Global Warming is merely an excuse for political gain. It's used as a religion religion for the generations of pseudo-tolerant hippies took too many psychedelics which polluted their offspring.

I could use a little of this. At my age, I get cold a lot. Plus during World War II, I was stationed in either Greenland or Iceland. I forget now, but it was cold! I never got over it.

I've heard so many conflicting reports on this front -- many convincing on both sides -- I can't justify putting global warming ahead of the many other more pressing issues currently on Washington's plate. There are plenty of other issues to keep the Feds busy on a short-term basis (read: immediately).

i.e., let's take care of the corporate fraud that's fleecing the hard-working public, and let's bring our ill-advised imperialist efforts to a close before we start burdening the public still further with federal taxes on those same carbon goods and services that the government previously worked so hard (and spent so much money) to make readily available for public consumption in the first place.

I think man's influence is... overplayed? I also think that our government has more important things to do than take an overly active role in things they are decidedly clueless about, but by that logic, we should kick them out of lots of areas...

I have debated the Alarmist on numerous occasions. They have their links and graphs and so do I. So called man made global warming is not all it's cracked up to be. The one thing that isn't disputable is that tempertures have been in the range of normal climate veribility. The Alarmist base all their fear mongering on climate models, which have been proven to be far from perfect in predicting future climate.

If anybody is interested in looking at information that is septic (that is what scientists are supposed to be) go to my profile page. No matter what anyone tells you, the science behind MMGW is far from settled.

Maybe the climate will stop getting warmer soon just by itself.

But don't let people tell you that it's actually been getting cooler for the last 11 years, because that's just ridiculous.

10 Reasons Why Global Warming Would Be a Good Thing

1. Global Warming results in longer growing seasons, ending world hunger
2.Global Warming keeps the Sea lanes open in winter , making world commerce easier.
3. Global Warming helps melt glaciers to free up millions of gallons of water for drought regions.
4. Global Warming reduces the need for warm up time for cars in winter, thus saving gasoline.
5. Global Warming makes it easier to drill for oil in Alaska, reducing our dependence on OPEC
6. Global Warming helps make new tourist destinations such as Northern Finland, Siberia and
Greenland, so travel agents can make more money.
7. Global Warming lowers the amount of ice and snow on roads in winter, thus reducing auto accidents, thereby saving money on auto insurance.
8. Global Warming keeps food hot longer, reducing the need for reheating in microwaves, saving electricity in the process.
9. Global Warming reduces the need for the Sun to send so many rays to Earth, thus lengthening the lifespan of The Sun.
10. Global Warming will help melt tundra in Alaska, so more new shopping malls can be built in new areas.

Aren't more scientists questioning the idea of predominately human-driven global warming?

The only global warming is coming from Al Gore's mouth along with the nitwits who follow him.  He even received a Nobel prize for his work.  Too bad, it was in a catagory than never existed until then. If you listen to scientists not working for the government, you will hear the truth.  Scientists working for the government will never admit global warming is a myth because they would be out work. So, they will suck the taxpayers dry with their doomsday messages in order to protect their jobs.  Uncle Sam is the only outfit that will hire them.

Begining in the 1970s the "socalled" experts told us all we were heading into another ice age and the same screaming nitwits were forecasting doom and distruction for us all. Lesson NOT learned!

The well worn point that the earth's climate is ever changing anyway so what are we worried about overlooks the fact that with those changes have come all sorts of other changes like the exctincton of ecosystems and species.  Yes its going to happen and its a natural part of the way the planet works.  But Science is currently measuring the fact that we are accellerating it with our own behaviour.  What we are discussing in real terms is what will be the quality of our lives during the period in which we fall from the top of the food chain.  Will it be a quick catastrophic end or a slow evolution to some other form.  If you are dumb enough to put petty things like your opinion of Al Gore ahead of consideration of the future of your species, then I guess the species isn't really smart enough to do any thing but watch as the end comes rolling at us.  It won't be during the life time of any one reading this, but it will be several half lives sooner than it would have been had nature been left to its own devices.

It's not called Global Warming anymore.  Now it's called Climate Change because it's getting colder.  I bet it's freezing by Winter :)

I tend to think 'global warming' is in Al Gore's tiny head.

