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mighty_power7 asked in Environment · 1 decade ago

Does no one care about global warming?

We're staring death in the face, and it's more eminent now than ever. In my ecology class, our professor told us that 99% of scientists believe it is occurring, and the 1% that don't believe work for companies like factories which contribute to global warming.

Read this article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061121/ap_on_sc/clima...

What can I do to get my butt off the computer and help?

17 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    There is little that you can do to change it. While 99% of scientists may agree that it is occurring, they do not all agree on the cause, or the extent to which our burning of fossil fuels/contributing to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere impacts the warming pattern. This is a cycle that the earth is going through--there are periods of warming and cooling.

    My suggestion to you would be: act responsibly, but don't stay awake nights thinking that we are staring death in the face because you are driving a car instead of riding a bike.

  • 1 decade ago

    Scientists say that volcanic eruptions and cow flatulence are a large cause of ozone depletion.

    It's not that humans don't care. "Global Warming", or better, "Climate Changes" occur naturally - 99% of scientists also agree on that, and the 1% are idiots who think the sky is green and the grass is blue.

    Humans cause less than 5% of the pollutants that cause "global warming", with cars, engines, exhaust and factories combined. So if we're staring death in the face, let's get working on stopping those greenhouse producing volcanos.

    Seriously, I don't mean to make light of your issue, but thinking that cars and several hundred factories is going to be the end of the world is really an asanine notion, and methinks that the bulk of the screaming is done by scientists who require expensive grants and federal funding for "such an important cause" - and the gullible politicians who agree to give it.

    Relax and enjoy life. Because unless you agree to live without electricity and ride a bike the rest of your life, you're contributing to it too. Like everyone else, if you can drive a smaller car, you'll save money and help the environment. If you recycle, you're doing your part. Just do your best.

  • 1 decade ago

    Here's the problem, your ecology teacher is emotionally invested in the argument and has probably (I'm willing to bet) not done a single shred of any independent research other than reading what other like-minded individuals have written. Only those who are devoid of integrity accuse those who deny the effects of global warming of being corporate pawns. The truth is, most of the "warming" that has been observed is night warming, which means that the daytime has not, statistically speaking, gotten any warmer on average than it has ever been. However, the night-time hours have. While this has been damaging to some species who are temperature sensitive within that immediate range of warming (we're talking 1 - 2 degrees Fahrenheit), it has been extremely beneficial to the growing season for agricultural production (i.e., how we feed ourselves). Another caveat to this argument, and the reason why global warming catastrophists have had a hard time gaining popular support, is that the warming has yet to be shown to be outside of the range of the normal warming and cooling cycle of the Earth. The average temperature of the Earth's surface is not a static, unchanging phenomena. It changes in cycles through time. The Earth has warmed before (prior to humans, cars, oil, and all the "bad" global warming culprits) and will do so again. It will also cool along that same timeline. The reason why nobody seems to care is, you have to be able to prove (and proof is not the conjecture of some academian) that the warming we are seeing is in addition to the normal warming cycle of the planet. Unfortunately, we can't prove that right now.

    Plus, and this is a hard one for greenies (not meant to be an offensive term, just an identifyer) to stomach, is that the Earth will not "die" because of humans. Unless we find a way to obliterate the planet, it will persist with or without us. What we're really worried about, and we have to be honest with ourselves here, is that we will make the planet uninhabitable for ourselves. Unfortunately, and you can check the facts if you like, the Earth has done more to cause global warming for itself than we have. Volcanos, methane releases, and other naturally occuring phenomena (even the decaying of leaves in the forrest) release greenhouse gasses into the air. Of course, we add more, but we are not the only culprit in the "problem." Are we going to ban volcanic explosions? This is why public support for these scientists is seemingly sparse. There really is not enough hard evidence to suggest that we can do anything to correct the warming trend. We can reduce our participation in the cause of it, but it will happen whether we do anything or not, and until we can quantify the impact of the behavioral changes these scientists are recommending, nobody will take them too seriously.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I'm skeptical about global warming, granted the climate does show evidence of changes taking place, but the climate has undergone many severe and dramatic changes long before there were any humans around to affect it. Besides the recorded data shows there has been a 1 degree change in the average temperature over the last hundred years, one degree! I'm extremely skeptical that one degree of difference is enough to cause what's currently going on with the climate, so I just don't buy into the whole global warming brouhaha theory. It's more likely that a number of complicated related factors that science does not yet understand or comprehend is causing the changes, it could be that it's just a natural catastrophic cycle totally unrelated to human activity? If you listen to and worry about all the probable catastrophic events that are likely or predicted to happen, then you must wake up every day saying, oh my God, were all doomed! And that may well be, but personally, I don't care...

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    The climate kept changing for the whole history of Earth. There were periods when no ice was on its surface and all plants and animals enjoyed it. If all ice is melted the ocean surface is expected to rise by 150 meters (or 500 ft), so there would be still much land to live. Warming is a slow process and does not depend much on us. All human races would not suffer it much. A worse problem is contamination of air and water. The Caspian sea changes its surface with about 100 year period by 15 to 40 meters(yards). Did you here that? Almost all intrusions of men into natural processes result in unexpected consequences, which is more dangerous than to us. Do not believe paper men and emotional scientists much – they make money on boo-boo stories.

  • 1 decade ago

    First you have to change the way you think. Global warming is debatable. If you want to make a difference you have to promote conservation and a change from fossil fuels before the supplies run out. Everyone knows we can't keep using up all of our resources without some plan for the time after they are exhausted. You should work for a goal, not from a possible fear.

  • 1 decade ago

    There are some people who are aware of global warming. But the worst here is that even they know about effects of global warming, they still continue operating it for the reason that they need to obtain existence and luxury for their selves. What i'm trying to point are those industrial companies that release pollutants into the atmosphere. Industrial owners seek livelihood, such building companies, to provide their subsistence and luxury without caring or thinking what might be the effects of it in their environment.

  • 1 decade ago

    Yes, I care very much, and would be willing to give up a great deal of my personal convenience to support changes.

    If there is even a remote possibility that humans are causing or contributing to global warming, wouldn't a decent, responsible, caring human being choose to err on the side of caution?

    There doesn't have to be unanimous agreement among the scientists for humans to act wisely.

  • 1 decade ago

    Of course there are people that care! especially in the scientific community, but there are still people who will stare death in the face and be skeptical.

    I think we can start by protesting companies that harm the environment and contribute to global warming.

    You can probably find more info from the EPA

  • 1 decade ago

    Many people cares for this but the stone between this way is our progress. Every country wants itself to the top of the world and in this run every country try to be strong in technologies, business but they dont know this is going for termination of the earth.

    We are no longer here

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