Why You're Wrong: Global Warming Denyers

No way in hell is Global Warming a hoax. Who would want to trick you into reducing Carbon Dioxide emissions? Who benefits from that? I suppose if you're a conspiracy theorist, you might say that Al Gore and other people are using it to gain fame, and that certain industries are using it to increase profits. Kind of a stretch, though. 

1) You are a total douchebag if you don't believe in Global Warming.

2) Even if you don't believe in Global Warming, you should realize that we can't keep using fossil fuels forever. They are a finite resource, and if they run out before we're prepared, we'll be in huge trouble. So even if you don't follow the simple chain of logic behind Global Warming, at least acknowledge that a carbon-based economy is not a long-term proposition

3) Here is the simple idea behind Global Warming:

-Carbon Dioxide retains heat energy better than Oxygen and Nitrogen. It does not allow some infrared rays to escape Earth's atmosphere

-The Earth receives energy from the sun at an almost constant rate. Some of this energy is retained, and some of it is radiated into space

-Excess Carbon Dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere forces the Earth to retain excess heat. This excess heat warms the planet above normal levels

There is nothing outlandish about any of those facts. That is the basic idea behind Global Warming

4) Yes, there were already many "Greenhouse Gases" in the atmosphere before humans started really pumping Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere, but the amount of heat retention by the Earth was at a fairly constant level. The Earth's systems are fine-tuned to a certain equilibrium of heat energy. Adding the amout of Carbon Dioxide that we have added throws off this equilibrium, and the Earth's systems deviate as a result. Effects include glacier melt, rising sea levels, increased/decreased rainfall (depending on locale), and species loss.

5) It is nonsense to claim that humans cannot possibly have such a large impact on the Earth. Another case of humans changing the planet is the Ozone hole. CFCs, or Chlorofluorocarbons, catalyze the breakdown of Ozone in the Ozone layer. This layer protects the planet from harmful UV rays. CFCs do not occur in nature. As a result of widespread use of CFCs, a huge hole in the Ozone layer formed above Antarctica. It remains to this day. It is firmly established that people made it. There is virtually no scientific controversy on the subject, and even popular media mostly agrees with the claim. Global Warming has a precedent in Ozone depletion

As always, the Wikipedia article on the subject is vastly more informative than I am. Check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

If you get your Global Warming facts from places like Fox News or the Wall Street Journal, the Wikipedia article should straighten everything out. Unlike Fox New and the WSJ, which have constant funding issues like any business, Wikipedia is neutral by design. If it seems to "lean" towards validating the claims of Global Warming...you might want to reconsider your skeptic position.