stop listening to everyone that says that global warming is happening because its not!

I am on the other side of the fence to Catty. Global warming/climate change has been happening for millions of years - sometimes cooling, sometimes warming. We are currently in a warming phase as shown by the shrinking of glaciers and thinning of the arctic ice cap for example. It is a natural cycle but, this time, it has been accelerated by carbon emmissions from human homes and industry. You cannot stop climate change but if the world's governments acted together to reduce energy consumption and emmission then it could be slowed down, maybe.

Switch from Fahrenheit to Celsius. You will find that the numbers go down dramatically.

Having permanent ice at both poles is almost certainly a recent phenomenon in Earth's history. We should view it as an anomaly rather than something we needlessly waste money trying to prevent melting. I really do not care about 'Carbon' and am certainly against taxes on it! If I see Lamb from NZ or Oranges from California the most I worry about is price and wonder why nearer places like Spain or Morocco are not producing them.

I too think GW is nothing new, the parting of the red sea (Tsunami) and the ark in the flood are catastrophe stories born of some truth.
What I find comforting is that the Earth has always healed itself and will again, because in the great scheme of things man will only inhabit the planet for a short time, as Man will destroy Man long before we destroy our planet.

Like it Inverglen :o))

Like your philosophy too Drc

I agree Kildermorie I too think it is another money making scam ( by some) for the inevitable things that Bulba mentions.

Now there's a thing I am in an agreeable mood this morning ;o))......Tg

I agree with Bulbaholic's view completely. Global warming is happening, right now, and has been for some time. The argument is not whether it's happening, because it definitely is, but whether we're making it worse or contributing to it. If you think we are, then reversing it can only be done by things like not flying, not driving - a wholesale and significant reduction of carbon emissions.

Drc is right, of course - many people talk about 'saving the planet'. The planet will be just fine - its us who won't be, for there is only a small environmental 'window' which makes it possible for our species to live here.

Those who say we're not having some affect on the climate when we pump billions of tonnes of CO2 ( which is proven to act as a warming agent) into the atmosphere per annum are simply ignoring the facts and behaving like ostriches with their heads in the sand .

@Anchorman, high atmospheric CO2 does not drive global warming and there is no correlation between global temperature and atmospheric CO2. In Jurassic times CO2 was far higher than now and they still had glaciation. A volcano will pump out much more CO2 than industry can. We need perspective and thought, not jumping to hypothesis of data from the past 100 years when the earth is around 456,000,000.00. It is very poor science to take such a minute sample and make assumption on it that costs so much.

Naturally governments start taxing you for something that is not really our fault and something you cannot stop. I'm on the side of 'Its all happened before' team. Look at the civilisations that are now under water. They wouldn't have built under water. Near where I live there is a six metre high calk cliff and we all know that that would have been made under water over a long time. I'm not going to concern myself with it, but then I might be dead when it really kicks off. The Magnetic Polarity of the Earth has also changed in the past and such an event now would be a real problem, far more than Global Warming.

I don't agree with any of you,I only agree with Anchorman soon a lot of cities will be under water and it's our fault all of you people are wrong Anchorman is right you're a buch of chickens!hope you start doing something usefull for the plane,if you don't want to do it for the planet do it fo you're self!

Dunno why you're not agreeing with me, Gera182 - I haven't said whether I personally believe we're causing the warming or not, just that its definitely happening. And the argument about Co2 and its effects is precisely the argument I was pointing out...
All irrelevant anyway - its too late guys, whether its our fault or not, we're past the tipping point already... luckily, I'll be pushing up the daisies before it goes bananas here. But that doesn't stop me recycling for all I'm worth, keeping the heating as low as possible, not driving unless absolutely essential, maintaining as much plant growth as possible, all in an attempt to reduce my carbon footprint. That's all anybody can do, really...

I know that it's not much we can do individually but if everybody helped we could do the change. I know what your going to say, that what mostly causes it are factories,commercial boats, airplanes. The only way is if the government tried to do something.

