What are the potent greenhouse gases in the atmosphere? Is global warming real?

Introduction

The talk of today is the Global warming. Global Warming is basically defined as the rise in the “average temperature of the Earth’s surface, air and oceans” (Effect of Global Warming, n.d.). Today’s humanity face a dire problem with the temperature increase posing threat to their life and livelihood and the cause is attributed to the Global Warming. However, this talk, which is believed as a fact, is not just a talk. It has become the hottest debate of the decade (Flint, 2011). The reason of the debate is having no definite agreement on the cause of the Global Warming, with not even the Greenhouse gases proving positive till today.  This write-up is to discuss on the potent greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and how real the global warming is.

Potent greenhouse gases

Greenhouse gas owes its name to its Greenhouse Effect characteristic, the ability to absorb the infrared radiation (IR) from the sun and then emit it back again (Wong, n.d.). Jane (2007) observed in her findings that these gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapour, methane (CH4) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Nitrous oxide (N2O) and ozone (O3) are also considered greenhouse gases (Evans, 2007).

There are two categories of greenhouse gases, viz. natural greenhouse and enhanced greenhouse gases. Natural greenhouse gases make the earth habitable not inhabitable. According to Evans (2007):
Greenhouse gases with their infrared absorbing capacity acts as a blanket around the Earth, maintaining the global mean surface temperature at 15°C (60°F). Without water vapor and CO2, the Earth’s average surface temperature would be -18°C (0°F)—about 33°C colder.

The -18°C temperature, which would be caused in absence of the greenhouse gases, is “the temperature of a domestic refrigerator” and life could not exist then because the water, the essence of life, would be solid (Wong, n.d.).

Now, what are the “Potent Greenhouse gases”? This means the greenhouse gases that are powerful driver behind the Global warming as speculated and proposed by climatologists. When natural greenhouse gases render the world warm and fit for survival, to rate them as potent greenhouse gases is implausible. So, if ever the green house is potent enough to cause global warming, then it could be enhanced greenhouse gases. Evans describes the additional warming beyond the adequate temperature of world maintained under the natural greenhouse gas as enhanced greenhouse effect, popularly called Global Warming (2007).  He further distinguishes the enhanced greenhouse gases into:
1.      Gases already present in the atmosphere but an increased amount is added by human activities. This includes carbon dioxide and methane. Carbon dioxide contributes the most to the enhanced greenhouse effect.
2.      Gases which are not naturally present. These can sometimes absorb in the ‘window’ through which radiation would normally escape into space. This can cause them to have a very large greenhouse effect. CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) are an example.
Therefore, though describing generally that greenhouse gases are potent cause of global warming is correct, in particular, it’s wrong.

CO2 and water vapour were described as “the most significant greenhouse gases’ in the atmosphere (Wong, n.d.). CO2 was deemed even greater potent greenhouse gas when, as mentioned above, its increased level defined the global warming (CAFamerica, n.d.). However, the real cause of global warming was failed to be identified by the scientists themselves and though the emission of these gases happen, they are not the major contributors (Thakur, n.d.).

            Further, though it was accepted between the years of 1985 – 2003 that carbon dioxide caused global warming as inferred from the old ice core data, Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) exonerated CO2 from that with the new ice data during the years of 2003 – 2007 showing otherwise. Further, from August 2007, consensus came that greenhouse gases are not the cause (Evans, 2007). He further propped that when distinguishing which came first, the temperature rise or the carbon dioxide rise, the New Ice Core results found that temperature changes “preceded carbon dioxide changes by an average of 800 years” and deduced that “temperature caused the CO2 levels, not the other way around as previously assumed”.

Like carbon dioxide, water too prevents the heat from leaving the earth’s atmosphere but as the temperature rises from the greenhouse effect, more water is able to stay in its gaseous form higher in the atmosphere. However it, as a whole, is also proved to have a net effect of keeping the Earth cooler (Flint, 2011).

