument against it, my ignorance in this matter also prevents me from getting too excited about it or getting into the"going green" movement. Bottom line, it leaves me with an attitude of indifference.BTW, while we are putting debates to rest, I'm sure you as (an obviously intelligent person) would agree that we need to retire that silly argument about who is at fault for all the death and destruction in Gaza right now. Clearly the entire blame lies at the feet of Hamas.My father is a biologist and my ex-husband is constantly ranting about how the government cracking down on freon to stop global warming is killing his heating and cooling business. I keep trying to explain to him that refrigerants are ozone depleting which is a completely different thing altogether.I've been studying earth sciences for 20 years now so i probably know more about it than most average folks. You're very wise not to take a stance on the matter either way since you confess that you do not have enough info to make an educated arguement...which was the basic idea and moral behind my article in the first place.I cannot make an educated arguement on the unrest in the middle east but my gut tells me you are most likely correct although it is terribly sad that people are dying...why is there so much hate in the world?Thanks for the comments, I really apprecite your lengthy and well thought out respone.