Actually, I reckon if everybody did their little bit, it would make a difference - probably not enough, but that's no reason not to try. It's easy to say the government or 'they' should do something - I'm not attacking you personally for saying that Gera, its just I've heard many people say it whilst still carrying on with their own high carbon lifestyles, as if its 'their' problem and not ours. My neighbours are a case in point - chuck everything in the rubbish (including newspapers), take 4 holidays requiring flights a year, drive every single day, even just to the local shop, keep the heating set on 22 deg year round, and then moan that 'they' should do something.

Lets cool it guys!

We all have opinions, and in this case opinions are varied, and that to me is a healthy state of affairs!

Just lets say the jury is out on this one!

Aye, you're right Teegee - only time will tell.

I know that it's impossible not to waist energy but we can try to use as little as possible. There is a lot of things we can do like keep our cities clean,recycle,plant trees,and teach other people about the problem. Unlike you I do care, humans are destroying our environment. I don't know were you live but I live an hour away from the ocean,and when the polar ice caps are completely melted I am going to live next to it.I don'k know what they teach you about global warming in the UK, but here in the USA we care about what's happening

And yes teegee is right,everybody has different opinions

Gera, exactly what cities are 'soon' to be under water? Sensationalist reporting and sci-fy TV shows and movies are good at getting people geared up but they are not based on facts - it is peoples fantasies you are reading/watching. We all love a good disaster movie to escape into. I would love to see London underwater with Big Ben and the Eye reaching out from the flooded landscape but it aint going to happen but it makes for good TV.

Now, I do agree that companies that pollute the Earth should have to pay back some of the profits they make from doing so to counteract it and make it less appealing to do so but you are confusing pollution and 'global warming' or as the scam is now called 'climate change' with governments cashing in in carbon tax.

I've only just realised it was you, Gera, who asked the question in the first place. Reducing your own carbon footprint is the answer, and perhaps agitating in your own country for less use of oil, preventing things like palm plantations being grown in areas that were once natural forest, that kind of thing.

If global warming is not a scam by the govenments of the world and is infact caused by the humans, then less humans, less pressure on the planet. How about discouraging large families in Europe and sending birth control to the Third World.

Gera, I suspect that in the USA a small percentage of you care about the environment and climate change, just as in the UK. There are many more in both our countries who don't give a damn as long as it doesn't affect them personally - and they just don't see that it is. In my first reponse I refered to governments taking the lead but I also meant individuals as well. I care for the environment but I ask why those living in the poorer areas of east London should worry when our Government has just thrown a huge load of "stuff" up into the atmosphere wiith the firework display at the end of the olympics. Governments have to take the lead - 'do as I do' rather than 'do as I say'.

I didin't get it from a movie! Can't it be any ovious if the ice is melting it means more water,more water in the ocean means the water level is rising,the cities next to the ocean are going to be under water!examples:San fransisco ,new Orleans , Miami,and others.

Bulbaholic,you know why they should care is because earth is our home and if we destroy it we won't have a place to live!

I'm with you Gera.Which cities are in danger already? How about Venice and New Orleans?
There is now no doubt that the polar ice is melting and that sea levels will rise. The gulf stream has shifted already, which probably accounts for the uncharacteristic weather of recent years. The climate does change over the milennia but if our profligate lifestyle is contributing to speeding the change so that it happens before we have time to prepare then the sensible thing to do is to try to modify our habits.
I'm really surprised by the majority view on here. If you are right, then saving energy makes no difference. If you are wrong it may be too late by the time you realise it.

I try to economise on energy and water and recycle as much as I can.

Gera this is a forum for the open exchange of ideas. You asked a question about how you could stop global warming - you can not, you are an individual. If your assertion is right and we all need to follow your example, then it is not a case of "teaching" us (or telling us) what to do. I did something called 360 degree feedback last year and the lesson I learned was sell not tell. Personally speaking you haven't persuaded me to do anything different as like my fellow GoY members I already recycle and plant up my garden. So we are already doing our part which will add up to a small contribution. In fact the heat that this question has caused has probably caused more global warming than cooling! To coin a phrase from your side of the pond "Cool your jets man". On a less irascible note I understand your passion for our beautiful planet drives you to campaign but we Brits love our green and pleasant land to bits which is why we join this forum in the first place. With warm wishes and kind regards from Blighty.

catty is correct.

