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Is there even 1 climatologist who says that global warming is not happening, or even that man plays no role?
A few prominent skeptics that come to mind... correct me If I've missed any peer-reviewed papers from any of these folks that question either global warming itself, that greenhouse gases play some role, or that mankind's activities are contributing to global greenhouse gases:
- Richard Lindzen (climatologist) says it's happening, but mankind plays less of a role.
- Gray isn't a climatologist (meteorologist) who says hurricanes aren't increasing (arguing about possible symptoms, not whether or not global warming is happening or caused by mankind).
- Roy Spencer (meteorologist, best known for satellite-based temperature monitoring work) says the PDO current influence plus CO2 is more accurate than considering CO2 alone (like Lindzen, arguing for a lower role for, not against, mankind's influence).
This summary in court by a judge covers John Christy: "Dr. Christy, agrees... most of the observed warming over the last fifty years is likely to have been due to the increase in GHG concentrations."
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/2007/VermontDecision...
- Ross Mckitrick... economist... never mind.
- Stephen McIntyre... mathematician and director of geologic exploration companies... never mind.
So is it true that there no direct opposition, as recorded in peer-reviewed scientific journals, to the theory that mankind's contribution to greenhouse gases is warming the planet?
Skeptics, if any "debate" on the core theory exists among scientists, here's your chance to prove it!
No unsupported rants please, just a few links to the papers published in peer-reviewed journal by working research scientists, thanks.
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Sure, there are other factors. Water vapor is a stonger greenhouse gas, but under normal conditions it goes in and out of the air quickly and does not increse or cause global warming. Methane is a stong greenhouse gas, but it generally follows warming (via melting of frozen methane clathrate sediments), perhaps adds to that warming for a while, but quickly breaks down into CO2 and water vapor. The problem with CO2 is that it remains a warming influence in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. If it starts the planet warming a bit, more is released from the oceans (as we've observed), methane release accelerates (as we've observed), adding more greenhouse gasses (methane, water vapor, more CO2). That causes more heating and around the cycle you go again.
So CO2 doesn't have to directly cause much warming to kick this off, nor does it have to be much of a problem in the first 100 years to accumulate and accelerate into a much larger problem down the road.
I find Roy Spencer's ocean current work most interesting, but it hasn't passed peer review yet. Neither he nor Lindzen, etc. have made their cases compelling enough to convince other scientists, nor has there been a flood of follow-on research inspired (as you would expect) to back up their claims.
Discrediting the concept of extreme global warming, or showing evidence that lets mankind off the hook is Nobel Prize territory. No one seems poised to get there any time soon.
There are a few scientists enjoying the limelight voicing opinions about mankind's role, but I can't find credible (peer-reviewed) science casting doubt on it. Until that surfaces, it seems foolish to place any trust in tabloid-quality denials.
10 Answers
- Dana1981Lv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
I don't think so. There are some which think humans are playing less of a role than the consensus opinion, but I don't think there are any climate scientists who would even say that humans aren't playing a significant role in the current warming.
Most skeptical climate scientists dispute the sensitivity of the climate to warming, not the causes. That's Lindzen and Christy's position.
*edit* While gwens is correct that Tim Ball thinks the current warming is natural, I don't consider him a climate scientist. He's a geographer, although technically he got a PhD in climatology for studying historical climate change in Canada. His BS and MS are in geography, and he taught geography after he graduated. He has never researched climate science.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Instead of a rant here's part of my answer to another question, when a guy claimed that the hottest year on record was 1998: on what basis do you say that 1998 was the hottest year on record? I assume that you're not in Melbourne, Australia, as I am. The hottest summer on record here was January & February 2009. The six hottest days on record in Victorian history were all set this February (in a 2-week period). The second hottest year was 2001. So where are you if 1998 was your hottest year ever? To judge whether global warming is real or not you need to check the weather in the colder parts of the world, where any temperature rise is easier to spot and harder for sceptics to explain away. Traditionally Victoria was the coldest state on mainland Australia, until this summer, when it was the hottest!
- bravozuluLv 71 decade ago
That would be pretty stupid to state that humans don't play any role. They obviously are releasing CO2. Lindzen criticisms are the most damning that I have heard.
"Professor Lindzen comments that this failure of observation to match prediction cannot be so easily explained, since the transient response would be likely to exceed the equilibrium response. He concludes that no more than about a third of the observed trend at the surface is likely to be due to greenhouse warming, and adds: “This is about as close as one ever gets to proof in climate physics.”
On this analysis, “global warming” is unlikely to be dangerous and extremely unlikely to be catastrophic."
That means that of the ~0.6 degrees warming, the most that you could attribute to humans is about a third of a degree. He also states that you get much diminished warming on additional CO2. Others state that the half life of CO2 is grossly overstated by the IPCC. Translated into normal English, that means that humans aren't significantly changing the climate with greenhouse warming. It isn't a crisis or even something to worry about. The maximum warming of less than a degree you could get IS beneficial and the extra CO2 is also beneficial.
That is not him stating that CO2 is causing the 1/3 of degree. He said about the most you could attribute is about 1/3 and that is about as close to proof. It is a statement casting great doubt on the climate models used by the left to spread fear. I would like to know how a legitimate scientist can use a model when it doesn't model the real world and claim that it is almost certainly correct and then say it indicates up to 8 degrees of warming. Are we supposed to take that kind of interpretation seriously? Science doesn't work on consensus. It requires verification and when the real world doesn't follow the models, that is damning indeed. Ignoring that basic scientific method is very instructive of the motives of those making the alarmist claims.
- Houw Liong TLv 61 decade ago
The accuracies of long term predictions of climate models are low due to chaotic nature of the atmosphere-ocean system and difficulties in representing natural forcings (solar activity, cosmic ray flux, volcanic eruptions, ... ) to climate models, so many scientists move to the skeptical side.
- Author UnknownLv 61 decade ago
We have our very own here in Canada, Tim Ball who says it's the sun and increased CO2 is good for us. You may have seen him in blockbusters like "The Great Global Warming Swindle" and "Climate Catastrophe Cancelled: What You're Not Being Told About the Science of Climate Change". If you want him to appear in climate denial video just shake a dollar bill in front of his nose. I've personally met the man and will not repeat the mistake. He has little peer reviewed and nothing reviewed that casts doubt on AGW.
- Ron TLv 41 decade ago
Spencer is correct. It is happening - though not much, and man plays a role - though a small one. Bjorn Lomborg has a good book in which he argues forcefully that we need to spend our money elsewhere first.
- Joseph LLv 51 decade ago
There are 31,000 scientist that disagree.
You can even see John Cristy disagrees with the IPCC.
Check the links I provided.
I prefer to believe scientists.
If you don't select me as best answer, unless someone else has more scientific based proof, then you have been brainwashed by the nonsense that has been presented as "science".
You have to dig just a little bit, to find the truth that is being obscured on TV and the internet.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4860344067...
This pretty much answers your question. The only thing I disaree with is the last ten minutes. Right diagnosis, wrong suspects.
- CrGLv 61 decade ago
Not to my knowledge. I have been to Alaska and seen numerous videos.
All the information I've seen quacks like a duck,
Source(s): Personal observation; I hope I'm wrong. - Anonymous1 decade ago
no everyone has a part to take place in global warming NASA, people who dont pick up thier dogs crap, hairspray, etc.
Source(s): im in a science class we just learned about it