Arguments from global warming naysayers:
Global warming is just a natural cycle. The earth has seen countless of warming cycles in the past. This global warming event is just another one of many, so we can just ignore it. Well, no - not if you care about your children and grandchildren. In fact if we allow it to continue unchecked it threatens our existence as a species. Doesn't matter if its 'natural' or not - if we can take action to slow or stop it - let's do that.
Carbon dioxide is found in our blood and our bodies, in our food, in our colas, so how could it be bad for us? Stupid environmentalists.
Umm, what?!!
Carbon dioxide is a poison. I know that because as an ICU doctor I have had to urgently help many people who are dying from it on a daily basis. The body spends a lot of energy purging it. Too much of it and you die. But what does that have to do with global warming? Nothing.
Carbon dioxide is a gas that once in the atmosphere traps heat - not allowing heat to escape into space. Whether or not it is found in our bodies has nothing to do with it. The earth can handle the CO2 in our breath. It cannot handle the massive increase in CO2 release into the atmosphere that we are currently witnessing. CO2 that was trapped by plants millions of years ago and put deep into the ground, never intended to be released again - is being released - by us - in extraordinary amounts, in a very short period of time - as we burn coal, oil, natural gas. And yes that process is in fact accelerating and intensifying global warming.
Who cares?
Global warming just means we can grow tomatoes in Siberia and sunbathe in Greenland. So we turn up the air conditioners in Miami - who cares? Except the air conditioners in Miami will be under water from rising sea levels. Much more importantly global warming will abruptly and dramatically affect weather patterns - worldwide. This will lead to interruptions in the food supply and the death of billions in not so pretty ways. It will destabilize economies worldwide, threaten peace, threaten our very existence. But wait - it's natural so that's ok? Well, mass extinctions are natural too - so ok?
My god the ignorance surrounding this topic astounds me. Scientists are telling us we have an ongoing problem that may destroy our species. Please, don't just take them at their word - but for god's sake inform yourselves before you so casually discard their warnings. Arguments of natural cycles, CO2 in our bodies, and tomatoes in Siberia are embarrassingly ignorant, revealing a lack of understanding, and a real laziness as regards self-informing before coming to conclusion. Remember if you're wrong and the thousands of scientists and Nobel laureates are right, you're children, or best case, their children - die. Don't you think you owe them a little more effort than this?
Global warming is just a natural cycle. The earth has seen countless of warming cycles in the past. This global warming event is just another one of many, so we can just ignore it. Well, no - not if you care about your children and grandchildren. In fact if we allow it to continue unchecked it threatens our existence as a species. Doesn't matter if its 'natural' or not - if we can take action to slow or stop it - let's do that.
Carbon dioxide is found in our blood and our bodies, in our food, in our colas, so how could it be bad for us? Stupid environmentalists.
Umm, what?!!
Carbon dioxide is a poison. I know that because as an ICU doctor I have had to urgently help many people who are dying from it on a daily basis. The body spends a lot of energy purging it. Too much of it and you die. But what does that have to do with global warming? Nothing.
Carbon dioxide is a gas that once in the atmosphere traps heat - not allowing heat to escape into space. Whether or not it is found in our bodies has nothing to do with it. The earth can handle the CO2 in our breath. It cannot handle the massive increase in CO2 release into the atmosphere that we are currently witnessing. CO2 that was trapped by plants millions of years ago and put deep into the ground, never intended to be released again - is being released - by us - in extraordinary amounts, in a very short period of time - as we burn coal, oil, natural gas. And yes that process is in fact accelerating and intensifying global warming.
Who cares?
Global warming just means we can grow tomatoes in Siberia and sunbathe in Greenland. So we turn up the air conditioners in Miami - who cares? Except the air conditioners in Miami will be under water from rising sea levels. Much more importantly global warming will abruptly and dramatically affect weather patterns - worldwide. This will lead to interruptions in the food supply and the death of billions in not so pretty ways. It will destabilize economies worldwide, threaten peace, threaten our very existence. But wait - it's natural so that's ok? Well, mass extinctions are natural too - so ok?
My god the ignorance surrounding this topic astounds me. Scientists are telling us we have an ongoing problem that may destroy our species. Please, don't just take them at their word - but for god's sake inform yourselves before you so casually discard their warnings. Arguments of natural cycles, CO2 in our bodies, and tomatoes in Siberia are embarrassingly ignorant, revealing a lack of understanding, and a real laziness as regards self-informing before coming to conclusion. Remember if you're wrong and the thousands of scientists and Nobel laureates are right, you're children, or best case, their children - die. Don't you think you owe them a little more effort than this?
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