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Do you believe that global warming is a real problem?Can the government do something about it?

We want everyone's and anyone's opinion. Please write a response! This is for the sake of a Government[class] assignment searching for public opinion on the topic of Global Warming. We would GREATLY appreciate all of your responses. Please feel free to expound on your answer. Also if you don't mind, for statistical purposes would you be willing to mention your: gender: age: political party:

Public Comments

1. The agenda of the believers of Man Made Global Warming is the problem, the actual climate change is a part of the natural order of the planet.
2. Female 27 It changes depending on who is running and what they stand for =] When I came across these facts in a science magazine, it made me wonder why the media doesn't do more to present these facts instead of making everyone think we are going to die because of global warming cause by driving cars. I don't think it's a huge problem, but I do think it's a real problem. I happen to think people are a bit arrogent to think that we are powerful enough to affect climate change!! Do you realize how big the earth is, how big space is, how climate works, how big the sun is? Anyways, here are some facts I came across...one of the magazines was Nature Geoscience, and some facts came from NASA and the National Climatic Data Center. 1. Global Warming is really happening. According to the National Climatic Data Center, the average global surface temp. has risen approximately 1.2*F since 1880. (Please note that this fact doesn't tell us the cause of the increase.) 2. NASA reported that the average number of major hurricanes (categories 4 and 5) has doubled since 1970. HOWEVER, when you calculate the average of all hurricanes, you find much less of an increase. In fact, the year 2007 saw a decrease in hurricanes. So, NASA's fact is true, but it doesn't tell the whole truth. Yes bad hurricanes have doubled, but the number of hurricanes altogether has decreased. (Note that this information does not provide us with a cause for why hurricanes are stronger but less frequent.) 3. Since the Ice Age (both Scientists and Creation Scientists believe there was once an Ice Age), the earth's temps have fluctuated by only a few degrees. 900-1300 AD was considered a "warm period", followed by a "little ice age" from 1300-1880 AD, when the overall temps dropped about 2*F. These relatively recent fluctuations can be correlated to natural changes, such as volcanic eruptions and cycles in the sun's radiation. (When the earth receives more energy from the sun, the earth gets warmer.) It is logical to assume that similar factors continue to have some influence on today's global warming. 4. CO2 gases are in the earth's atmosphere that regulate temperature by holding in heat from the sun, and as such these gases are necessary for life. The primary greenhouse gas, which is responsible for the vast majority of the greenhouse effect, is water vapor. Carbon dioxide, which comes second to water vapor amongst the greenhouse gases, provides only a tiny fraction of the greenhouse effect. So, yes, pumping more CO2 into the air is not great, but it isn't the sole cause of warming. (The oceans and volcanoes release more CO2 into the atmosphere, that humans combined....the warmer the oceans, the more CO2 is released. So, perhaps the warming temps are RESULTING in more greenhouse gas.) 5. Polar Bears are actually currently thriving. Receding glaciers, melting ice caps and other changes are, of course, likely to affect a variety of animal and plant species. But, based on the fossil record, it appears that many species, such as the Miohippus and the woolly mammoth, flourished in the changing climates at one point, but eventually went extinct. Humans clearly had nothing to do with these climate changes and extinctions. According to some climate models, which use current data and a variety of assumptions to predict future climate patterns, several plant and animal species could go extinct by 2050 due to climate change. Currently, there are no documented extinctions resulting from global warming. 6. www.stopglobalwarming.com claims that the ocean level will rise only 6 feet in the next hundred years, but they have yet to present the scientific evidence to back up their claim. Based on the climate models, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, estimates that ocean levels will rise approx. 16 inches during this century. While this could result in many inconveniences without proper planning, it's certainly not the end of the world due to flooding. 7. Global Warming has been blamed for an increase of weather catastrophes. First of all, when has extreme weather been out of the ordinary? Secondly, only recently did scientists gain weather documenting tools and avanced satellite equipment to record and document modern weather events, that could have gone unrecorded in the past. That makes it pretty difficult to validate whether these events have been increasing. According to the journal Nature Geoscience, major hurricanes increasing in recent decades is not a result from Global Warming and are estimated to decrease by the end of the century. There really is not sufficient evidence to clearly identify Global Warming as the cause of extreme weather events. For the most part, I think people are concerned (and they should be) about taking care of our planted to the best of our ability; however, I think some are on a crusade too seem better than others just because they drive a Prius with a "Go-Green" bumper sticker......a
