Earth at warmest for last 400 years
A panel of top climate scientists told lawmakers that the Earth is running a fever and that "human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming." Their 155-page report said average global surface temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere rose about 1 degree during the 20th century.
I don't like the "running a fever" phrasing. Not only is it too cutesy, but it also implies the earth is sick.
Once again, before I am attacked by environmental dogmatists, I do think we have polluted this world far too much, and I am all for pollution controls that will only improve our quality of life on this planet.
I am also not disputing the evidence that suggests that mankind has contributed to global warming. I do think our activities are a factor.
What I do argue is that there are larger global climate cycles that we are not aware of. We have only been tracking weather since the mid-19th century. What if global climate goes in cyles of 1000 years? or even 10,000 years?
Such a phenomenon might help to explain ice ages.
For instance, there's this: Overall, the panel agreed that the warming in the last few decades of the 20th century was unprecedented over the last 1,000 years, though relatively warm conditions persisted around the year 1000, followed by a "Little Ice Age" from about 1500 to 1850.
The "Little Ice Age" is well documented. Temperatures were not only much colder than they are today, but also than they were earlier in history.
Plus, global warming dogmatists spend very little time discussing the role the sun might play in our warming.
All I'm asking from people is to consider that this problem is very complex and involves more factors than simply blaming industry and automobiles.
The link: http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/22/D8IDB6500.html
It's true that we've tracked weather only since the mid-19th Century, but polar ice core samples allow scientists to determine CO2 concentrations and temperature for the last 600,000 years. This data shows that yes, there have been incredible fluxations in temperature. These fluxations, however, are closely linked with C02 concentrations, which are now more than twice as high as they've ever been, hence the danger of a warming period twice as intense as ever before.
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You are correct that the fluctuations are closely linked with CO2 concentrations; however, it is crucial to point out that warming has occurred in the distant past, long before industrial civilization existed. This leads me to believe that larger global forces are at work, and that man has only a marginal influence. In short, warming was going to happen with or without our help.
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