Not man made, I believe the sun controls alot of it. NO WAY should there be a TAX for global warming!!!!!!

i hate globle warming cause all the polor bears are dieing.

The irresponsibility of the Bush administration is making us look like backwards buffoons to the rest of the world, and damning the environment.

We need to treat planet better

Not a big issue with me

What a load of crap.

not sure how the rating goes..but i think its of great importance anyway

Anyone who does not see this as a serious, imminent threat is not living in reality.

biggest scam of all time. DEATH TO DEMOCRATS THE GODLESS BASTARDS

Al Gore is an idiot!

Global Warming is a phenomena, just as Ice age. Natural elements in the nature cause it perhaps minor help from human activities, but  not as much as it is being advertise. Mr. Gore may not have invented internet, but he certainly invented Global Warming!

Theories are there for a reason...we should investigate. If there really is no proof that Global Warming is what is happening with our planet, then let bygones be bygones and DROP IT!

maybe willing to listen to all sides of the issues of Global Warming. some try and scare the daylights out of us and blame every hurricance, and huge weather events on Global warming. hard to call for me. last year in Michigan, we had a mild winter, warmer weather little snow and an early spring. this year our winter has been  brutal way more snow than average, colder weather and have no idea of when we will get spring weather. one year is one way this one different. who is to say which theory to believe?

According to a report I saw on Discovery Channel not long ago...the world has gone through phases of both warming and cooling since day one...in fact, experts on this program seem to think that we actually are in a cooling phase. Im not sure what to think anymore. I do know that as a kid in NW PA we had longer cooler winters than they do now....shrugs

Global warming really is a tricky subject matter. The climate is changing, and I think that is hard to dispute. The problem is distinguishing the causes of that change. It seems evident that industrialization is partially to blame (the rise in C02 levels has been too rapid to be completely natural), but how much of it is our fault, and how much is a natural climate change? Also, many people are too quick to blame global warming for things like a hurricane, a drought, or an especially hot couple of weeks. I think global warming is real, but you can't blame global warming for one storm.

  a media enduced hype

total bull

to think that we are killing the planet is just crazy

the liberals are into this "fear" thing and hope they can convince people

oh, and it isnt called global warming, they call it "climate change" now

Like it or not, it's an important issue. The real question is how much misrepresentation of fact is out there. I don't have a problem with wanting to cut down pollution or stressing conservation, but stop telling me things that have already been proven to be lies and exaggerations.

One of the biggest hypes in history! The founder of The Weather Channel says so and many, many scientists find no merit in it either.

One of the biggest travesties in history of man kind was Al Gore winning a Nobel Peace Prize!

I think God is smiling on this one. It's the End Times - go read your Bibles people.

"Global Warming is the biggest scam in modern history" according to John Coleman (a co-founder of the Weather Channel).  "In 20 years it will become obvious that we were all duped.  But during that 20 years the global warming crowd will have a field day."

Data: -Antarctic ice pack is at an all-time high
         -Mars is "warming" at the same rate as the Earth (little green men causing it?)
         -1100 years ago man was growing crops in Norway and Sweden that can't be grown today because it's too cold.
         -The tide levels on our coast are the same they've been for decades.
         -Arctic ice core drillings show a natural freeze/thaw cycle over centuries
         -The scientists most likely to support the religion (excuse me, "theory") are political scientists or are on the payroll of organizations who hired them to "prove" the theory (or be fired).

So, what's wrong with going back to the temperatures of 1100 years ago?  We'd be able to grow food in more places to feed our increased population.  Think of grapes and other warm weather crops being grown again in Canada like when Leif Ericson arrived at "Vineland".  Think of Greenland being green again like when his dad, Eric the Red arrived there.  Up here in Washington, I'd like to be able to grow citrus fruit.

Conspiracy theories and scientific "evidence" aside, if the movement that encourages a more eco-friendly environment actually and ultimately has something to do (and at this point how much is probably irrelevant) with a measurable reduction in our dependence on foreign oil, then there are some positive aspects to this entire global warming thing, regardless of whether people are conviced that it is actually happening or not.

