Why do people believe in global warming so blindly?

As it stands there are far more ways to disprove global warming than there are to prove it. So why do people, especially many scientists, believe so whole heartidly in something that relies on, well, faith! Why are we told that there is a consensus in...

the scientific community, when this is a straight lie!

I do know that any scientist who speaks out openly challenging the 'theory of global warming' (because no matter what anyone says it is still no more fact than any other scientific theory) are ridiculed and outcast, preventing them from getting grants and getting on with their careers.

I think we all need to remember back to the late 19th century, right through to the mid 20th to realise how dangerous singling out scientists who go against the mainstream can be. There was a theory called eugenics, widely believed and adopted by the science community. And as with the theory of global warming any scientist who spoke against this 'consensus' basically had their careers ended. So what was so wrong with this theory I hear you ask? Oh nothing much, except that it basically fuelled the nazi's campaign for a 'final solution'. many people might say, 'but yeah, that hitler was a psycho'. And theyre right. Only it wasnt just hitler who believed in this theory. It was widely accepted by the western world, including the leaders of both britain and america. Something that the west is no doubt ashamed of because anytime your taught in school about the nazis, they leave out this major factor in the philosophy of the nazis.

One of the points of science is to question and re-question facts until we come closer to the truth. Sadly this is not being allowed to happen. And while I dont think that the theory of global warming will cause as much destruction as the nazis did, we should always be allowed to question what we believe to be true. Otherwise its not science, its faith.

An idea is a wonderful thing, but when it becomes a belief it becomes impossible to change and therefore we end up stuck in a box. The only way we can evolve is to constantly keep thinking outside the box

How do you NOT believe in globel warming? Look at the tempatures this year - compared to 20 years ago at this time. There is a drastic change. There is proof for global warming - that's why people believe it.

if you actually look at temperatures from the 70s to the 90s, there was no increase in temperature except from near cities. and in isolated areas, the temperature actually decreased! certain places getting warmer doesnt account for global warming. for this to exist, ALL places must get warmer. hence the global part.

Honestly, does it matter why we believe in it?

well yes! belief in a scientific theory without reason basically turns it into blind faith. I cant believe you actually asked that there!

I don't believe in global warming.
There isn't enough evidence.

In fact, you can go to look at records of temperatures that go back more than a hundred years.
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE.

Periodically, the Earth gets a little hotter or a little colder. It's natural.

/agreed

It depends on what you mean by global warming. There really is no debate in the scientific community that the mean surface temperature and tropospheric temperatures are rising. Seven of the eight warmest years on record have occurred since 2001 and the 10 warmest years have all occurred since 1995.

The debate is over what the impact of this warming trend will be...on global weather patterns, ecosystems, and the atmosphere itself.

The reason global warming has become such a political issue, is that evidence indicates the cause of this warming trend is increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, due to human activity (fossil fuel consumption, deforestation, etc.). Obviously, curbing or stopping these things is easier said than done.

Personally, I don't believe this warming trend will be reversed. There are too many factors contributing to it. However, I do believe its negative impacts can be mitigated, and hopefully that will happen over the next century.

I should add that the warming trend that has scientists most concerned is the one occurring over the last 30 years. The average rise in mean surface temperatures over the last 100+ years is harder to identify.

nice answer. im no expert on the subject by any means and I dont think either of us will ever end the dispute! but what I will say dude, is you should read a book by michael chrichton called 'state of fear'. its a fiction book but if you know the writer then you ll know he is an extremely well educated man. all through the book he gives references to many different verifiable facts regarding the theory of global warming. and also an excellent bibliography at the end. my statement about eugenics above was inspired by his epilogue.
I personally dont believe it, as you know. I believe over the years far too many facts,graphs and charts have been manipulated for the benefit of the 'global warming community'. none more so than the charts which show 'all' the gasses and how much they contribute to climate change, yet fail to put the biggest in there. water vapour. how much water vapour factors in overall climate change is debatable. but the mere fact that it is left out says it all for me. this is just 1 example of manipulation of facts and if you look out there (which am sure you will) you will find many many more.
on what you said about it getting hotter over the past 10 years, I ll gladly take your word for it. but the Co2 emissions didnt start 10 years ago and there could be a number of reasons known and not, as to why this is happening.
that being said, if someone proved tomorrow that man made global warming exists, I would gladly follow the facts

 
I believe in global warming. It can be demonstrated by the extreme depletion of ice in the Arctic.

I don't, however, believe that it is caused by man. Man's contribution may be very minimal with more of it being caused by natural processes of the earth.

The earth's climate changes are cyclic. There have been many periods in the past where the earth had a much warmer climate than now.