C02 is not the problem. This is

galactic cosmic radiation (GCR)

http://starburstfound.org/galactic-cosmic-ray-volleys-a-coming-global-disaster/

Debate over.

Thanks steragram for your support,you are the only one who is right out of all thes people!

A lot of the people that have been arguing with me are the people who haven't realized the problem or really don't care. For example, all the people that are saying this problem has been happening for a long time,you are just saying that to not feel guilty and not to be scared of what's going to happen if we don't try to solve the problem.

More water in the ocean doesn't happen, as water evaporates, forms rain clouds, which means no drought.
Otherwise, Venice would have sunk by now.

The gulf stream shifting has nothing to do with CO2 emissions.
It's due to

http://www.globalweathercycles.com/elninoforecastgwo.html

Bad few years for it, hence extremes of weather.

First of all I am not telling you what to do! And if you say you like your land why don't you try to do something for it before it's flooded.

Scrumpygrah there is only a limited amount of water that can evaporate,because if not the ocean would be empty.

Just to add a bit of political debate, it seems a little ironic that we should be told by an inhabitant of a country responsible for 18% of the world CO2 emissions, (if in fact the person is American) to save our land, when our CO2 emissions amount to 1.75%.

"Scrumpygrah there is only a limited amount of water that can evaporate,because if not the ocean would be empty"

which is why you need polar ice caps to melt a little each year:)

Scrumpygrah first of all you don't talk that way to my country! My country produces more c02 because my country is bigger than yours an we have a bigger population. And yes we do need more water but not salt water

you do know that not all the ice is melting there has been a recent study that showed alot of the ice is reforming again, talk about reducing your carbon footprint, do what im doing, learn bushcraft skills learn edible plants and leave your house and go live off the land like we should be doing in the first place, think about it, no carbon footprint to worry about!

population usa 311.5 million
population uk 62.6 million

work out the maths gera

Hmm, Gera, you're making rather a lot of assumptions. Clearly, you have come rather late to the idea that global warming is an issue, together with the debate about whether we're contributing to it or not.
Back in the 1980's, I first became aware of all sorts of problems in the environment - the risk of global warming was a significant one, and I spent many a night and day fretting about it, largely because I had two young children. At that time, I became part of the movement who refused all plastic bags in supermarkets, even unpacking food and leaving the packaging in the shop, recycled whatever I could, and generally made a lot of noise about what we were doing to our environment.
Interestingly, Canadians were much more environmentally conscious than we were at that time - I recall a relative from there being appalled at the amount of packaging round a pizza in this country, not something they did over there, unlike the USA.
It's great you've realised there's an issue - but don't assume the rest of us are blase and relaxed about it and always have been, because that simply isn't the case. I've stopped worrying about it, 30 years later - but still do my bit, because that's all I can do.

Well said, Bamboo.

I remember a parable from the Bible about the people who built their house on sand and those that built it on stone. During a storm the house on the sand was flooded and the people in the house built on sand were given shelter by those in the house built on stone. Point is, do not build your house is stupid places near the sea, even in the highly unlikely event of all the ice in Antarctica melting. New Orleans is built in a stupid place. SF is built on hills, Pacific heights is unlikely to be under water any time soon...

Kildermorie - London's built in a stupid place by those lights... and isn't SF built on the San Andreas fault?

I hope that when this question has died it's inevitable death that we can remember that this is a gardening site and that we are gardeners. This is a political red herring thrown amongst us so lets us keep our frustrations confined to this one question and return to our nice, normal selves afterwards.

Yep, you're right, Bulbaholic, this was always guaranteed to stir up a row. I'll not rise to the bait again, and just let my penultimate response stand.

Ok we have concluded that everybody has a different opinion about this. The cities didn't know back then that they were built in dangerous places.

Your right bulbaholic we should stop arguing and return to ask gardening questions.

That helps - growing plants, any plants, not just trees, so let's make the best contribution by doing just that;-)

Yes I think you are right let's plant Plants!