MY LAST WORD ON THE MATTER: In the end of the day, few of us can claim to be earth scientists. We can keep throwing data back and forth at each other that we found on the internet to serve our purposes. That isn't science. Sure, an overwhelming consensus of scientists accepts global warming, but I understand that consensus does not make something a science, even if it's a consensus of scientists. The only way we can cut through the ideological web on both sides to observe what powerful people are doing, rather than what they are saying. That is the only way to read the sign of the times. What powerful people are doing is as follows: (1) mapping the Arctic Sea's oil resources, currently being undertaken by oil companies which had not previously recognized that the oil there could be profitably extracted, but are now preparing to undertake oil extraction because the ice poles are melting thanks to their own activities; (2) developing contingency plans for resource conflicts, currently being undertaken by the military think tanks of Canada, Russia, and the United States. If you don't see the truth, you're so gullible you'll believe any of the talking points that Bush and the hard right feeds you.

For some reason, this window returns an error every time I submit the original post, so I'll just try putting it on the comments page.

you said
"I mean, the only point up for debate is WHY global warming is happening"

Exactly!
But who can deny that the only thing that is constant is CHANGE.
Global change is nothing new, just new to US. People of the world prefer SLOW, virtually unnoticiable change but nature works at its' own pace and nothing, no restrictions, no imposed taxes, no weeping and knashing if teeth will affect the inevitable. Man has rolled with the punches since he first appeared on this planet and will do so again and again as it OUR nature to do.
We just deal with it as it comes.

Most of the evidence concerning U.S. temperature trends is collected by NOAAs National Data Climatic Center which gathers information from about 1,200 weather observation stations across the nation. These stations are small wooden sheds with thermometers, which are read at intervals, mostly by volunteers. Many are located in sprawling urban and industrial centers, known as heat islands, and are subject to higher readings than stations in rural areas where temperatures are subject mostly to land use effects.

Most of the recent global-warming alarmists use 1998 as the benchmark for the hottest year on record, but it turns out that their reporting is flawed, the result of a math blunder.

In fact, 1934 was the hottest year on record, and four of the ten hottest years in the U.S. were recorded in the 1930s. The second hottest year on record was 1998, but the third hottest was 1921, not 2006. Notably, six of the ten hottest years occurred prior to 90 percent of the economic growth associated with increased greenhouse-gas emissions.

  Update: I am still....STILL waiting for loerke or any other gullible believer in man-made global warming to tell us what the mean temperature of the earth SHOULD be. If they cannot answer that question, their arguments have no validity whatsoever. 

Update 2: Just for you "global warming" guys (or gals), here is yet another link:

http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/GlobalWarmingSteigerwal d/main.asp

  Loving the idea of less pollution. The idea that we ultimatly have control over climate change is a bit of a stretch. The natural cycles of the earth are still very unknown. We can only estimate using probability.

I may repeat a few points mentioned earlier as I didn't browse through all the reviews.

What we can change is still very unclear knowing that really to be accurate in measurements, requires logging loads of information for a LONG time. Apparently in 15-50 years we will have the necessary information to tell, and by then it could be too late.

So i think it's best to do what we can in the present

But like everything else existing, we are only temporary, that was the small print in our contract, I do believe it is healthy for us to accept that too. Not meaning to cease from taking action when necessary but pointing out that nature always has a way to humble us and that it is refreshing that nature's silent voice can be heard by us from time to time.

It comes back to what we've known all along, we've got to do our best to look after our earth. It's unfortunate it requires detrimental consequences for all of us to care.

Not expertise whatsoever so this will merely reproduce bits of today's news: WASHINGTON - America may spew more greenhouse gases than any other country, but some states are astonishingly more prolific polluters than others — and it's not always the ones you might expect. The Associated Press analyzed state-by-state emissions of carbon dioxide from 2003, the latest U.S. Energy Department numbers available. The review shows startling differences in states' contribution to climate change: The biggest reason: The burning of high-carbon coal to produce cheap electricity.