3. I really want people to understand how politics can take a serious topic that needs attention of the citizens, and it becomes a platitude of idiocy instead of a real subject. Global Warming is only one of the more serious aspect of CLIMATE CHANGE. Some places are actually experiencing a cooler climate. Some are getting more rain than ever, jungles are becoming deserts etc. If it were not real, The EPA, nor the California Air Regency Board would not be spending big money and a lot of resources training people in the Environmental agencies all over the U.S. and parts of the world. They are. The Government via The Environmental Protection Agency has had plans in place for the reduction of pollutants, some have even been discontinued. The biggest hit to the future of human life as we know it has been the Automobile Industries power to influence legislation; The present Executive Branch who makes a practice of violating Environmental Law for "national security - or whatever special interest they have to make'm a ton of money. It is Critical. We must make drastic changes soon - today.
4. No it is due to a readings from the thermometers of about 100 years ago. Back then it would be lucky to be within 2 deg. F.
5. For many of the neoconservatives on here who make this a purely political issue and think that Al Gore is behind it all and blah,blah. These people really have no evidence to back any of this poppycock banter that really comes back to their agenda. Why would they so fervently deny something that is a simple scientific process that an 8th grader could understand. Its almost bigoted in the way that some people address this issue. Whats wrong with caring for the environment and hoping that future generations can enjoy a healthy planet? There are lots of people and lots of cars and people have actually been driving more despite the warnings of Co2 spiking expenentially and DOES create a warming effect it doesnt just dissapear! Ice caps ARE melting, which means more water displaced onto land. The most populated cities are at sea level! New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Miami, London (the list goes on). Take a glass of water and drop ice cubes in it the water will come out of the glass, thats whats happening. The most tragic thing is that people are so unwilling to change or even consider to believe that its happening. Im starting to think its just pure bigoted ignorance. Its sad and its a big deal in my book.
6. No it is not a problem because we are in the middle between historical highs and lows to the cool side. Government can not do anything about controlling the output of the sun as yet and probably for a long time/ Male 68 Republican
7. You guys are in such denial! Global warming is the biggest threat we face! And it is entirely due to man made CO2. Never mind that the amount of solar energy that hits the earth in an hour is like more than all mankind uses in a year. Never mind that nuclear heating in the earth's core releases something like 20 times more heat than man uses. Never mind that one volcano eruption releases more CO2 into the atmosphere than all mankind in a year. Or that water vapor is the most significant greenhouse gas, or that worldwide respiration by all life forms, decomposition of vegetation, and release of dissolved gasses from the oceans each release more CO2 into the atmosphere than created by burning fossil fuels. I'm telling you - WE ARE TO BLAME!!! We are so powerful, none of these forces of nature can compare! Did you know that atmospheric CO2 levels have risen from 0.03% to almost 0.04% in the last 200 years? I'm having trouble breathing already! And world wide temperatures rose by about 1.2 degrees over the last 100 years!! That means that in another 500 years, you wont even need a jacket! Companies like Columbia and North Face will go out of business. Sell your stock now. Man made global warming will cause all sorts of other weather problems. Hurricanes will form in the middle of Kansas, volcanoes will erupt in Hawaii - maybe even more than the ones that are constantly erupting there right now! The ice caps will melt and cause an ice age. You heard me - global warming will cause the next ice age! Better buy some stock in Columbia and North Face while you still can. This will even cause a major change in other living things. Polar bears will be extinct, obviously. But the ice age will cause the resurgence of mammoths and saber tooth tigers! Do you have any idea how much danger you will be in if a family of saber tooth tigers move into your neighborhood? We clearly have to do everything right now to reduce our contributions to atmospheric CO2 levels. Anything and everything - even if it means we all hold our breath. I'm doing my part. Deep breath...hold!........... oh, before i pass out - i'm 35, male, and obviously a democrat since I believe everything i'm told.