I apologize if this was discussed elsewhere, but we hear so much about global warming I was wondering if the effects were much more visible in the Antarctic than in our own areas. I did catch brief mentions in some of the postings by this group, but was interested in hearing specifically about this topic and was wondering how the participants felt about this issue
Global warming is a religious issue. I foresee a thread being shut down shortly.
There are too many vested interests on both sides of the "debate". (I say "debate" in quotes because there appears to be more political manouvering and intentional selective quoting of statistics than real debate.)
Has the climate warmed in the last couple of centuries? Yes, although be wary about what data you rely on in deciding how much.
Has the climate been warmer in the past? Yes, definitely, even in historical times: the middle ages optimum is historically well recorded. (And human C02 production doesn't explain that, just by the way.) Climate has also been colder in historical times.
Do we have usable computer models? No. When I see a model that can handle the middle ages optimum I'll start to consider if it's credible; such models should also take into account solar activity and water vapour as a greenhouse gas to have any chance at being accurate. (And let's not talk about the debunked hockey stick, please.)
Are humans effecting the climate? Yes: increased CO2 and changed albedo from changed land use have some effect. (But CO2 has been higher before, and lower -- it's not static even without human activity.)
Is human activity the main (or even a major) input to climate change? I think not, but the question is open and worthy of research. Certainly, continuing to increase CO2 without knowing if it's a good thing or a bad thing is something to be wary about, but I worry a lot more about global cooling (the bogey man in the 70's and early 80's when I was in high school, and still a real possibility) than in global warming.
Giles