Why don't people believe in global warming?
Answer:
Its not that people don't believe in global warming, its that they don't believe in Manmade global warming.
The reason that they don't believe in manmade global warming is that they are too intelligent to be duped by the chicken-little, sky is falling, world is coming to an end crowd.
The current warming trend has been around 0.6*C in 100 years. This warming followed several centuries of cooling known as "The Little Ice Age." Why should such a small amount of cooling be cause for concern? The answer is "It should not." The earth's climate is always changing, and it's temperatures are always rising and fallling.
Take a look at the attached link "Current Major Interglacial." In that study of ice core data from both Antarctica and Greenland, you will see that the temperatures over the last 10,000 years in antarctica have swung from 2*C warmer to 2*C cooler than present temperatures. You will also see that Greenland's temperature was warmer than present for MOST of the last 10,000 years.
If you look at the NASA Earthobservatory link, you'll see that NASA shows that temperatures were warmer than present before the Little Ice Age. It also describes the Little Ice Age as "one of several cold snaps that briefly interrupted the overall warming trend ongoing since the end of the Ice Age." The current warming is just a continuance of that overall warming trend.
And if you believe that the current warming is faster than any warming that has happened naturally in the past, and therefore must be caused by mankind, take a look at the link from Columbia University on the Younger Dryas event. This study shows that the earth warmed by 10*C in ten years. This is 166 times faster than the current warming rate of 0.6*C in 100 years.
If you look at the facts rather than being controlled by panic and emotion, you would find that the current warming trend is small, completely natural, and mankind can do nothing to stop it.
I think the reason people don't believe it is because they don't want to believe it. Back on the older times, when everything was jolly as a Roger, no one worried about that kind of thing becuase it didn't really exist. You have different kind of people in this world. Unfortunatly, we don't have enough of those tree hugging people. I agree with you, it is a huge deal. This is our Earth and we are killing it. God bless you for wanting recognizing this situation we are in.
Well did you hear about the global warming meeting convention in New York last January. Well it was cancelled due to a snow storm. True!
I do look what the heck is going on with the seasons, and no rain forever, and then rain for days and days, the hurricanes the floods what is wrong with people, we need to get it together now.
Because people have been predicting disasters, doom and gloom and the end of the world since man learned to talk. And its usually to fuel their own private agenda. So, most people have developed a healthy skepticism. I was convinced of economic disaster aka the advent of a new "depression" for nearly 40 years. It hasn't happened. So, even though I think global warming is a fact, I have trouble convincing even myself that it is urgent. Although the little voices in my head tell me this is the time the wolf is at the door, and Murphy was right, I'm not panicked about it.
If there is one thing experience has taught me it is that Panic is never productive. The L5 society had a good plan to deal with this 30 years ago and it is still a good idea. There are others out there but they need to be examined with an eye to the long term fix. Growing corn for ethanol is a stopgap measure and possibly not useful in reducing the actual production of world CO2. Nuclear powerplants are not pollution free as it takes fuel to mine the Uranium and that releases CO2. The question is How Much? Nothing we can do will not have some effect, so the debate is what will be best, as well as what can actually be done, remembering the way our economy works. And, How to actually do it?
Probably because a growing number of us realise that the earth has ALWAYS had a volatile climate.. or climate change.
For example, go back far enough and there were no polar ice caps, there was no English Channel separating the UK from Europe, parts of the USA now desert were once under water etc etc.
And now there are a lot of scammers and businesses hoping to make lots of money out of us all by shouting about "global warming" and selling all sorts of "solutions" to the "problem"... see "snake oil salesman"
For once in his life I though George Bush had the right idea when he decided not to follow the herd...
For more info ask any Geologist, Marine Biologist, Oceanographer etc.
You think a planet that has been around 4-6 billion years cannot handle the CO2 from the last 150 years of industry? You have to be kidding, think of the pollution from the volcanos over all those years, and the earth is still going strong. Why is mars, jupiter etc, also warming. Could it be the pattern of the sun?
Unfortunately the hollywood hype has damaged the credibility of anyone associated with the issue of Global Warming.
The excuses have been that it takes egaggeration and hyperbole to get people to pay attention.
The downside of exaggeration and hyperbole is that it destroys your credibility in very short order.
Also, the solutions that are most often proposed, such as more recycling, buying hybrid cars and using compact fluorescent lightbulbs will not result in large enough reductions in carbon dioxide emissions to stop Global Warming or even make a significant reduction in Global Warming.
According to the best estimates we would have to reduce the world wide output of carbon dioxide emissions to less than one tenth of what they are today if we are to have any hope of stopping Global Warming.
We will not get anywhere near those reductions with more recycling, buying hybrid cars and compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Our war on Global Warming is remarkably similar to the war in Iraq.
