Is global warming caused by humans?
There is division in the scientific community as to whether global warming is a result of human action or whether it is part of Earth's natural climatic cycle. Is global warming part of Earth's cycle of warming and freezing or is use of fossil fuels etc the cause?
Human Cause
Side Score: 75
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Earth's Cycle
Side Score: 71
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3
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A meta study of academic papers concerning global warming, published between 1991 and 2011 and accessible from Web of Knowledge, found that among those whose abstracts expressed a position on the cause of global warming, 97.2% supported the consensus view that it is man made. Side: Human Cause
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I think it's both, honestly. Consider the adage 'the straw that broke the donkeys back,' referring to a small increase in load turning out to be more than what could be born. The adage itself places blame on the straw, but that straw wouldn't have made the slightest difference on an unladen donkey. It is the combination of the straw and the existing weight that leads to an imbalance, overall. I assert that the global warming we observe is a result of natural processes that are exacerbated by human activity; we aren't the cause of the phenomenon, per se, but we are almost certainly accelerating the process. I don't believe that human activity represents the majority of the factors behind global warming, but I do believe it to be quite possible that our activity is pushing it past the balancing point. Posted on both sides. Side: Human Cause
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Humans cause the majority of global warming- notice how I said majority. Humans have upset the Carbon Cycle, a cycle in which carbon is stored, released, and travels. Most carbon dioxide is stored in plants, and by Humans cutting down trees, mass amounts of carbon aren't used up. Humans also burn fossil fuels that contain carbon that had been stored for years- then its let out. With all of this excess carbon that has nowhere to go, it leaves earth but does stay within its atmosphere. An "invisible blanket" around the earth traps the Carbon Dioxide, and it keeps in unnecessary heat. The trapped heat obviously affects earth, especially the colder areas. However, I did say majority, I do agree that earth's cycles do cause some of this- however I feel the data has proven that its only a small factor in global warming, because of us humans. Side: Human Cause
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Yes - everyone who thinks fancy sounding words are scarey should vote as you do. And comfort themselves by thinking people who don't know the words are smater than those who do. Then we can get back to thinking with our gut - the Earth was much flatter/simpler then... Side: Human Cause
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10
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You seem to have mischaracterized the actual debate. The majority of climatologists agree human activity influences climate change. The debate you present has no accurate answer as a choice, my answer fits in neither category. It is because of the past changes in climate you note that we know of the mechanisms that influence these changes. Green house gasses have made changes in the earths climate in the past (example; permean triassic period), why would these gasses not influence climate now as they have in the past just because a source of them is human activity? The properties of the gasses remain the same. Side: Human Cause
7
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This is the temperature graph of the last 1000 years. Why isn't it a cycle? Side: Earth's Cycle
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The proof is out there, so use your god given brain to find the answer.. The rest of us already no that it is the earths cycle that causes it to warm up and freeze over and over again. This is natures way of taking care of it's self. Also until people started populating the earth and letting under brush take over wild fires were the way the earth produced new fresh soil making way for greener pastures and crops. Side: Earth's Cycle
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The rest of us already no that it is the earths cycle that causes it to warm up and freeze over and over again. Are the "rest of us" climatologists? Have access to the data? Have contributed to papers on the subject? Even read papers on the subject aside from biased articles by journalists who barely comprehend the subject matter? Did your "God Given Brain" come built in with knowledge about meteorology, climatology, chemistry, physics, technology and so on? These so-called cycles don't happen by magic, something causes the ups and downs in climate over the course of decades. Sometimes it was heavy volcanic activity that produced even more greenhouse gases then we are now, but sometimes the ash also blocked the sun. Its cause and effect, and jst because natural causes have always happened before man, doesn't mean man can't cause this too. Side: Human Cause
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I think it's both, honestly. Consider the adage 'the straw that broke the donkeys back,' referring to a small increase in load turning out to be more than what could be born. The adage itself places blame on the straw, but that straw wouldn't have made the slightest difference on an unladen donkey. It is the combination of the straw and the existing weight that leads to an imbalance, overall. I assert that the global warming we observe is a result of natural processes that are exacerbated by human activity; we aren't the cause of the phenomenon, per se, but we are almost certainly accelerating the process. I don't believe that human activity represents the majority of the factors behind global warming, but I do believe it to be quite possible that our activity is pushing it past the balancing point. Posted on both sides. Side: Earth's Cycle
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