"Monster" greenhouse gas levels in 2010

[sanspeur]

Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua

It's not that I don't agree with AGW but the "indisputable evidence" that organizations like NASA use to prove it include language along the lines of:

The heat trapping gas Carbon Dioxide is increasing + The Earth is currently getting warmer = Man is causing the Earth to warm.

This is what is stated... The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is very likely human-induced.
Do you understand the science regarding why CO2 contributes to the greenhouse effect?

If AGW went to trial based on this evidence it would walk out of the courtroom a free man and the prosecutor's reputation would be in shambles.

The evidence points to AGW, but I don't think it is proven by any means.

Tell me how we are supposed to throw out all past standards of proof and believe in this. I'm being earnest here.

I guess we have all make up our own minds what to believe the causes of warming are, but it is undeniable that human activity has upset the natural balance of the earths carbon sequestration.

Natural sources of CO2 are balanced by natural carbon sinks, but the excess produced by human activity upsets that balance and ends up in the atmosphere.

[newonecoming2]

Originally Posted by sanspeur

This is what is stated... The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is very likely human-induced.
Do you understand the science regarding why CO2 contributes to the greenhouse effect?

Do you? The current warming trend started in 1730 and has continued unabated from then until now How much CO2 was put into the atmosphere back then? how much soot?

Originally Posted by sanspeur

The evidence points to AGW, but I don't think it is proven by any means.

The selectively collected and filtered evidence.

Originally Posted by sanspeur

I guess we have all make up our own minds what to believe the causes of warming are, but it is undeniable that human activity has upset the natural balance of the earths carbon sequestration.

That is true enough

Originally Posted by sanspeur

Natural sources of CO2 are balanced by natural carbon sinks, but the excess produced by human activity upsets that balance and ends up in the atmosphere.

What we should end up getting is explosive plant growth. I like to eat plants.

[nei]

Originally Posted by sanspeur

The evidence points to AGW, but I don't think it is proven by any means.

One way to possibly prove solely by experiment whether the global is warming due to greenhouse gases is to look for cooling in the stratosphere. A warming due to greenhouse gases would cool the stratosphere and warm the ground and troposphere while other sources, say the sun, would warm both equally. The idea is that increased greenhouse gases in the troposphere would absorb infrared radiation from the earth's surface, leaving less to reach the upper atmosphere (such as the stratosphere), making the stratosphere colder.

The problem is that cooling of the stratosphere can also be caused by ozone depletion. Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs UV, which warms the stratosphere. Ozone is mostly in the lower part of the stratosphere, so if the upper stratosphere cools is likely due to greenhouse gases. And the upper stratosphere has cooled, but the observations seem a bit iffy.

An explanation:

- Cooling

[sanspeur]

Yes nei, that makes sense. I noticed this in the news this morning.

The world has only about five years to make a dramatic turnaround in policies if it is to avoid severe impacts of climate change, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). IEA Outlook: Time Running Out on Climate Change