The continent of Antarctica has been losing more than 100...
Global Warming is Real and is Manmade!
Global Warming is real and is manmade! Over the last decades, Earth scientists around the world have evaluated pools of atmospheric, geographic, and oceanic data to reach the same conclusion: the Earth's surface is getting warmer. Besides registering a constant increase in the Earth's average surface temperature decade after decade, scientists also show that the world's sea levels are rising 3.16 mm per year--(and have risen a total of 8 inches over the last century!)--as a result, a situation which will cause more dry land to be lost to the ocean as time passes [1]. The Earth's warming trend is causing artic sea ice to disappear at a rate of 11.5% per decade. In 1996 satellite observations showed that there was 79 million square kilometers of sea ice in the Artic Ocean in the month of September (the warmest month at the Artic pole); in September of 2012, satellite observations recorded the lowest quantity of Artic sea ice on record--a dismal 3.61 million square kilometers, less than half of what was recorded in 1996 [1]. The year-to-year trends show some oscillation, but the general trend shows a gradual decline in artic sea ice. Global warming is also causing dry land ice to disappear. NASA's Grace satellites "show that the land ice sheets in both Antarctica and Greenland are losing mass. The continent of Antarctica has been losing more than 100 cubic kilometers (24 cubic miles) of ice per year since 2002" [1]. Alarmingly, satellite imagery shows colossal chunks of Antartica falling into the ocean, and monumental glaciers evaporating over the course of a mere decade! Most shocking of all, Earth scientists warn that the trend is getting worse! From 1870 to 2000, for example, (since scientists have been recording measurements) oceanic sea levels rose on average 1.7 mm per year; from 1993 to present, oceanic sea levels have risen 3.16 mm per year--nearly double the average over the last century [1]! And what is responsible? What is the culprit in this Earth-transforming trend? Though natural events like erupting volcanoes and biological respiration can be shown to contribute to global warming, scientists are now 90% certain that the increase in atmospheric temperatures is caused by exploding concentrations of green house gases caused by human activity [2]. Volcanoes and biological respiration release green house gas (in the form of carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere. However, concensus in the scientific community is that land and submarine volcanoes release (at maximum) approximately 1% of all the CO2 emitted by humans in the course of a year [3]. The Burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and gasoline, large-scale deforestation, and the emission of methane by ammonia-based fertilizers (used in human agriculture) contribute primarily to the Earth's worsening warming trend. By and large, measurements show that CO2 is the primary culprit in manmade global warming. Nature uses green house gases to facilitate heat trapping from the sun's rays to warm the Earth and make biological life on the planet possible. But if the concentrations of green house gases in the atmosphere become excessive, this can overheat the planet, alter the Earth's climate system, injure natural ecosystems, and make it harder for biological processes to take place and be maintained. Largely because of the industrial revolution, CO2 levels are at the highest they've ever been in the last 400,000 years--and they continue to climb. Research using ice cores shows that the atmospheric concentration of CO2 is now 33% higher today than it has ever been in the last half million years [1]. The concentration is almost double today than the average over the last 400,000 years--and it continues to get worse [1]. Purpose In this debate I will argue that Global Warming is real and that humans have contributed to it significantly--if not almost entirely. My opponent will argue that global warming is either (1) false, or (2) real but not manmade. He will support his position with evidence, reliable sources, and try to descredit my arguments. He should begin his arguments in ROUND 1. Good luck! (My purpose with this debate is to educate the debaters and readers alike about the critical topical of global warming.) [1] (http://climate.nasa.gov...) [2] (http://en.wikipedia.org...) [3] (http://volcanoes.usgs.gov...)