What we should be concerned with is the ice age that is destined to follow this warming period. It will probably start within the next 50 years and may create a climate that the earth has not seen for tens of thousands of years.

In any event, the earth is always evolving. Things change. Those species that cannot adapt will perish and those that can adapt survive and other species evolve to fill the niches in between.

Welcome to Fun Advice!

I hope you do not take offense,
To that that's gone before;
'Tis only that it's my two-cents,
And not one penny more. §;o)

sometimes its hard to believe in it when its 20's outside LOL im not going to say that it doesn exsist. but just b/c it isn in your country or where ever your from, doesn mean it isn starting in other countries and places.

hey ethmer, saw a few of your posts and I quite like what you have to say.

what you said about the next ice age is true yes, whether it will happen in the next 50 years or not though is debatable (and also impossible to predict). however, I am led to believe that what you said on the antarctic getting colder is a very much debated subject. and in no way has been proven. in fact soon after the large chunk broke off in 2001(I could be wrong with the year there) scientists found that yes, while a big chunk did break off, the rest of antarctica is actually getting colder. as was iceland.

I have also just read on the internet (not verified im afraid) that scientists from the British Antarctic Survey and the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada, have just released a paper entitled 'A doubling in snow accumulation in the western Antarctic Peninsula since 1850.' they go on to say that while this in no way disproves global warming, it makes it impossible to use the antarctic as a reference. please if you have time research this because if its b/s I would like to know

 
Mindexpansion79,

I never referred to the Antarctic. I only referenced the Arctic where it is a fact that the ice cap has gotten smaller as a result of global warming.

I stated that I thought the next ice age would START within the next 50 years. That means that the earth's climate would start cooling in the next 50 years which would lead to the next ice age. I think I've actually seen references where it speculated that the cooling trend could start within 10 years.

I hope you do not take offense,
To that that's gone before;
'Tis only that it's my two-cents,
And not one penny more. §;o)

Global warming doesn't just mean everything gets warmer. temperatures change drastically. and it causes things to go haywire.

Also over here temperature have changed a lot. Our summers is much longer (last year we basically didn't even have a winter). This is not normal.

Also have you looked at how the artic ice has depleted in recent years. What about naturaly disasters and hurricanes that are getting worse and worse? and if you read magazines such as national geographic you would know that in turn many animals are becoming endangered because of the drastic effect on their natural habitat. Y

ou can see the effects everywhere, and humans are the largest cause of this, cars, factories etc are only a few.

If you want even more proof go google it or read on wikipedia or just go and check how rapidly the earth is changing and the strange natural disasters everywhere.

I've read State of Fear. It's an interesting book, but Crichton plays fast and loose with the facts on global warming. Most of the issues he raises have already been addressed in many places. Here's one:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2004/12/michael-crichtons-state-of-confusion/

They talk about the Urban Heat Island Effect, the cooling trend between the 1940's and 1970's, and the cooling trend observed at some stations. None of it really disproves the mean global warming phenomenon, the rise in sea levels, or the sharp change in weather patterns resulting from all of this. There are numerous other responses to Crichton's book all over the internet and bookstores.

CO2 emissions have increased dramatically in the last 30 years, following the increased population of the planet and the rise in economic activity in developing nations, not to mention increased energy consumption in developed nations. It's this trend that has scientists worried. While it's true the earth goes through glacial and interglacial cycles, it's also possible for the earth's climate to change very rapidly, within a century, and that's what we may see.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a doomsdayer nor am I a Malthusian. I don't believe the population of the planet has surpassed the planet's ability to support us. Many scientists and engineers are optimistic about existing technologies, which can improve fresh water conservation, healthy food production, and use renewable energy. What they are not optimistic about is the political will to make these changes happen.

thanks guys. gave quite a bit to think on and research myself. much appreciated

really good reading that was. I mean it was a completely biased site and post, as were most of the comments, but then so was state of fear. I read all the comments but not all the links and while I dont think it proves global warming exists, it brought to light some really interesting facts. my mind is definately more open to the subject now, although I think its sad that it is sadly something that can only be proven with time.. or at least thats the way it looks. cheers for that!

well I strongly dissagree with you
global warming is happening
humans have created a whole bunch of crap like cars, factories that produce smoke
and have poluted the world with chemicals
over a billion people own a car
all thats pollution doesnt just disapere, it stays here, and affects the things around it
if humans didnt exist and didnt make these things or pullute the world, it would be fine, every single animal could thrive happily and the air and climate, ect would be perfect to sustain those living creatures
but the things man has invented obviously affect the earth after a while
and pollution affects many things in the world

lol I think global warming exists, but I don't think we are speeding it up. they have no proof whatsoever because last time, I believe there were no humans around

I DON'T BELIEVE IN ITTT