Introduction
Climate change refers to any meaningful change in Earth’s climate that spans over a vast period. Global warming refers to climate variation that has the effect of increasing the average temperature of the lower atmosphere. Although Global warming has many different causes, it is mainly associated with human interference, particularly the release of excessive amounts of greenhouse gases (John J, 2000).
Greenhouse gases, for instance, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), water vapor, and fluorinated gases, operate like a greenhouse around the earth. This implies that they allow the heat from the Sun into the atmosphere, as well as preventing that heat from escaping back into space. Thus the more greenhouse gases there are, the bigger the percentage of heat that is ensnared inside the atmosphere
Main Discussion
Of course occurring greenhouse gases (not fluorinated gases) are essential in naturally occurring amounts (John J, 2000). Science indicates that an excessive amount of these gases causes a problem. With too much greenhouse gas buildup, the earth’s atmosphere warms to abnormal temperatures which scientists believe causes, among other things, sea level to rise. Global warming also results in surface temperatures rising as well as changes in precipitation patterns.
Scientists have entirely failed to conclude why the earth has been warming up by about 1ºF over the past 100 years. Researches and counter researches have been carried out with no outright explanation as to the causes of global temperature increase. Some science researchers argue that the earth could be getting warmer on its own, whilst others maintain that the things people do contribute to earth warming (Jerry M, 1999). Scientists worldwide are aware that greenhouse gases as aforesaid, warms the earth by trapping energy in the atmosphere hence they reflect the effects of these gases with climatic changes.
As much as has been said, while I may admit that there has been an increase in the earth’s temperatures, I would not agree that Global Warming is due to the human contribution of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). This brings us to the question of whether it is true or a hoax. The issue has generated a lot of debate in the past, with people wasting time, energy, and substantial amounts of money, generating needless fear and anxiety over an issue with no scientific explanation. As much as I can say, am not refuting that global warming has happened. The hard fact is that the world has warmed since 1680, the depths of a relatively cool epoch known as the Little Ice Age (LIA) that has generally persisted to the present. I would overtly suggest that these climate changes are well within natural variability and which can be explained quite easily by engaging with other natural phenomena such as changes in the sun (George P, 1998). With nothing unusual going on.
The presumption of Global Warming takes for granted that CO2 is an atmospheric greenhouse gas and as it raises temperatures inversely increase. It is on this basis, that, it was theorized that since people were producing more CO2 than before, the temperature would certainly increase. The theory seems to have been accepted before testing had started.
I would personally argue that the compromise was arrived at before the research had even been carried out.” and in the meantime, any scientist who attempts to question the existing wisdom is marginalized and referred to as a skeptic, when in fact he is are simply being good scientists This has indeed climaxed with the normal scientific method being effectively thwarted.
The vast Global Warming fiddle can be said to be much closer to the truth than “An Inconvenient Truth”. This doesn’t discredit the truth that humans must take care of the world they live in. But it serves the purpose of disputing the fact that global warming is man-made.
Al Gore is portrayed as striving to bring about a heart-rending task of educating the world over about man-made global warming,
The basis of Gores’s argument and his likes, of man-made global warming, is that CO2 correlates directly with the temperature (Melvin A, 1992). Thus as CO2 amounts in the atmosphere increase, so does the temperature; hence that, since humankind has drastically increased CO2 then this proves that mankind is causing the earth’s temperature to rise. Even though mankind has caused CO2 levels to increase, does this constitute anything meaningful enough to affect anything? I would also question whether this causes the temperature to increase as well.
Mr. Gore has tried as much as he can to address the issue of human contribution to global warming as a central goal of his life. The conception of An Inconvenient Truth is one part of his general mission. I also believe in global warming as much as Mr. does but this doesn’t give my whole heart. What Mr. Gore does not appreciate is the fact that the issues surrounding global warming are adequately vague that they require rational discussion and debate. In his movie, he does not hesitate to misrepresent facts, and I consider that facts are more significant than that.
In Mr. Gore’s film, he claims those low-lying occupied Pacific islands are being flooded due to anthropogenic global warming. He does not support this proposition neither is there any evidence of any sort of evacuation being carried out (Melvin A, 1992).
He goes on to highlight that global warning would eventually shut down the ocean conveyor. –this is the process by which the gulf watercourse is carried over the North Atlantic to Western Europe. This has highly been refuted by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The position is that even though it might slow it is very unlikely that the conveyor would shut down in the future.
Mr. Gore also attributed the disappearance of snow on Mt Kilimanjaro to human-induced climate change. Here the point of connection could not be established. Mr. Gore also asserts that the drying up of Lake Chad to have been induced by global warming. He failed to take into consideration other factors such as population increase, over-grazing, and regional climate variability.
Does temperature raise cause CO2 rise or the other way around? The answer to this question is that both situations are possible scientifically (George P, 1998). Milankovitch cycles show that increased temperature causes CO2 to go up. Scientists have noted a cycle of ice ages divided by brief warm periods called interglacials. This mold is caused by Milankovitch cycles – gradual, regular alterations in the earth’s course and axis. One common cycle is the 100,000-year eccentricity cycle as the Earth’s orbit adjusts from a more circular to a more elliptical orbit.
This cycle is known to cause changes in incoming sunlight. During springtime the southern hemisphere experiences high insolation, this coincides with increasing temperatures in the south, retreating Antarctic sea ice, and melting glaciers in the southern hemisphere (George P, 1998). As temperature rises, CO2 also rises but lags the warming by 800 to 1000 years.
Scientists have agreed that the solubility of CO2 in Oceans increases with increased temperatures.
What therefore is the implication? In essence, Mr. Gore’s observations have no scientific foundation save that it is a means of justifying a certain end.
It is important to understand that the Earth’s climate constantly changes and would even continue to change with or without humans’ intervention (George P, 1998). The recent changes in the Earth’s temperature are very minute as compared to changes over geological time hence it is unsatisfactory to associate the warming with humans. Glaciers have been advancing; and melting; there have been ice ages; there have been interglacial ages, then if so were these occurrences as a result of global warming undertaken by humans? It should also be noted that during the Little Ice Age glaciers advanced and the Vikings were forced to leave Greenland. This shows that global warming is not a result of human activity.
Conclusion
Scientists are yet to agree on the catastrophic global warming as the current predictions are not supported by any scientific evidence as it is based on theoretical climate models that cannot be relied upon and can not be validated by the existing climate record.
Of course, global warming is taking place, it’s presently not caused by man, and the rate of change is very small than what the alarmists such as Gore convey. The global warming dispute is founded upon the false suggestion that the climate is a constant, never-changing system that has been wobbled by man’s disregard for the environment.
Facts, without a doubt, illustrate that climate change takes place always and there are separate periods of cooling and warming right through history (George P, 1998). Then are we forced to believe this period of warming is any different from the last ones? There is no scientific basis to believe such. This I may term as a hoax since thousands of people dealing with environmental movements are known to scare people and get them to write checks to fund their organizations so they can “save the world”. Regrettably, science has been tainted by politics and the consequence is alarmist behavior not supported by any facts.
References
- Melvin A. Benarde, (1992) Global Warning… Global Warming. New York: Wiley,
- John J. Berger. Beating the Heat, (2000) Why and How We Must Combat Global Warming. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Hills Books
- George Philander, (1998). Is the temperature rising? The Uncertain Science of Global Warming, Princeton University Press.
- Jerry Melillo,(1999) Warm, Warm on the Range, Science