Scientists Call AP Report on Global Warming 'Hysteria' (LED, pump, best)

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by delusianne

But you're trusting the Fox article, the purpose of which is to knock down the AP article.

No, I'm basing my assertions on the AP article, have you read it? The Fox article makes some very valid points.

I'm not trying to say either side side is or right or wrong in this debate but to point out that the media has made the battle lopsided when they publish rubbish like the AP article. Nearly every article or piece in the Tv media will paint many things as facts, cherry pick facts... the public is only hearing one side of this debate.

[GloryB]

I agree with you thecoalman. I'm not sure either way about what is melting more or freezing more, but the way some people are reacting reminds me of the Y2K hysteria that didn't amount to a hill of beans. I figure at worst, my great great grandchildren will have to move inland.

[MrsMtnsOnTheMind]

I don't think society as a whole should be selling the idea of "global warming" to the media, schools, etc until the THEORY can be proven. Global warming has not been proven to exist. Warming and cooling trends, yes, but not global warming in and of itself.

People tend to think if they talk about something long enough it will one day become factual.

[xlabel]

Originally Posted by sailordave

There was a recent news story in which the reporter tried to say all this artic weather is further proof of global warming.

I've heard this theory before also. I seem to recall a tv show a few years ago saying exactly the same thing. The claim was that global warming is evident in colder and harsher winters in the northern states and this was caused by what warming is doing to our ocean currents. They had a stat on the local news here in MI that for the last 50 years, 3 of the 4 Decembers with the most snowfall have occurred since the year 2000. Couple that with the apparent increase and intensity of hurricanes in the last several years,(tropical storms desire warm water), and it is a compelling argument.

[GreenGene]

Originally Posted by CleanCutHippie

I agree. For me with all the man made chemichals, all the cars on the road producing carbon monoxide I cant imagine we are not doing damage beyond just our earth. Just my common sense opinion.

And that makes sense to me. Sure, the Earth has gone through changes in the past, but it is only very recently in the Earth's history that Man has reached such a large population, with all the industries, vehicles, etc. using fossil fuels.

But, I did a simple Google search on global warming, and one of the first hits was the EPA. And son-of-a-gun, even under the current science-hating administration, the EPA's official position is that global warming exists, and is a growing problem. From their FAQs:

9. When will the climate change?

The Earth has already warmed 1.3°F over the past century, and it is projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to increase by an additional 3.2-7.2°F over the 21st century. These increases may appear minor compared with short-term local temperature changes, such as those from night to day or winter to summer, but they are changes in the Earth’s global average temperature. To put this in perspective, global temperatures during the last ice age (about 20,000 years ago) were “only” 9°F cooler than today; however, that was enough to allow massive ice sheets to reach as far south as the Great Lakes and New York City. At the high-end of projected warming, human activities would change Earth’s climate by up to 7°F but in the opposite direction. For more information, visit the Recent Climate Change and Future Climate Change pages on EPA’s Climate Change site.

10. Are human activities responsible for the warming climate?

Careful measurements have confirmed that greenhouse gas emissions are increasing and that human activities (principally, the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land use) are the primary cause. Human activities have caused the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane to be higher today than at any point during the last 650,000 years. Scientists agree it is very likely that most of the global average warming since the mid-20th century is due to human-induced increases in greenhouse gases, rather than to natural causes.

11. Can changes in climate be attributed to natural factors?

Natural variations within the Earth’s climate system can cause small changes over decades to centuries. Larger changes can occur through factors such as gradual changes in Earth’s orbit around the Sun, which are thought to be the key contributors in the comings and goings of past ice ages over many millennia. The Sun’s energy can also vary over time. Large volcanic eruptions and collisions with large meteorites can cool the planet for a few years by spewing out particles that reflect sunlight back out to space. However, while natural variations have altered the climate significantly in the past, it is very unlikely that the changes in climate observed since the mid-20th century can be explained by natural processes alone.

Also:

Scientists know with virtual certainty that:

• Human activities are changing the composition of Earth's atmosphere. Increasing levels of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere since pre-industrial times are well-documented and understood.
• The atmospheric buildup of CO2 and other greenhouse gases is largely the result of human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.
• An “unequivocal” warming trend of about 1.0 to 1.7°F occurred from 1906-2005. Warming occurred in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and over the oceans.
• The major greenhouse gases emitted by human activities remain in the atmosphere for periods ranging from decades to centuries. It is therefore virtually certain that atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases will continue to rise over the next few decades.
• Increasing greenhouse gas concentrations tend to warm the planet.

[PNW-type-gal]

It'll be interesting to see who get trotted out to debunk the United States Geological Survey's new report, the gist of which is that climate change is happening faster than predicted:

washingtonpost.com

The USGS is an extremely conservative, mostly Federally-funded organization. The whole report, on their website:
Welcome to the USGS - U.S. Geological Survey

[MrsMtnsOnTheMind]

Trace the funding is all I have to say.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by MrsMtnsOnTheMind

Trace the funding is all I have to say.

That is so often the case. I sometime despair of finding non-biased information on EITHER side of ANY issue.

I do know that if a source tends to support what I believe, I need to examine it even more carefully than one that tends to disprove what I believe. That bit of human nature I DO recognize in myself, the tendency to give more weight to whatever supports what I want to believe.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

It'll be interesting to see who get trotted out to debunk the United States Geological Survey's new report, the gist of which is that climate change is happening faster than predicted:

washingtonpost.com

Interestingly the Washington Post does not provide a link to the report. Don't you find it odd that they would write an article and not link to it? Guess we mere mortals are too stupid to read something but instead need a reporter to explain it to us.

The Washington Post article is cherry picking. I've only gotten as far as the preface and can already see that.

.......This report addresses Goal 3 of the CCSP Strategic Plan: Reduce uncertainty in projections of how the Earth’s climate and related systems may change in the future. The report (1) summarizes the current knowledge of key climate parameters that could change abruptly in the near future, potentially within years to decades and (2) provides scientific information on these topics for decision support. As such, the SAP is aimed at both the decision-making audience and the expert scientific and stakeholder community.

Background
Past records of climate and environmental change derived from archives such as tree rings, ice cores, corals, and sediments indicate that global and regional climate has experienced repeated abrupt changes, many occurring over a time span of decades or less. Abrupt climate changes might have a natural cause (such as volcanic aerosol forcing), an anthropogenic cause (such as increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere), or might be unforced (related to internal climate variability). Regardless of the cause, ........

The full report can be found here if anyone is interested. http://downloads.climatescience.gov/...report-all.pdf

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

That is so often the case. I sometime despair of finding non-biased information on EITHER side of ANY issue.

Correct, the reports you see are usually support wherever the funding is coming from. They can be biased for a variety of reasons and that is true regardless of where the report came from. The funding itself plays a big factor because if there is nothing to research no funding so the researcher may have reason him/herself to skew results or not povide accurate information. To expect bias to not creep into any research is absurd.