The earth is currently undergoing environmental changes, as it has since its formation, nearly 4.5 billion years ago. During all of this time, there have a multitude of environments, each promoting the growth of organisms best suited to withstand the elements characteristic of those environments. This process continues even today, as new species continue to evolve in an effort to cope with the most recent changes to the complex living system called Earth.
Humans are no exception. However, they no longer perceive themselves as part of this ongoing process. Many believe that the species, as a whole, is somehow in control of their environmental conditions. This perception is well rooted in a long history of attempting to mask themselves from the natural environment and manipulating environments to suit their needs. Consequently, the human species has fooled itself in to believing that it is the sole harbinger of doom for the planet; human activity is the catalyst for the earths continuing evolution, speeding up processes that have never really been truly consistent, much less predictable.
The human species is undoubtedly affecting their environment. Their tailings can be found nearly everywhere on the planet. As a messy and lazy species, which artificially placed itself outside of evolution, and above all others in the food chain, they have created conditions, which threaten their own existence.
It is widely recognized that human activity over the past few hundred years has greatly reduced the sustainability of multiple ecosystems throughout the world. They have created incidents in the process of the earth’s evolution that have temporarily marred the ability of other species to exist.
There is no doubt that these conditions are a result of their injecting numerous ‘pollutants’ into the water, land, and air to such an extent that they will never be able to restore these resources to their original state. They are indeed, drowning in their own filth and destroying every other species in the process. At the same time, they seek a scapegoat to shoulder part of the blame, because they cannot perceive that their own filth could ever be the cause of such widespread destruction.
Arguments attempting to support the concept that human activity alone is the cause of ‘Global Warming,’ chose carbon dioxide (CO2) as the scapegoat. As a naturally occurring gas, CO2 has existed at various levels throughout the history of the earth. (Shakhashiri) Indeed, average CO2 levels have been many times higher than in all of human history.
Alarmists will not offer this information, much less recognize its existence. It tears too many holes in their theories. For instance, during the Ordovician period of earth’s history, CO2 levels were 4,000 parts per million (ppm) higher than they are currently. This resulted in a massive ice age, which is associated with one of several known mass extinctions. (Junk). Another example can be found in the Mesozoic era, during which the dinosaurs thrived. Recent research has shown that those times were dominated by massive climactic shifts, with relatively minor impact to the environments of the time.
Despite these and other hard scientific evidence, CO2 levels continue to be the primary argument for ‘Global Warming.’ Popular scientists, though certainly not the majority, continually attempt to link CO2 levels directly to surface temperatures. The fact is that the equation could never be quite that simple. Correlation does not mean causation. They point to glacial and polar ice cap melting, and subsequent rises in sea level, without mentioning that this phenomenon has occurred much more drastically, many times before.
Of course these incidents are a consequence of temperature increase, which they say is specifically caused by an increase in CO2 levels, brought on by human activity. There is scant concrete evidence to support such claims, and many of the previous points can be easily explained away with thorough and complete scientific research and testing. Unfortunately for the layman, the methods used thus far have been anything but scientific, relying instead on models of presumed linear regressions and transgressions of data that is not available; rather, guesswork and supposition. (Idso)
Inadequate and sometimes contrived evidence, manipulation of data, and sensational claims lead to fear among a populous that has little or no control over, what is to them, an obscure an intangible substance. One of the most respected scientists of the 20th century, Dr. Carl Sagan, warns against the type of science that is currently being used in an attempt to portray human activity as the cause of ‘Global Warming’.
In his book “The Demon-Haunted World,” he details the tools necessary to recognize the current evolution of the ‘Global Warming’ argument as pseudoscience. In Chapter 12, The Fine Art of Baloney Detection, the third common fallacy of logic and reason that he lists is “Argument from adverse consequences (putting pressure on the decision maker by pointing out dire consequences of an "unfavorable" decision).” Indeed, it fails nearly every test the Dr. Sagan suggests; popular scientists refuse to allow “independent confirmation of the facts,” discourage substantive debate on the evidence by knowledgeable proponents from all points of view,” ignore other evidence, and consistently argue against attempts and the results of duplication of their work. They suggest the populous should accept their word as gospel, because they are “the authority.”
In the words of Dr. Sagan, “in science there are no authorities.” (Sagan)
One argument that has received little to no attention or has been ignored completely in a most unscientific way, is the solar-magnetic effect. Unfortunately, those in positions of “authority,” such as NASA climatologist Gavin Schmidt insist that this is unnecessary data. When asked why solar activity is not included in his models, he states, “[T]here is no obvious need for ‘new’ or unknown physics to explain what [is] going on.”
