Evidence of Global Warming

I was watching the BBC earlier and they had this very interesting report on some research being conducted in Antarctica. These British researchers have gone into dozens of crevasses and ice caves, as well as drilled countless core samples of the ice. What they have been analyzing are the little air pockets within the ice. In fact, they can analyze the air in these little pockets and determine, based on the ice, the conditions of the atmosphere at the time.

Based on all the data they have collected so far, they have been able to map out the levels of CO2 and other gases in the atmosphere over a period of 200,000 years. This data tells us that CO2 levels, are at the highest point ever. This is responsible for the extremely massive melting of ice that is going on in Antarctica (and also in the north). They were saying that they can often walk along beaches because the ice has receded so much in recent years alone. We also know that the northern ice cap is melting, which has extremely dire consequences for the environment and ecosystem as a whole. Just a one degree rise in ocean temperatures can change the entire ecosystem. An even large change can kill off a lot of the plankton and other life in the water, which has effects on the fish that depend on it as a food source, and eventually moves up the food chain to us.

I say, to the Bush administration and others who say that there is not enough evidence to conclude that we are destroying the planet, you're fucking stupid. There is mounting research that demonstrates exactly the opposite, and we don't appear to have as much time as we initially thought. Recent estimates have said that it may be less than 100 years before we see the ice caps completely melted, based on current rates. These projections also indicate that, between now and 2100, there will be an average of 4 to 7 degree increase in temperatures over land, and 2-4 in the oceans. In some places, such as over the northern ice caps, increases of over 8 degrees Celsius are predicted. These average numbers are based on models by 7 different independent climate change research organizations. The margins I just indicated are due to slight discrepancies between them, but the trend is very clear.

It is clear that the industrial revolution and our increased reliance on fossil fuels has caused this problem. While it is generally understood, and especially argued by those who refute the proven theory of global warming, that the Earth has undergone large periods of warming and cooling over centuries, the data shows that the past 60 years are a complete anomaly and show temperatures far higher than they have ever been.

For more information and very detailed graphs, see the Wikipedia article on global warming.