4. Frequently asked questions

Don't scientists disagree on global warming?. Not really -- 97% of specialists agree that global warming is real, and that it is caused by human changes. – jsu

[1]
consensus. Description – cvh

[2]
cvh

It was freezing last winter!. Global warming reflects an average rise of Earth temperatures. Seasonal variations are actually expected to become more extreme, leading to higher highs and lower lows. For that reason, many scientists prefer the term climate change. – jsu

[3]
cvh

Global warming is real, but caused by volcanes, or cows.. Volcanic eruptions have caused transient cooling, and cows emit methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. But by far the dominant contributor to global warming is \(CO_{2}\) from burning fossil fuels. – jsu

[4]
Natural and Human Causes of Climate Change. – cvh

[5]
Maybe it is good for the Earth to get warmer?. We can all live in sunnier locales, and it will be easier to grow food plants.

But the negatives far outweigh the positives. – jsu

Are we just in a natural climate cycle?. \(CO_{2}\) levels are unprecedented -- much higher than anything seen in the last 400,000 years. – jsu

[1] http://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus
[2] http://whatweknow.aaas.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/AAAS-What-We-Know.pdf
[3] http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/01/25/no-global-warming-isnt-suddenly-a-myth-because-its-really-cold-out
[4] http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/causes.html
[5] http://www.skepticalscience.com/global-warming-positives-negatives-intermediate.htm

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