Statements such as these beg that people take a moment to recall Dr. Sagan’s warnings about pseudoscience mentioned previously. For as long as the Industrial Revolution has held a grip on human society, scientists have been aware that sunspot activity is correlated to cloudless skies. Also documented, is the tie between known sunspot minimums and the ‘Little Ice Age.’ (Rawls) It would seem that this would be a more legitimate explanation. With cloudless skies, more energy reaches the surface of the earth, inducing higher temperatures. Conversely, with higher CO2 levels, there is more cloud cover and higher precipitation levels are observed (Ahrens).
Certain aspects of the human impact on earth are obvious, cannot be ignored, and should be addressed immediately to create a more sustainable environment for all species. Particulate matter dumped in to the atmosphere is making it difficult to breathe. The water is fouled by industrial waste from chemical byproducts. Heaps of decaying matter, some that will never truly fully decay, restricts the ability of any species to exist, causing disease and death. The land has been shredded; torn, and abused for the sake of promoting human progress. CO2 levels are changing constantly, as it works in coordination with billions of other elements to warm and cool the earth.
CO2 is not the sole agent of chaos. Statistically, human activity only seems to be replacing that activity which would normally have been produced by natural biological processes; human CO2 levels are only 3.2% of the whole, natural processes create 96.8%. (Hieb) Those numbers never make the headlines though. Contributing to these factors is the human societal condition.
Human political, technological, and industrial activity generates massive amounts of heat, without considering carbon dioxide in the equation. Heat from many activities remains trapped under a thick layer of filth in the atmosphere; dust from global agricultural activity and mining, industrial soot pumped into the air by factories and vehicles inhibit the earth’s ability to release heat. Indeed, what of the radiation from nuclear testing, which releases massive amounts of heat into the atmosphere?
CO2 is not the problem. There have been periods of excessive warmth and cold, as well as higher concentrations of CO2, all of which have been combined to produce the variety of species that exist today. There is insufficient evidence linking CO2 to global temperature increase. Humans should not be so vain as to believe they are the cause, and should immediately come to terms with the fact that elimination of CO2 will mean the end of all species. Attempting to manipulate levels of this gas, based on inadequate data, and unscientific ravings of unqualified individuals like Al Gore, is an accident waiting to happen.
The real answer is preparation. If the ‘Global Warming’ alarmists are wrong, and conditions on the planet are deteriorating because of an intentionally overlooked factor, humans will be in dire straits.
Even if the alarmists are right, humans are in dire straits, unless they are physically and mentally prepared for the challenge of being reduced to instinct. Perhaps after all, that is their greatest fear.
Climate will change again tomorrow. There is no preventative measure to stop it. Climate will continue to change, with or without human interference. The earth will warm, and it will cool. Species will come into existence and become extinct. This is the natural process. If humans expect to retain their position of dominance over life on earth, they will need to do as they have done since they descended from the forest canopy; expect the worst and prepare for it.
- “Planetary Temperature and Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2)” JunkScience.com 10 June 2005, http://www.junkscience.com/MSU_Temps/historical_CO2.htm
- Professor Shakhishiri, “Carbon Dioxide” General Chemistry: Chemical of the Week, 06 February 2006, http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/pdf/CarbonDioxide.pdf
- Dinosaurs’ climate shifted too, report shows, Science Daily 28 September 2006, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060923104311.htm
- Dr. Carl Sagan, “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark” (New York: Random House, 1997), 201-218.
- Alec Rawls, “Global Warming’s Omitted Variable” Standford Review, 15 February 2005, http://www.rawls.org/Global_warming_omitted_var.htm
- C. Donald Ahrens, Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment. 28-35, 140-148, 230-236
- Sherwood Idso & Craig Idso, Carbon Dioxide and Global Change: Separating Scientific Fact from Personal Opinion: A critique of the 26 April 2007 testimony of James E. Hansen made to the Select Committee of Energy Independence and Global Warming of the United States House of Representatives entitled "Dangerous Human-Made Interference with Climate", 06 June 2007, CO2 Science, http://www.co2science.org/education/reports/hansen/hansencritique.php
- Monte Heib, Water Vapor rules the Greenhouse System, Global Warming: A Closer Look at the Numbers, 10 Jan 2003 http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/greenhouse_data.html
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BI301: Human Ecology
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