Whenever global warming or how to stop it makes headlines in the news, there are those who come out to show evidence against global warming. Considering both sides of the argument can help you reach a conclusion of your own.
What Is Global Warming?
Before you can negate global warming, you need to understand the use of the term. In today's society, global warming is defined as the hypothesis that the Earth is warming due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases caused by human activities. Theories and some evidence point toward these gases being produced by the burning of gas, oil, coal and wood.
Climate Change
The media has fastened onto the term "global warming," which in turn has caused skeptics and non-believers to point out the lack of evidence for this trend. What some scientists believe is occurring is considered global climate change. There are two main theories that support global climate change.
Temperatures Naturally Warm and Cool
Some point to the fact that the rise and fall of the Earth's temperatures are a natural phenomenon as evidence against global warming. The current rise in temperature is also believed to be within the bounds of the temperature fluctuations found through research. To prove this point, scientists refer research completed in 2013, which showed that the tree line peaks in megafossil tree remains showed that temperatures in Holocene summer were 2.3 C higher than modern ones. Additionally, 2010 research notes that recent warming patterns are due to temperature oscillations rather than a rise in CO2.
Climate Change Is Dependent on the Sun
Another argument against global warming is that the Earth's climate is highly variable. Many argue that this is due to the sun's energy rather than human activities. This argument is backed up by a study published in the Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics. This study by Nicola Scafetta showed that climate changes that have occurred since 1850 are cyclical and predictable. They are also dependent on the Earth's solar system rather than human intervention.
Insufficient Evidence
Several studies show that there is not enough evidence to ascertain with complete certainty that human activities are causing the warming of the Earth. Two physicists from Princeton University, Robert Austin and William Harper, point out that the climate changes in the last 100 years aren't exceptional when considering geological records that point to warmer periods. Harper also notes that while the sea levels are rising, there is evidence that they have been rising since the last Ice Age.
Contradictory Evidence
The Nongovermental International Panel on Climate Change also points out that there is some contradictory or unreliable evidence when it comes to global warming. They discuss several instances, including that the polar icecaps aren't melting at an unnatural rate, and a lack of evidence of evidence showing global warming and severe weather are linked. They cite a study that shows contradictory evidence like a warmer world causing milder weather (page xxii).
More Study Needed
There may be evidence for global warming, but it is frequently offset by evidence against global warming taken from similar data. The truth may come from attempting to understand climate change as a whole, including temporary cooling and heating cycles. Global warming may be occurring, but more study is needed. Unless evidence can be produced that refutes the evidence against it once and for all, the debate will continue to rage on.
