Whats the truth about global warming? "Climate change?

So I suppose the 97.4% of climatologists that agree that humans are significantly impacting the climate are just "sheep" who did no research?

http://tigger.uic.edu/~pdoran/012009_Doran_final.p...

A few youtube videos and an hour of listening to Rush Limbaugh does not make you a climatologist.

Why don't you do some more research? Name whatever reasons you like for why you don't believe it's true, and I will gladly point you in the direction of scientific sources and research from experienced scientists that does not agree with those claims.

...after all, you're an open minded and honest skeptic, ready to seriously consider opposing arguments, right? You're not one of those closed minded sheep who refuses to listen to new ideas, right? You're a free thinker, interested only in the solid truth, regardless of whether it goes against your gut instinct or political views...right?

The truth seems to be hard to find. As far as the science goes the temperature effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide is logarithmic - that means there is a diminishing response as you keep adding more.

The case for positive feedback (amplification of C02's warming potential from water vapour) has not been established - it is accepted by many, but not proven. It has been found for example, that high altitude clouds (Cirrus) decrease with tropical atmosphere temperature increases, ergo a negative feedback.

Water vapour, while being the most abundant greenhouse gas, is self limiting because it precipitates out as rain and snow and its effect also varies as cloud, with more bright low cloud acting as a cooling effect.

Humans have been blamed for about 3.4% of carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere annually but half our estimated emissions fail to accumulate in the atmosphere, "disappearing" into sinks as yet undetermined.

Carbon dioxide is also an essential trace gas. Everything that lives either absorbs or emits it - it is in no way a pollutant, indeed life depends on it - we are all carbon based life forms.

During the course of the evolution of Earth, atmospheric C02 concentrations have been hugely higher than the current 380ppm, indeed humans would have to generate more C02 than we are capable of to cause the problems being projected in the computer models.

Therein lies one of the problems - the computer models are not capable of replicating the dynamics of our atmosphere/ocean system very well at all and it is these - not observational data - that have been used to present the case to the public.

All in all, there seems to be three groups - the alarmists, the sceptics and those in the middle, many of whom are scientists and do not belong to either group or any consensus.

The fact is that the issues have not been resolved - we don't know enough about the mechanics of the atmosphere to say for certain what mans signature in the climate system is, despite spending $50 billion trying to find it.

CO2 is a greenhouse gas, prevents average earth temp from being -20 instead keeps us a cosy +4deg C - Fact!

CO2 has increased to nearly 380ppm from 270ppm in 200 years due to humans - Fact!

CO2 changes of between 150 and 270ppm closely linked temperature changes between glacial and interglacial cycles for the past 400,000 years - Fact!

CO2 is involved with climate feedback mechanisms where increases result in more of other greenhouse gases and CO2 to accelerate warming - Fact!

What part of the above do you not get? Deal with the facts then stop wasting time and deal with the problem.

P.s. - Of course humans can change nature! There are countless examples - aviation clouds suppressing heat balance at the surface, more rain at weekend due to increased cloud condensation nuclei during weekdays. Because you are blind to these things on a global scale doesn't make them go away.

The truth is as Bravozulu said. Water vapor is the most important greenhouse gas. It dwarfs CO2, particularly human contribution. We may be responsible for 0.2 per cent of the warming due to greenhouse gases but you also have to reduce that due to aerosols and sulfur. Our contribution to any warming is far below natural variation. We have been warming for 300 years as told by reliable climate proxies and historical records. Alarmists prefer to bury their heads in the sand and believe ridiculous disproven hockey stick charts that are flawed if you are kind and fraudulent if you are not. Alarmists like Dawai always want to pretend there is a consensus because they can't really argue the science. They want to ignore natural history and focus on climate models. Gee I wonder why that is?

Personally, I believe that the poles are not at the same tilted position. This causes places that are normally very cold to warm, leading to floods in some areas. It also has made such things as snow this week in Georgia.

The truth is that it's basic human arrogance to believe we have figured out the earth's entire weather patterns out in the 100 years we have officially recorded it compared to the billions it has been around. To have the audacity to say we know for sure what's going to happen is crazy.

its not happening... all the yes people need to do real homework.. the climate has actually dropped 1/4 -1/2 a degree over the last 10 years... and if you do more research you find that the statement "all scientists believe in GW" is actually untrue, the percentage is closer to 10-12% which isn't much in a scientific community. it has also been discovered that the global temperature sensors that are placed all over the planet (ground not ocean) have specific placement guidelines that have not been adhered to. please view the link before you YES men stick your feet in your mouths.

I'm wondering why you would ask a question you already have a strong opinion about...

"Dawei please name the 97.4% of climatologists?"

Here are quite a few. Feel free to look at their credentials:

http://www.eecg.utoronto.ca/~prall/climate/climate...

Global Warming~not realistic. This is just someone's idea of getting people hyped about things they have no control over. It is the environment.

Climate changes~~they do exist. Over a period of one hundred years have they actually been able to count temp readings and such....

Yes there is global warming, look at the sudden collapse of a huge chunk of the Antarctic Ice Shelf.

As to the cause, I doubt our little cars and fridges caused the sheet the size of Jamaica to collapse.

It must be global - the sun is the only heat that's hot enough to melt icebergs that size on our planet.

The sun is the hottest thing surrounding planet earth - 10,000 kelvins - 15,000 degrees Farenheit.