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Skipping Stones: A Perspective on Global Warming By G.W. Burrows June 3, 2005 10:15AM By evaluating changes in climate or temperature over shortened periods, such as decades or centuries instead of hundreds of thousands or even millions of years, we either overestimate or overstate the changes that might or might not be occurring.   Related Topics global warming Latest News Endeavour Inspected for Damage Autism Risk for Kids of Older Mothers Go Online and You Can Save the Planet In Haiti, Relief Gaps Are Spreading U.S. To Form Climate-Change Agency The contributions of human activities to global warming is a topic of continuing and intense debate. Unfortunately, the vast majority of articles and reports on the effects of anthropogenic carbon dioxide are overstated and exaggerated. The debate has raged on about the causes and effects of global warming, but the first question to ask is whether global warming even exists. Certainly it does, because without global warming, the earth would be a much colder place. A good example is our closest neighbor, the moon, where, even in direct sunlight, without an atmosphere there are no molecules to absorb and retain the incoming heat from the sun. The earth's atmosphere contains several gases, all of which have the capacity to absorb heat energy in varying degrees. The most common gases are nitrogen, oxygen, water and carbon dioxide. There also are trace gases such as argon, methane and hydrogen, but their concentrations are all much less than one percent. Periodic changes in temperature give rise to climates that vary widely from polar regions to the tropics. Climate is caused by more than just global warming. The main causal factors of climate change are the eccentricity of the earth's orbit around the sun, the tilt of the rotational axis and its wobble. Sun spot activity, ocean currents and albedo (whiteness) also contribute to climate and climate change. The issue that has to be addressed is how much of an effect carbon dioxide has on climate change. Experts agree that the earth's climate is primarily caused by the distance from the sun, the shape and changes in the orbit and tilt of the rotational axis. As long as the sun continues to burn, we will be warm. Astronomers believe that the sun is middle aged and we have approximately 4 billion years to go before it turns into a white dwarf. If you believe mainstream scientists, the earth's age is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old. For the first billion years or so, the earth was a hot and barren place with no oxygen in the atmosphere. Since there was no oxygen, there was also no ozone. But after a billion years, life began to form, the climate stabilized and oxygen resulting from photosynthesis began to occupy the atmosphere. Since that time, the climate has remained stable and conducive to various life forms. The oceans have never frozen nor boiled. During that time there have been changes in average temperature, sometimes warmer and sometimes colder than our present-day climate. (continued...) 1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  Next Page >   Tell Us What You Think Your Comment: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Advertisement  Environment 1.   Go Online and You Can Save the Planet 2.   In Haiti, Relief Gaps Are Spreading 3.   U.S. To Form Climate-Change Agency 4.   'Climategate' Investigation Continues 5.   Climate E-Mails Hacked by Spies?

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