Global Warming: Fact Or Fiction?

Global Warming: Fact or Fiction?

Many consider global warming to be the largest threat facing the people of Earth, while others view it as nothing more than Liberal propaganda. Both sides have extremely well thought out arguments. According to Environmentalist there is a growing realization that human activities are threatening the health of the natural systems that make life possible on this planet. While Non-believers claim that you can't find a real scientist anywhere in the world who can look you in the eye, without hesitation, and say "yes, global warming is real." Whether you believe in global warming or not, you are bound to hear more about it.

The theory of global warming itself is an old theory. Since the time of Napoleon, scientist have known about the green house effect- where gases such as carbon dioxide retain heat in the earth's atmosphere, similar to how the glass panes in a greenhouse allow sunlight in but keep heat from escaping. As far back as 1896, Swedish chemist and Nobel laureate Svante Arrhenius had predicted that if the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which industry spews into the air by the millions of metric tons every year, were to double, global temperatures would rise between 9 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit.

Still, no one took global warming very seriously until 60 years later, when Charles Keeling began to monitor the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the top of the mountain of Hawaii. At the time of Keeling's first measurement, carbon dioxide had already risen by 10% since Arrhenius's predictions. By 1990 the quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere had risen by 20%. By the middle of the next century, at the current rate of carbon dioxide production, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere will have doubled.

Scientist had long reassured themselves that the world's oceans would absorb any excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They thought this would take place via a simple chemical reaction where the carbon dioxide combines with calcium ions dissolved in the water and precipitate down to the ocean floor as calcium carbonate. "However, in 1957, just as Keeling was beginning to measure carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, oceanographer Roger Revelle determined that the oceans could absorb only a limited amount of carbon dioxide. With this safety cushion gone and Keeling's graph of carbon dioxide levels rising in a steep curve through the 1960s and into the 1970s, atmospheric scientist began in earnest to look into the question of global warming." (Bilger, Bukhard)

According to Environmentalist global warming is real and under way. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Earth's mean temperature has increased by about 1.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Over the last 40 years, which is the period with the most reliable data, the temperature increased by about 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Seven of the ten warmest years in the 20th century occurred in the 1990s. In fact, the hottest year since reliable instrumental temperature measurement began was 1998, when global temperatures spiked due to one of the strongest El Ninos on record. As the earth continues to warm, there is a growing risk that the climate will change in ways that will seriously disrupt our lives. While on average the globe will get warmer and receive more precipitation, individual regions will experience different climate changes, with different consequences for the local environment. One of the most severe consequences is a faster rise in sea level. Global sea level is rising three times faster over the past 100 years compared with the previous 3,000 years. Another consequence of climate change is more heat waves and droughts, which would result in more and more conflicts over water resources. Other consequences of climate change include more extreme weather events, producing floods and property destruction; and a greater potential for heat-related illness and deaths, as well as the wider spread of infectious diseases carried by insects and rodents into areas previously free from them.

Many people feel that there is no global warming at all, and that anyone who tells you that scientific research shows warming trends, be they teachers, news casters, Congressmen, Senators, Vice Presidents, or Presidents, is wrong. Scientific research through U.S. Government satellite and balloon measurements shows that the temperature is actually cooling, very slightly, .037 degrees Celsius. In 1936 the Midwest of the United States experienced 49 consecutive days of temperatures over 90 degrees. There were another 49 consecutive days in 1955. In 1992, there was only one day over 90 degrees and in 1997 only 5 days. Because of modern science and improved equipment, this "cooling" trend

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