Wyoming's coal-fired power plants produce more carbon dioxide in just eight hours than the power generators of more populous Vermont do in a year. Texas, the leader in emitting this greenhouse gas, cranks out more than the next two biggest producers combined, California and Pennsylvania, which together have twice Texas' population. In sparsely populated Alaska, the carbon dioxide produced per person by all the flying and driving is six times the per capita amount generated by travelers in New York state.

"There's no question that some states have made choices to be greener than others," said former top Energy Department official Joseph Romm, author of the new book "Hell and High Water" and executive director of a nonprofit energy conservation group. The disparity in carbon dioxide emissions is one of the reasons there is no strong national effort to reduce global warming gases, some experts say. National emissions dipped ever so slightly last year, but that was mostly because of mild weather, according to the Energy Department.

"Some states are benefiting from both cheap electricity while polluting the planet and make all the rest of us suffer the consequences of global warming," said Frank O'Donnell, director of the Washington environmental group Clean Air Watch. "I don't think that's fair at all."

The whole global warming movement has truly dropped off the deep end of insanity, led by the constant jet flyer himself, Al Bore--I'm sorry, Al Gore.

We've only been keeping meterological records for over a hundred years--who's to say that thousands of years ago, we didn't have 5 or 10 category-5 hurricanes strike the US! And, there's even more simple logic. A while ago, there was an ice age...i.e. global cooling. What do you have to do after that?

I do not believe that man has changed the temperature that drastically. It's all likely part of a natural cycle. Recent studies and statistics point to more of a connection with sunspots. And, how about that warming on Mars? Did our Mariner and Viking probes cause that?!?

And, really, the whole idea of "carbon offsets" is the most ludicrous thing I have seen. I tell you what--I'm going to go commit some crimes--but don't worry, I'll buy some crime offsets so everyone can feel guilt-free and happy! (And, no, I'm not really going to commit crimes. I guess I should get some sarcasm offsets, though...)

Global warming is real.  Just not that silly manmade warming stuff.  Carbon Dioxide is not a pollutant, it is natually occuring. Before you stop buying oil and burning coal, you should dispose of the number one source of CD emissions... the ocean. All of those selfish plants living the life of Reilly are increasing CarbonDioxide at a level that we poor humans cannot compete with.

We sure messed everything up! the world was perfectly fine for the 1st what? 1800 years then we start destroying the ozone with our advanced technology , causing rising tempuratures, causing polar ice caps to melt, rising ocean levels, i mean everyone had it just fine untill we started inventing stuff. sure it might not affect us now, but im worried about my children and their children

Carbon Dioxide is listed as a pollutant, so lets ban Coca Cola and Pepsi as well as breathing! We could breath into a paper bag which would also cure hyperventilation. Rush says we should send somebody to the Sun to put it out, better go at night though! yuc yuc

It's very important. We need to clean up the enviornment to reduce global warming.

UPDATE: 3/27/06. So Time Magazine is having a cover story on this. About time. And as usual, the world leader that we are (the United States of America) still refuses to recognize this threat as real; quote from the article: "So much environmental collapse has at last awakened much of the world, particularly the 141 nations that have ratified the Kyoto treaty to reduce emissions. The Bush administration, however, has shown no willingness to address the warming crisis in a serious way and Congress has not been much more encouraging. Sens. John McCain and Joe Lieberman have twice been unable to get even mild measures to limit carbon emissions through a recalcitrant Senate." Why does the Bush administration refuse to accept this? Limiting emissions would be tied to the one and only care this administration has--oil and make money. When you've got icebergs breaking off Antarctica and Greenland, and increasingly severe hurricanes and tornadoes (I wonder what the 2006 hurricane season will look like), and reindeer and polar bear species dying in the Arctic regions because of warm temperatures--you've got some issues worth investigating. The U.S.'s stance towards the threat of global warming and the environment in general, for being the world leader we are, is absolutely horrible. Refusal to participate in the Kyoto meetings because of the "economic impact" of measures to study and prevent warming. And I think we all know what "economic impact" they're talking about.

