Global Warming
Global Warming
Global warming, the phenomenon of the earth’s average temperature is rising, is true, but is over exaggerated in today’s media. Carbon dioxide plays less of a role in global warming than “urban islands” according to Tomkin. Daly states that “Claims That Sea Levels Are Rising Are Unproven.” Some, such as Avery, go so far as to say “The Effects of Global Warming Will Be Beneficial.” All this coincides with Ray’s statements about “Global Warming and Ozone Depletion Are Not Serious Problems.” Others who agree the Global warming is not a serious threat are: Singer and McManus.
In response to former Vice President Al Gore’s book, Earth in the Balance, Jocelyn Tomkin writes “Air Pollution Does Not Cause Global Warming.” Tomkin relays that the trend of global warming has been occurring for “billions of years.” He then explains that the sun warms the earth, but a lot of this heat energy is reflected back into space either by the earth’s atmosphere or by its surface. The rest of the heat is obviously absorbed by the earth and therefore heats it. Tomkin’s rationale behind carbon dioxide being a minor player in global warming is the simple fact that “over the last 100 years, the level of carbon dioxide has increased by 25 percent, while the greenhouse effect has increased by around 1 percent.” The main cause of the greenhouse effect is actually water vapor. To counter the notion that global warming is detrimental, Tomkin says “Indeed, if there were no global warming, if the earth's atmosphere were perfectly transparent at infrared wavelengths, the planet's average surface temperature would be a brisk zero degrees Fahrenheit, instead of the pleasant 59 degrees that we enjoy.” Tomkin says that the temperature increase we call global warming started before the 1940s, which is before the main increase of the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The statement that sea levels are rising is an unproven one, and therefore cannot be used to support the notion of global warming according to John Daly. “The mean level of the water surface over a specific long series of measurements” defines mean sea level. However, the ideal true mean sea level is not calculable because changes are occurring over both lengthy and minor scales.
Dennis Avery has a grandiose view of global warming. “A warmer earth will result in lush forests, a decrease in climate-related disasters, increased food production, and a healthier human population.” The earth was warmed between 4 and 7 degrees Fahrenheit between 900 ad and 1300 ad. This period was dubbed “Little Climate Optimum.” Because of the longer seasons and milder winters food production increased. Fewer floods and droughts occurred in key developing regions. Death rates declined due to people spending less time in smoke filled huts. All of this resulted in an increase of engineering, trade, architecture, religion, art, and practical invention. According to Avery, eco-activists concocted crass global warming horror stories in order to persuade people to live leaner lifestyles. We were often warned by activists that the human population would reach fifteen billion, or fifty billion, or such a huge level that the ecosystem would collapse. We now think that the world’s population will peak population of 8.5 billion around the year 2035; this will be followed by a slow decline in the late twenty-first century. Activists also warned us that acid rain from industrial pollution would devastate the forests in the First World. After a billion dollars worth of research, we know that acid rain is a minor problem and is caused mainly by natural factors. Activists are usually wrong in their politically motivated and fact absent statements.
Dixy Ray points out that 20 years ago, claims were made stating that the earth was undergoing a process of global cooling. This is quite interesting because certain scientists say that the earth has been undergoing global warming. Obviously, both groups cannot be correct. For over twenty years the American people have been subjected to a salvo of condemnation about the way they live, what they eat, what they manufacture, how much and what kind of energy they use and how they handle the inevitable waste products of their activities. They are told that we are killing the earth and its ability to support life. But, are the people who are saying these things correct. Ray says they could not be further from the truth. Ray states the following: “Temperature records taken in the northern hemisphere over the past century show no upward trend.” “Analysis of 135 years of surface ocean temperatures taken by ships at sea shows no upward trend.” “Analysis of temperature measurements by satellite from 1978 to 1988 (TIROS II) taken continuously, day and night over land and sea show no consistent change.” “Analysis of certain plant species in the U.S. shows an interesting picture. Citrus fruit used to grow in the Southeast as far north as the Carolinas. Now oranges will not ripen north of Orlando, FL. Florida had 24 severe killing frosts in the last 30 years, but only six in the 50 years prior. In 1990 the U.S. Department of Agriculture put out its first revised hardiness report for commercial crops since 1965. Temperature data from 14,500 measuring stations show that the area where crops can be grown without certain danger of a killing frost has moved 100 miles south in the last 50 years.” Possibly the most interesting topic Ray brings up is the banning of CFCs, or chlorofluorocarbons. The Bush administration sought to eliminate the use of CFCs in reaction to a NASA press release that declared an ozone hole existed over North America. The statement was based on a solitary set of measurements taken on January 20, 1992. Common sense dictates that no trend can be recognized by a single measurement.
Fred Singer brings up an interesting point: “A puzzling fact about the whole global-warming debate is that although it should be a question of science, proponents of the Kyoto Protocol tend to be Left-wing, liberal, and Democratic, while opponents are overwhelmingly Right-wing, conservative, and Republican.” The policies proposed to mitigate global warming would lead to a colossal increase of government control of economic operations and personal behavior. This will affect the use of energy, automobiles, and everything else from recycling to compulsory conservation. The Left loves this idea because they subscribe to Al Gore's vision of the world. As expected, the Right, is strongly opposed to anything that infringes on personal freedom. Singer states that “Data from earth satellites in use since 1979 do not show any warming.”
According to John McManus, “any changes in climate, whether heat waves or cold spells, occur naturally and that global warming extremists are simply using scare tactics in order to control the behavior of their fellow citizens.” Independent studies conducted by a Canadian geologist and an Israeli astrophysicist led them to agree that atmospheric carbon dioxide is rising, but they argue that relationship between solar activity and cosmic rays from deep space, not man's activity, is the main cause of the increase. This increase in carbon dioxide is good for plants, which consume carbon dioxide and expel oxygen, which is used by humans and animals. Therefore, more carbon dioxide is actually beneficial.
In conclusion, global warming is occurring. Global cooling is also occurring. The earth warms and cools itself each year over periods of years. There is no substantial scientific evidence supporting any major catastrophe that the media would have one believe. The American way of life is not responsible for a superstition imposed by Left Wing nutcases. Carbon dioxide is not a major contributor to the greenhouse gases, water vapor, a very natural product of the earth is. We need not alter our way of life to suit the wants of environmentalist fanatics.