Climate change - who should we listen to?

I think - and I am not alone in this - that there is plenty we can do if we act across the world in a sensible way. All the evidence - collected by the climate scientists I mentioned above - points to the increase in greenhouse gases being very largely due to manmade causes. It is entirely feasible that we can reduce this level to almost zero if we take certain actions. If we all did this, the rate of global warming can be slowed down to make life for future generations far more tolerable.

@indexer Aren't we too late with this? In India more than half the people do not know what you are talking about, even if 50 percent of these are educated somewhat. And the others who know only 10 percent are bothered. The rest think others will take care of the world. Let me cite an example. I claim to be educated. I was going to a tailor the other day. On the way are two dustbins installed by the govt. Behind them is an eatery and a juice shop. People have thrown plastic cups and glasses almost 50 feet away from the dustbin. I had half the mind to pick up those and put them in the bin, hoping others there will do that too, and people would learn. My parent said no. So I walked as if I did not notice. The next day, I went on same route, alone. The same cups and glasses were still strewn around. But I was still afraid to lift it as somebody might tell my father I am doing this. So again I walked past it all.

@indexer As I said - my father thinks it is for Municipal workers. Not my job. Others need to do it, not I. If I was buying stuff and I threw it around, I would be wrong. But likewise, others should do too. Or the municipal sweeper. Municipal sweepers do not come regularly. There is not enough staff to monitor their work. Plastic does enter the drains during heavy rains, and lands in the rivers and seas. I did not want fight at home...for the sake of peace...I did not do it the next day. We have lived fairly long out here and most people do know us. If I did something like that, some shop keeper would have spoken about it to my father, and we would have had a massive row. The fear!

@indexer Th cycle of climate are long, some thousand of years is nothing. May be we are at the start of a new change, we feel the effects. This does not mean that humans have not contributed to accelerate the changes with the pollution. Once thing is sure, plastic pollution is 100% caused by humans, as well as deforestation.

@LadyDuck The current spurt in warming has been very short - a matter of decades (a few centuries at most) rather than thousands of years. Climate scientists are careful to take natural factors into account when building their models but have found that the facts don't fit unless man-made factors are built in. Had we not generated such volumes of greenhouse gases, the current situation would not have developed to anything like the extent that it has.

Well - it was never all that green! That was a bit of a con-trick on the part of Erik the Red to get settlers to his new colony as opposed to the obviously icy Iceland. The icecap on Greenland has been there for many thousands of years - long before the Vikings got there.

@indexer already billions in the world are facing water shortages.

@indexer Oh yeah people should be scared we have 40 million people here. Much like How middle east and Israel are fighting for water rights. I can see that happening in near future and already has when had drought as Arizona hates us because we use their water If we do not get enough rain from Colorado river and sure Colorado is like we hate you both because using our water. Be smart if they made this a jobs thing but instead they will do what they always do, its those people's fault and that dude does not deserve a job because he steals our water.

That depends on which "they" you have in mind! It is entirely possible that California will become uninhabitable in the not-too-distant-future. What is your water supply? Short rivers draining off the Sierras that are supplied by melting winter snowfall. No snowfall, no melting, no water for the extremely thirsty vineyards, almond orchards and people of the coastal regions.

We have to listen to the people who really know what they\re talking about, namely the scientific community who spend their entire time collecting, analyzing and modeling reliable information. Yes - we do need open-minded politicians who are prepared to push forward agendas that take the science on board, although I admit that over-exaggeration is not a good idea. One thing we can be absolutely certain about is that if George W Bush had not cheated his way to election as President, and Al Gore had won, we would not be in anything like the mess we are now.

Absolutely!

But there is every cause for alarm! I have no doubt about whose views carry more weight, and the reasons why they do.

@garysibi That line about "it was warmer in the past" simply doesn't work. It does nothing to explain the current rise, which has absolutely nothing to do with natural variation. Of course climate scientists have considered this as a cause, but the figures just don't add up. Also, temperatures have not been flat for 25 years. That is yet another myth put about by climate deniers - one that has long been debunked. There is indeed not a single argument put forward by deniers to which there is not a clear rebuttal based on real science. One thing that climate change "alarm" is not is a scam!