Be it natural or enhanced or anthropogenic greenhouse gases, they are not potent in causing global warming, so they are not what is assumed potent greenhouse gases. In the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change held in New York City from March 2-4, over 100 leading scientist participating it made “abundantly clear with hard evidence that greenhouse gases are not the main drivers of global warming” (Michael Coffman, n.d.). This also means that human activities do not cause warming and economy-destroying laws, the huge humanity problems, are not needed, and anthropogenic greenhouse gas too is not the cause. A group of 23 leading scientists on climate change from 15 nations of Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) also proposed that “man is not responsible for global warming” (Michael Coffman, n.d.). This solidifies the fact that the enhanced greenhouse gases are no potent greenhouse gases.

IPCC concluded that most of the observed temperature increase since the middle of the 20th century was very likely caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases resulting from human activity such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation (Global, n.d.). This conclusion was made authentic by mentioning that it was a consensus of hundreds of scientists. However, it was later found that among the 23 independent reviewers, “just four explicitly endorsed the chapter with its hypothesis and one other endorsed only a specific section” (Michael Coffman, n.d.). So the base of potent greenhouse gases, the IPCC’s conclusion itself incorporated flaw and acceptance of potent greenhouse gases is void.

If not these greenhouse gases then what did cause global warming? It is the sun getting hotter, the natural cause (Global, n.d.). Coffman proclaimed that global warming involved various aspects of “an increasingly active sun and ocean temperature oscillations like El Niño vs. La Niña” (n.d.). Increase in the radiation due to inexistence of matter to convert energy into mater is also the cause of global warming. According to Thakur (n.d.):
The jungle of cement we have created by removing jungle of trees harms us in two ways; it means a lot more energy reaches the surface of the earth and it also means that with no matter to convert energy into matter, a lot more radiation is produced near the surface of the earth. We are exposing too many objects that generate high radiation to the ever-increasing energy from the sun.

Is global warming real?

Global warming derived its name from the increased level of carbon dioxide which retains heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and ‘acts like a warm blanket’ (CAFamerica, n.d.). However, is global warming real? First aspect of reality is its effect onto the world. The effects of Global Warming cut across many sectors, some of which are spread of disease, sinking of smaller island, coral bleaching, irregular weather patterns and declining production of agricultural commodities  (Effect of Global Warming, n.d.). These effects are due to the increase of temperature caused by global warming, altering the weather and climate, thus affecting the land life and aquatic life too. Global warming, if not real, the effects won’t surface. Here, the effect even questions survival.

Second aspect of reality is the cause of it, the driving forces of it. “It was the early, low resolution ice core data first gathered in 1985 that convinced the world that CO2 was the culprit” (Evans, 2007). Since then it was assumed that CO2 levels controlled the world’s temperature. However as discussed in the above statements under the greenhouse gases, the cause of global warming is not CO2 and not even other greenhouse gases, as per the ICCC in 2008. When greenhouse gases were ruled out, without any agent causing it, it would be a natural climate change rather than Global warming.

Positive measurement of these greenhouse gases would be third aspect of reality. Three of the four methods of measuring global temperature, viz. proxy measurements (tree rings, sediments etc), weather balloons (radiosondes) for 44 years and satellites (MSU units) for past 21 years showed no signs of rise (Gray, 2001). Only the fourth method i.e. the surface measurement at weather stations showed it, but was intermittent and irregular. So the Global Warming is not real. Even if this finding is not believed to be enough, the split between the skeptics and conventional scientist according to Jane (2007) is 50:50. The debate is on-going and the cause is at large. Thus, with no proper cause to conclude, the reality of global warming is still not real.

Then why is there discontinuity? What would connect to the change in the climate of the world? It is simple, change the name from Global Warming to Global Climate change (Rosenzweig & Solecki, 2004). It is because there is nothing global about global warming. In the remote areas, even the surface measurement that triggered the global rise of temperature showed no change. Rather it even showed fall in temperature (Gray, 2001). This indicated the changes in the thermal environment of individual measurement of individual measurement stations, not the changes in the background climate so, the temperature rise is not uniform over the globe. Except for 1998, there was no warming since 1979. It was shown by the latest MSU satellite. The exceptionally high record was due to E1 Niño but this single peak finding does not comply with the use of linear regression and what is said a steady climate change because the record has fallen and returned to their base line (Gray, 2001).

