So hot-

Something fell and hit me on the head today. Obviously, the sky is falling.

What do CFCs have to do with global warming?

Up until a month and a half ago I lived in PA and in January we were outside in t-shirts and jeans. There are always periods where some winters are more mild than others, it's been like that for centuries. The same goes for summers. Two years ago in PA we had such a hot summer it melted my rear view mirror right off my windshield and we had a drought. This was not the case last summer. There were some hot days, yes, but nothing to the degree of the year before.

Look back in your history book and read about random droughts, random floods. They happen. We can't control the climate. I'm not disagreeing that global warming is happening but to contribute some random nice temps on it for months that would normally be a bit lower is jumping the gun a bit.

you must not really be from PA or you would know that the PENGUINS won after an awesome shootout lastnight and are now only 4 games behind New Jersey. hardly dying id say.

psst, ill let you in on a secret...

OK-- after much deliberation, a discusion with an environmental lawyer-to-be (she was a customer at my work) and a VERY heated discussion with my bf, I decided to do more research on the matter. I got a bit confused here and there but still found enlightening topics. After all of that, I checked Yahoo and read this. Now I know that you guys jumped all over me when I posted this topic, and I know you are groaning about the fact that I am still harping on it, but I seriously am confused. It seems to me that scientists aren't even sure one way or the other what the hell is going on so how can I be totally wrong here? I want to go skiing this year. It's 54 degrees again today--there is no snow. Ski season used to start in November. How are these subjects not related??

Is this a joke or are you for real?

Global warming is a long term trend in average temperatures rising over the period of many many years, all over the earth.
Spikes in temperature on a day to day or weekly basis is due to hot/cold fronts, air pressure changes, water temperatures etc etc etc.
That's the difference between climate, and weather.

and as someone who lived in PA for 18 years I can tell you this is not abnormal at all. Snow doesn't usually stick until the third or so big snowfall, roughly near the end of December

The article goes both ways. It can't be said that any event would have occurred in the same way were it not for global warming.

I would guess that Indian summers are a little more likely than they once were. The problem comes from taking the tiny amount of evidence that personal experience supplies most of us and running with it.

Greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, are an important part of our atmosphere because they keep Earth from becoming an icy sphere with surface temperatures of about 0°F. However, over the past century or so the amounts of greenhouse gases within our atmosphere have been increasing rapidly, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Consequently, in the past one hundred years global temperatures have been increasing more rapidly than the historic record shows. Scientists believe this accelerated heating of the atmosphere is because increasing amounts of these greenhouse gases trap more and more heat.

source

weath·er /ˈwɛðər/
-noun
1. the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.

cli·mate /ˈklaɪmɪt/
-noun
1. the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years.


at·mos·phere /ˈætməsˌfɪər/ noun, verb, -phered, -pher·ing.
-noun
1. the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air.
2. this medium at a given place.


What the hell? I am trying to discuss a topic. I am an open minded individual and I have listened to all of you. I have researched. I still don't see exactly why these things are not related. Global warming raises the temperature of the earth gradually but has zero effect on the general statements that snowy places are getting less and less snowy as the years go by? You all are saying the two things have NOTHING to do with each other? The Emperor penguins aren't suffering due to the fact that their glaciers they use for travelling to and from the ocean have been disappearing and causing whole colonies to die? I seriously am confused. You all seem to know for a fact what scientists haven't even figured out 100% yet! Christ!

So we're going to wait until we get incontrevertible evidence that our actions are changing the climate of the planet before we act? Hmmm, why not act now and not have to be in a position where it's too late? I mean, everyone has a general idea that eating a lot of fried food may be bad for your heart, so one way to minimize your chance to get heart disease is stop eating fried food.

I don't think anybody was saying that at all. All they were saying was a warm few weeks in winter isn't one of the effects of global warming. Christ, I guess people really DO hear what they want to.

My point is not a few warm weeks in winter- my point is a few warm weeks in consecutive winters. And the link I posted a few posts back regarding the ski slopes in the swiss alps should be a little less ridiculous to you all. It's like you all are covering your ears and not wanting to hear it! Prove to me I am wrong and I will be thankful. So far it's just a bunch of closed-minded responses of how wrong I am

"The years 1994, 2000, 2002, and 2003 were the warmest on record in the Alps in the last 500 years," the report by the Paris-based OECD said, adding that climate projections show even greater changes in the coming decades.

This has nothing to do with global warming? Am I in crazyland?

No one here is fully doubting the fact that the earth is slowly warming due to an increase in greenhouse gases. Its actually an event that keeps the earth from being a giant ice ball. I really wasn't around a couple thousand years ago, but i'm pretty sure there were glaciers moving down from the northern hemisphere. I think you are trying to argue that humans are responsible for this? Well if that proves true, its earth 4 humans 1 as humans haven't successfully initiated a melting of polar caps since Arnold started the reactor on mars.

500 years of data in the history of time is not worthwhile evidence of anything.

Well, so far I have been told by my fellow SG members that consecutive warm winters in the past 12 years is NOT due to global warming, that global warming is NOT something you can "feel", that we as humans fear what we can't control (because we have nothing to do with global warming of course), holes in the ozone layer are NOT caused by the release of CFCs and therefore have NOTHING to do with global warming, so called "nice temps" in winter months are nothing to be concerned about, regardless of how odd it is, that climate is in fact different from weather, and finally that I must only hear what I want to hear with no regard for the fact that YES the government is covering up some truths on the matter so they can continue not pissing off oil companies, car companies, etc. (--my statement- not any of the participants of this thread)

So it exists-- you all seem to agree with that. It just cannot be felt, is not controllable, is not caused by humans at all, and is completely natural-- yet, is also quite scary and eminent. Remind me to not discuss these things with nice people who say things like "Are you for real or a joke?' and "Get a grip". It's like- pathetic. A high school debate team could do better

Is 650,000 years enough for you? Or is a perfectly legitimate documentary on the subject also not up to your standards?