The measures that we are taking are not sufficient to solve the problem and the majority of the people know it, and are getting very tired of all of the pointless activity and expense with little or no results.
The result is that the majority of the people are left wondering if we are not capable of solving the problem what is the point of all of this activity and expense anyway?
Fortunately although we cannot stop Global Warming, we can mitigate the effects.
The sea levels will rise.
Fortunately coastal cities can be protected with dike systems simialr to those in Holland that are used to hold back the sea.
Hurricanes will become stronger and more frequent. We will need to help the poor countries upgrade their disaster preparedness systems for hurricanes.
Droughts will become more frequent. We will need to help the poor countries with supplemental water supplies and desalination plants.
Although we cannot stop Global Warming we can mitigate the effects of Global Warming at reasonable cost if we start now.
Did your parents ever read you the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"?
That is the problem with the issue of Global Warming and the environment in general.
We get so much bogus information thrown at us on these topics that the people involved have completely destroyed their credibility.
Note to poshcass: You sound like a street walker and you do not know what you are talking about. You are one of the people who destroys the credibility of anyone associted with the environmental movement.
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It's like selective hearing, people only hear or see what they want to.
The presentation has been lacking in individual relevance.
Global warming is only rarely explained in terms of individual costs and non-monetary losses. The projections for what the lives of the current generation's grandchildren will be like need to made more graphic.
I DON'T BELIEVE we are at fault i believe science is. but it destroys the earth
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then what did the story last night about science is destroying the earth
Actually, I think most (more than half) of people believe it. They just can't agree on whether it's caused by man or nature.
Without wishing to be disrespectful to the skeptics, the biggest problem appears to be one of ignorance. Take for example some of the responses that have been given to your question, Mars and volcanoes as a for instance, if people actually understood what was happening on Mars or how volcanoes affect the climate they'd know the futility of their arguments. They clearly don't know these things (or if they do they're deliberately ignoring the facts) but out of ignorance they believe they provide explanations for the global warming we are experiencing.
The likes of ExxonMobil with their vast resources and contingents of scientists can find a single credible reason to refute global warming, I think it's a fair bet that your average skeptic is far less well informed than ranks of experts yet they seem to believe they know more than the experts.
I will never convince you that global warming is a myth and you will never convince me that it's a fact. I'm not ignorant but because I diagree with you, you feel that you're entitled to slander..go ahead and buy your carbon offsets and feel good about yourself..I could care less what you think.
Because it will not win votes. people care more about the economy and the price of petrol than something that can possible end the world in 100+ years. Because its boring (to them) and it wont bring in money. Are you here with me on this? Its not in their top priority... to them they already have enough problems as it is...
Why doesnt the USA sign the kyoto agreement...simple... because it would cost their economy money. Hey how about the world for the children? Well tough. Go blame daddy...
Bottomline. because its sounds like something from a sci-fi movie... melt the ice the world drowns. stupid people. unless you make saving the world it a lifestyle... it wont happen.
Global warming is a term that floats around so much that it's common knowledge. But some folks like to be in denial for something that seems to be so overwhelmingly out of their hands. Also, folks already have so much to worry about and there's so much going on in the world that they can't focus on one thing. That's why awareness organizations use celebrities to get that focus and attention because celebrities are the one thing that everybody has a common admiration for. These movie stars and pop icons can lead the way to active awareness and participation in doing good for the environment.
Because global warming caused by man is a FANTASY.
Global climate change is as regular as the sun rising.
The loony tree huggers have idiotwood i.e. hollywood convinced the end is near. Where was MAN when the last 2 ice ages hit. HMMM makes you wonder.
I don't think anyone is disputing the fact that global temperatures are rising. The dispute is whether or not man is causing it. I've heard good arguments both ways and I'm not convinced.
I believe in global warming and global cooling.
I just don't believe it is mainly determined by GHGs.
Nor do I believe that if the above statement is wrong, that we can do anything to significantly affect it for a multitude of reasons and see no reason to significantly increase electric and gasoline prices (not to mention burn down rainforests) to reduce it's affect by 1%.
Because the proponents of global warming keep saying it's a fact when all data and proof point away from man caused global warming. Global warming and cooling are a natural cycle. There is nothing you can do about it. Deal with it.
Can you prove it? not what that moron gore says, can you prove what you say.. don't give me "well the ice is melting, " yeah it is, so what, at one time most of North America was covered with ice, it melted, that's what happens. Stronger hurricanes??? yeah right, they blue that one out as well. see there is not proof. Just lies, and Lies and lies. you are buying a lie.
If global warming really is a fact and human burning of oil, coal, and natural gas causes global warming, then civilization is doomed. Humans are not going to stop digging up fossil fuels and burning them. That's not much fun to think about.
They are in denial because they don't want to believe this may be the end of us dinosaurs.
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