The figure to the below is the greenhouse-model-predicted temperature trends versus latitude and altitude. The increased temperature trends in the tropical mid-troposphere as shown in the figure is in agreement also with the IPCC result [IPCC-AR4 2007].


Fig 2: Source:  http://www.discerningtoday.org/ scientists_disclaim.pdf
The actual radiosonde also observed the temperature trends versus latitude and altitude (Shown in the second figure above). The absence of increased temperature trends in the tropical mid-troposphere was vividly portrayed.
            
Fourth aspect that tries making the Global warming real is advocacy for it, denial of the true scientific facts and emphasis on wrong or lucrative findings on the topic by media. Coffman discloses that global warming alarmists and UN IPCC completely refuse true science i.e. the finding of 2008 international Conference on Climate Change that there are no increased temperature trends, and they will commit to protect their agenda (n.d.). Kristen too supported that “internet does not always provide clear, high-quality facts and evidence for global warming” (2011).

Jane (2007) argues that the skeptics of global warming are politically or money oriented. However the IPCC report, which propagates the image of Global warming being real and is base of further trust, is “UN’s highly political report” (Michael Coffman, n.d.). Coffman revealed that:
Seth Borenstein, a strong proponent of man-caused global warming, acknowledged that   only 52 scientists actually wrote the UN’s highly political IPCC report, guided by a host of “diplomats.” While Borenstein called the non-scientists diplomats, most people would call them bureaucrats.

Conclusion

            The lone aspect of reality i.e. the effect of global warming cannot stand against three other aspects that provide negative result: i) there is no greenhouse gases causing it, ii) the temperature trend measurement shows no increment, and iii) IPCC and global warming alarmists do not conform to true science. The assumed potent greenhouse gases too are proved by the climatologists that global warming cannot be accounted to them. Therefore, the greenhouse gases are not the Potent Greenhouse Gases and Global warming, just because the effects on earth is blamed onto it, is not real at all.



Reference

CAFamerica. (n.d.). Working to Stop Global Warming. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.cafamerica.org/dnn/Portals/0/charitydocs/IssueBrief%20Global%20Warming.pdf
Effect of Global Warming. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2013, from www.ecoforestry.org.pg: http://www.ecoforestry.org.pg/uploads/loginwindow_sites/ecoforestry_loginwindow_com_live/pages/files/Climate%20change%20and%20REDD/EFF%20Global%20Warming.pdf
Evans, D. D. (2007, November 28). Carbon Emissions Don’t Cause Global Warming. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from icecap.us: http://icecap.us/images/uploads/Evans-CO2DoesNotCauseGW.pdf
Flint, K. (2011). Global Warming. Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science, 15-17.
Global. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2013, from municipality.tn.gov.in: http://municipality.tn.gov.in/sirkazhi/global.pdf
Gray, V. (2001, January). THE CAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.fcpp.org/pdf/The_Cause_of_Global_Warming_Policy_Series_7.pdf
Jane. (2007). Global Warming: A mind mapper's guide to the science and solutions. Bullcreek Western Australia, Australia.
Michael Coffman. (n.d.). Scientists Overwhelmingly Disclaim Role of CO2 in Global Warming. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from www.discerningtoday.org: http://www.discerningtoday.org/scientists_disclaim.pdf
Rosenzweig, C., & Solecki, W. (2004). Climate Change Information Resources. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from ccir.ciesin.columbia.edu: http://ccir.ciesin.columbia.edu/nyc/pdf/q1a.pdf
Thakur, S. (n.d.). global warming - causes, dangers and solutions. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from gsjournal.net: http://gsjournal.net/Science-Journals/Research%20Papers-Ecology%20-%20Life/Social%20Sciences/Download/1272

Wong, V. (n.d.). The greenhouse effect and global warming. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from www.camelclimatechange.org: http://www.camelclimatechange.org/files/182501_182600/182575/ghg-and-gw.pdf

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