| No matter where you live, I'm sure you've been | | | | the global temperature has actually decreased. |
| hearing the hype about global warming. Promoters | | | | This does not correlate with the constant |
| are predicting a huge temperature increase over | | | | increases in CO2 levels as the century moved |
| the next 50 years, one which could quite possible | | | | along, implying that the temperature change is |
| destroy the world as we know it. Many people | | | | coming from another source. In fact, the burning |
| treat this as a fact, not a theory. But, is global | | | | of fossil fuels has little significance on even the |
| warming all it's cracked up to be? There's | | | | global CO2 level. Only around 14% of CO2 levels |
| evidence on both sides, and I'm going to show | | | | is from burning fossil fuels, the rest are from |
| you the myths and facts about this theory. | | | | natural processes. But, if fossil fuels don't cause |
| The main concept of global warming is that | | | | global warming, how come the earth has heated |
| greenhouse gasses, such as CO2, act as a global | | | | up over the past century? |
| blanket. Since CO2 retains heat to a greater | | | | It's hard to find for certain what causes global |
| extent than oxygen, it keeps a greater | | | | warming, since it generally happens over a long |
| percentage of solar heart on the earth. One of | | | | time period. One theory though is that solar |
| the main arguments for this concept comes from | | | | activity is the main influence in the global |
| Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. In the film, Gore | | | | temperature. In the early 90's, Danish scientist |
| shows an overlapping chart comparing global | | | | Friis-Christensen suggested that the changes in |
| temperatures to CO2 levels. There appears to be | | | | global temperatures can all be linked to solar |
| a perfect match. This proves that an increase in | | | | activity, something humans can not influence, |
| CO2 warms the earth. Right? If you zoom in on | | | | especially with CO2. Another explanation for the |
| the chart, a different story is revealed. A | | | | warming of the earth over the past 100 years is |
| temperature increase actually precedes a rise in | | | | the fact that the earth's temperature always |
| CO2 levels. This means that as the earth heats | | | | returns to the mean. Around 300 years ago, the |
| up from some other cause, CO2 levels rise. So, | | | | "little ice age" ended. This was a period of |
| this means that historical data can not tell us | | | | prolonged temperature cooling, though not quite |
| whether or not CO2 increases the temperature. | | | | to the degree of causing another ice age. Since |
| However, since global CO2 levels have never | | | | that time period, the earth has been simply |
| been this high, we can't say for certain that no | | | | returning to the average global temperature. |
| temperature increase will occur. | | | | When analyzing the temperatures over the past |
| Global Warming advocates often say that the | | | | few thousand years, one sees that the earth is |
| earth is warmer than it was a century ago, and, if | | | | actually cooler now than on average. So, this |
| this trend continues, a global crisis is at hand. But, | | | | recent increase in temperature is nothing to |
| even during certain periods of the 20th century, | | | | worry about. |