Things are heating up

This week's blog assignment centers around the controversial topic of global warming. Looking at some official websites that comment on the topic explaining both sides. The United States EPA climate change site gives an overview of the concerns that surround the problem of global warming from the standpoint that it is a legitimate threat. This site claims that the climate is changing right now. Historically the climate is in constant change going through long cycles of heating and cooling. However since the industrial revolution the amount of greenhouse gasses  being released into the atmosphere have dramatically increased leading to quicker heating of the climate. Burning fossil fuel and biomass have lead to more CO2 in the atmosphere trapping heat in and aerosols which emit heat and reflect light. One of the most prominent changes that will occur with the rising temperature is the effect it will have on certain biomes. Winters are becoming shorter and summers longer disrupting the normal pattern in many ecosystems such as the arctic. Precipitation will also be effected, more in some areas and less in others, and the heating that will occur in the oceans will lead to more natural disasters such as tsunamis. Coastal sea levels are expected to rise. The agricultural industry will be negatively effected as certain areas may be susceptible to droughts or flooding. Fresh water supplies will decline as natural run off sources are reduced.

There are those who do not see the rising temperature of global warming as legitimate and find the science lacking. One such group is called the Heartland Institute. Their website explains their skepticism in a few key  ways. The first thing mentioned is that people so readily believe that global warming is a crisis because it fits into their political views. Dealing with climate change would mean more government regulations, higher taxes, wilderness preservation, subsidies for renewable energy, etc. These are things that many liberal want anyway and the global warming scare gives a justification for making them happen. There is a general consensus that global warming is a real threat but not because everyone has looked at the evidence and found it to be sound, rather that they are just taking it at the word of authorities. It also questions the scientific studies that have been done on the topic and comments on the difficulty of actually proving mankind's role in the heating process. The institute states that it is commonly agreed among scientists that climate change is natural and that two thirds of the recent temperature rise occurred because of natural causes. Skeptics also believe that those claiming global warming will lead to intense weather issues while stating that there is no solid way to predict future weather patterns are experiencing cognitive dissonance. There are many problems economically, especially for large corporations, that would occur should regulating emissions and wilderness protection be enabled. This is probably one of the main reasons behind the skepticism surrounding the issue of global warming.