Last time in this continuing series exploring the truth about global warming I talked about the "Ten Key Indicators that Make it Clear - The Planet is Warming." These empirical data were highlighted in a recently released NOAA report called State of the Climate in 2009. Following that report a physicist by the name of John Cook posted an article called "10 Indicators of a Human Fingerprint on Climate Change" on his highly regarded site "Skeptical Science." In other words, we know that there is overwhelming empirical evidence demonstrating that the planet is warming, but why are we so sure that it is largely due to human activity? Cook highlights the "many different observations find a distinct human fingerprint on climate change."
Cook goes on to link to specific published literature that support each of these indicators of a human fingerprint. I won't repeat them here but highly encourage readers to go to the Skeptical Science site and review each of the links. Keep in mind that he links to one or a few papers or abstracts that highlight the state of the knowledge...there are many more papers that also contribute to our understanding. The sum total of all of the research in each of these areas is what leads to the overwhelming empirical evidence that human activity - most notably greenhouse gas emissions - is leading to the irrefutable warming that we continue to observe.
The logic behind greenhouse gas emissions causing the warming is sound, as is the basic physics that our observations bear out. Trillions of tons of carbon have been sequestered in fossil fuels for millennia. We are now extracting that carbon and "emitting around 30 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year." So in a very short period of time we are taking all that carbon built up over millions of years and putting it all back into the atmosphere. Basic physics tells us that the very small amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are responsible for all of the natural greenhouse effect that makes our planet livable. So doubling the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is obviously going to throw off the natural balance.
The massive amount of empirical data overwhelmingly demonstrate that the planet is warming. And the massive amount of empirical data overwhelmingly point to human activity, especially CO2 emissions, as the reason for it.
Next time I'll talk more about the why we know the CO2 building up in the atmosphere comes primarily from fossil fuel emissions and not other sources.
© David K, August 2010
This post is part of a series in The Truth About Global Warming, located at climatetruth.gather.com, which is dedicated to explaining what we know, and what we don't know, about climate change.
I also have set up a separate group called "Exposing Climate Denialism - A Guide to Tactics and Tall Tales," located at climatelies.gather.com for those who want to read about some of the intentional disinformation used by climate denialists to confuse the public about the state of climate science.
recommend
Facebook
Twitter
bookmark 
print
Comments: 61 ( 1 removed by David K. )
I think the indicator, "Nights warming faster than days", has been particularly evident during our current heat wave. Where I live, the temp is still in the low 90s between 10pm and 12 am.
Btw, remember Inhofe mocking global warming last winter, when the northeast experienced record snow storms? Well, I haven't seen much of fossil senator from OK lately - have you?
But back to heat waves ( Russia Heat Wave May Kill 15,000, Shave $15 Billion of GDP and Heat Wave Scorches U.S., Raises Health Alerts), the news ain't too cool.
If you look real close, all of the people saying that the planet is cooling are not scientists. You have politicians, TV weather guys, right wing think tank fellows, but not one climate scientist. All of the scientists are saying that the planet is warming. Including, by the way, John Christy and Roy Spencer, two of the rare climate scientists who consider themselves "skeptics." And yet even they admit that the planet continues to warm. They kind of have to, since their UAH data clearly demonstrates this fact.
The link is quite helpful!
Thanks for your support.
But I do appreciate the fact that you and others appreciate what I've been trying to do.
The key is to look at the totality of the information. Those who claim the planet isn't warming or that we aren't causing it have a tendency to cherry pick out a handful of data points they like and then ignore all the other evidence that proves them wrong.
lots of nights here in central Virginia have stayed over 75 degrees this year. We have harvested some tomatoes from "fruit setting" before it got real hot.
Have you ever seen the old commercials "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!"
When we measure the type of carbon accumulating in the atmosphere, we observe more of the type of carbon that comes from fossil fuels (Manning 2006).
Meanwhile, the planet keeps getting warmer.
A worthy and helpful project, and I totally support your efforts: but difficult as well. I'm sure you've noticed that many people don't really care about the "actual science" when they've got their versions that they can point to. I'm trying to do the same thing with my "Myths of Homosexuality" series.
I will say that the only way we can counter "so much disinformation" is to continue to repeat the truth whenever we can. Even if only one person reads and clicks in to reality each time we write something, the effort is worth it. That is especially true of an issue like the one you are representing, since the only way we can "correct" the problem (even if "correcting" only keeps it from getting worse) is to face it with a collective and global perspective.
Bravo: keep up the fight.
To do nothing is irresponsible. Unfortunately, there are people who can convince themselves that nothing is happening just to avoid making a decision.
Since January, public belief that global warming is happening rose four points, to 61 percent, while belief that it is caused mostly by human activities rose three points, to 50 percent. The number of Americans who worry about global warming rose three points, to 53 percent. And the number of Americans who said that the issue is personally important to them rose five points, to 63 percent. Read More
Good job David here are some points on interest
For those who say "humans don't have much affect" our history proves that is absolutely false. We have a big effect. And now that there are so many of us and our technology has "advanced," our influence on the environment is even greater and more global.
I agree. Common sense tells us that if the vast majority of the world's scientists have identified a problem, it's something on which we need to take action.
I can remember large cities so pouted you couldn't even see the skylines on windless days.
The price of gas did not rise significantly this summer because of reduced usage. with out even trying we did that. Decreasing all of our consumption would help a little but people are too lazy and greedy to do that.
We have to remove the mind set that drives conservatism or this planet is doomed.
"The duration period for carbon dioxide molecules in the atmosphere is somewhere between 100 and 500 years. Obviously, not all carbon dioxide molecules will stay in the atmosphere that long, but on average the duration may be around 200-300 years."
And it is building up. Dramatically.
For now.
With the permafrost melting (and more people around the world eating meat and dairy), the amount of methane entering the atmosphere will likely grow exponentially rather than arithmetically. And that is not good.
I still object to the statement about Buffalo Bill, as the bison of the time were presumably part of an equilibrium state. Hummers certainly are not, and modern cattle may not be either. I think it comes down to a lack of understanding about how equilibria work, which is something I definitely see in a lot of anti global warming arguments.
I appreciate you coming by. Hopefully will put another Climate Truth article up soon.
"When global mean changes are included, we consistently obtain a positive identification (at the 1% significance level) of an anthropogenic fingerprint in observed upper-ocean temperature changes, thereby substantially strengthening existing detection and attribution evidence."
In other words - humans are causing global warming.
Or as one oceanography expert put it:
"We did it. No matter how you look at it, we did it. That's it."
-Nathan Bindoff