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Anthropogenic Global Warming: The Fabricated Predator Will Hubbard A Journal for Western Man-- Issue XXVIII-- December 8, 2004 |
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The distinction is many times, difficult to make, once scientific terminology and politically oriented phrases become intertwined concerning issues of global well-being and particularly the future of human existence. Many are strong believers in the notion of anthropogenic global warming, the conviction supporting “increases in the temperature of the earth's atmosphere which are caused by human activity.” (Farlex, 2004) However, many would argue that no evidence exists which would possess the ability to substantiate anthropogenic global warming to be scientifically significant. The simple term, “global warming,” is much broader scientifically and has been known to hold some degree of verifiability. Global warming is defined as the warming of the earth by greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere which further or induce the onset of the greenhouse effect. (Farlex, 2004) Naturally, the two terms hold quite different implications. However, many of the positions offered in support of global warming are offered in the context of anthropogenic global warming. It is therefore to be assumed that global warming is merely meant as a term to describe anthropogenic global warming for the purposes of this thesis. Global warming: Is it our fault? The increasing consensus among scientists is that global warming is a genuine risk which our planet faces today, and is currently growing worse daily. Many would argue that the warming trend is occurring because of the buildup of greenhouse gases – primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide- which are allegedly a direct result of humans and the Industrial Revolution (EPA, 2000). These gases are said to be emitted profusely into the atmosphere by factories, cars, and many other devices. Evidence of a human-induced global temperature rise, such as a sample of the last century’s temperature, which is said to indicate that the temperature has risen significantly, has been allegedly discovered to exist. (UNEP, 2004) And over the last forty years alone, an increase of 0.5°C has reportedly occurred. The warming experienced in the last century has been claimed as greater than the average temperatures from the previous 400-600 years. In addition, the environmental changes experienced around the world further suggest that a substantial alteration has occurred. Changes like receding glaciers, rising sea levels, and the Artic ice pack losing 40% of its thickness all are offered in support of the data suggesting a global temperature increase. (UCS, 2003) The glaciers of the planet have always receded slightly and grown back as the seasons changed, but not at the rate of which recession is seen today. Glacial recession is a possible sign that the overall global temperature is rising because they’re not located in any one region alone. With the glacial recession rising, it is claimed to be predictable that so too the water levels would rise accordingly. The frozen water that was once on the land has now moved out to the bodies of water, thus causing a rise in the levels. Another factor in the rising water levels is the decreasing arctic pack. (UCS, 2003) Also, the permafrost layer has begun to thaw, allegedly due to human activities. Alaskan permafrost has reportedly warmed up by an average of 1.5°C over the past fifteen years. (Osterkamp, 2000) This evidence strongly supports the theory that the past century has revealed an increasing trend towards higher global averages in temperature with a high correlation to human activities. But mankind may still have contributed at most very slightly to the overall effect of global warming. As a whole, human activities are dwarfed by many other factors. Furthermore, the earth has seen many global temperature variations historically. (Keeling and Whorf, 1997) The irrefutable truth is that just a single volcano can release more gases in a single day then mankind has in its species existence. Secondly, such eruptions are not isolated occurrences, but rather volcanic activities which happen numerous times every year and have happened for eons of the earth’s history. As an example, USGS scientists studying the gases of Mount St. Helens have determined that about 2 million tons of sulfur dioxide were emitted between 1980 and 1988. In addition, global temperature trends have shown to hold great variation; proof of this lies within the ice ages and tropical periods. Also, global warming is not the fault of humans and in fact, it isn’t bad. Dr. Hugh Ellsaesser believes that we are due for around a 1.8 F. increase because of the global cooling during the past four hundred years (Carlise, 1998). He claims that all this will do is generate slightly warmer winter and nighttime temperatures, which will result in fewer frosts and longer growing seasons. Additionally, the only time that agriculture was failing was during the cooler temperatures. This upcoming warming, in fact, could be beneficial to many countries and their agricultural success (Carlise, 1998). Present theories about global warming are based on very small amounts of data collected in only the last hundred or so years; hardly enough upon which to base a judgment. Moreover, all statistics based upon sea levels rising are based on false and inaccurate data. NASA scientists studying the "rise" in sea levels have discovered an error in the software aboard OPEX/POSEIDON, the U.S.-French satellite that is supposed to be measuring sea-level change. The error has produced a severe exaggeration in NASA's estimates of sea-level change. (Milloy, 1996) Global warming has yet to even be scientifically proven and continues to pose no immediate threat. Lastly, with regard to human activities, while a high correlation between global warming and said activities can be pointed out, no proof has been shown with absolute certainty. The point at which there can be no clear or scientifically proven link between human activities being at the root cause of increased global temperatures, I would conclude that human activities are not the cause of global warming and that it is not a threat. There are simply too many other factors involved to properly conclude that any global warming trend could be a result of human related activities. Historically, there have been global temperature variations, some even far greater than the one we’ve experienced in recent times. Many of these temperature variations have been caused by natural factors, such as volcanic activity. In fact, it can be concluded that all temperature variations pre-human beings were due entirely to environmental factors. And were global warming an actual temperature trend, it would not be a terrible catastrophe as many make its effects out to be. It would allow for a longer growing season which, in some countries, could be quite beneficial. Yet, obviously, data from the past hundred years is far from sufficient to make a conclusion from in support of a warming trend. It is merely an uninformative extrapolation of data in respect to the amount of time behind it. Global warming is not an issue to be taken lightly; however, it will have no direct effect on humans and, were there a risk of it having an effect, there would exist no effective way that humans would be able to prevent its impacts.
Literature Cited Will Hubbard is a policy research assistant, essayist, and contributor to The Rational Argumentator. Give feedback on this work at TRA's forum, which you can access at http://rationalarg.proboards24.com. Advertise your business or product permanently on TRA for a mere $1 donation to a worthy endeavor to combat human aging. Click here to learn more. Help bring about the cure for human aging within our lifetimes. Learn how you can help through the Chicago Methuselah Foundation Fund. Visit The Rational Argumentator's new Online Store. Visit TRA's Yahoo! Group, a means of notification and communication for our subscribers. You can find it at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rationalargumentator. You can sign up by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. Click here to return to the Issue XXVIII index. Visit TRA's Master Index, a convenient way of navigating throughout the issues of the magazine. Click here. |