Seeing how I plan on living to be no older than 20 before I'm hit by a bus (I'm 22 now), I'm not really worried about it. No, it's not just because I'm short-sighted to only what will happen during my brief time spent on this rock, it's because humanity as a whole really is that short-sighted. We can only personally see what has taken place during our lifetime, and our written history of accurate weather and climate information isn't much better. Therefore, it's easy for us to assume that we're witnessing catastrophic damage taking place day after day, instead of normal climate cycles... that simply isn't the case. Is my gas-guzzling 1982 Jeep CJ-7 threatening the very existence of humanity? Doubtful. You see, if you combine my Jeep with your SUV, your neighbor's Minivan, and so on so forth until you've combined all of the automobiles ever, it still doesn't add up anywhere near the affect of just a few volcanoes. In fact, as odd as it might sound to some of you banking on this "global warming" theory, I've heard it stated that it may very well be a lack of significant volcanic activity that is causing this insignificantly minute warming trend... bare with me. Studies indicate that the 1991 volcanic eruption of Mt Pinatubo in the Philippines resulted in a 0.5C global surface cooling. That's right, a major volcanic eruption set the whole world back an average of nearly 1F, even during the same year as el Nino and had a lingering effect that lasted a few years. How could that happen, especially even as my CJ-7 was kicking ass all up and down the streets (in the hands of it's previous owner of course)? Well, whenever 14 to 26 million metric tons (which is, from what I figure, about 31,000,000,000 to 57,000,000,000 pounds) of sulfur dioxide spews into the atmosphere, the Earth tends to take notice. That sulfur blocks more sunlight, which in turn results in cooler temperatures around the world (similar in theory to the dust fallout if an asteroid hit the Earth, only on a more common scale). It's far more likely that we are just an eruption or two shy of normal in the past century than it is that our cars are creating long-term damage to the ozone layer. No matter how powerful we think we are, in the end we are insignificant specks on this Earth and it truly hardly notices us.

Important issue? Yes. An issue we should make policy about, jeopardize peoples' livelihoods, alter our economic engine for? Sorry. No. Is the planet warming? Yes, slightly, about a single degree of average ambient temperature about every couple hundred years. Is that something to take note of? Sure. Is it urgent? It doesn't seem so. Does this cause hurricanes to be more severe? There is NO such evidence anywhere, just shrill, emotional shrieking. Find a meteorologist who supports this hypothesis. Should we become less dependent on oil? Yes, but because of the association with the political and religious instability of the Middle East and the preponderence of petroleum reserves there and in other less than stable areas of the globe. 90% of the greenhouse gases (the preciptiating cause of the breakdown in the ozone layer of the atmosphere) most commonly associated with global warming are produced from natural sources and would continue to be generated whether or not humans continue to inhabit this planet. Do humans need and generate heat? Certainly. Now that there are 6 billion humans here, they produce and utilize warmth. The fact is we don't have good reference points for comparison. Temp readings from a century ago are often not accurate and verifiable. I mock these know-it-all chicken littles who condescendingly assure us (because they just know) that it's a problem and exhort us to "look at the evidence! " As I've said before, as soon as the majority of meteorologists, who study such things for a living, believe that global warming is a problem (currently around 20% believe) I'll begin to take notice. Until then, I'll continue to note that the people most upset about global warming are those who have an emotional agenda associated with it as a political issue. The facts simply do not support their hysteria, entertaining though it may be. Wasn't it Al Gore who made it a centerpiece of his recent presidential platform? There's credibility for you.

Undeniably one of the most important issues. Some morons, apparently including our own president, are blind to the facts. Others, however, tend to overreact. The world is warmer now than at any time since man has been "civilized", or, to say it another way, warmer than at anytime in the past 12 thousand years. But there is evidence that if the automobile had never been invented, the world would still be in a hot phase. Although the evidence seems to be clear that man has contributed to the problem, the extent of his contribution can only be guessed at. Still we owe it to our children to work at reducing those human factors that have been scientifically proven to contribute to ozone and global warming.

What a crock. They blame us for global warming? Our emissions and cars and what not.. Sick, studies have shown that one valcanic erruption, just ONE, emits more of the crap they whine about than all of the cars in a America. Really people, Global Warming is a trend, it happens naturally. Even if we are greatly effecting it, its to late to stop it now, so just enjoy life eh.

The first community (in Polynesia) to be forced to move due to rising tides is moving now.