Oh, that's it!....I get it now!...It's for the Polar Bears, silly!.....Just like it's for the children!.....I wonder...If 400,000 square miles of the polar ice caps melted over the last 30 years, would we have not had the epic disasters that Global Warming beaters like Al Gore have predicted?....Shouldn't the entire eastern seaboard be under water right now?.....Seems strange to me!....

Where is the proof that humans cause GW. There may be GW, but how are we expected to believe that science can predict the temp of the earth 50 years from now, science can NOT predict the weather next week.. and if you older folks can remember back in the mid 1970s. The big thing was Global cooling.... History proves that the earth warms and cools it's self.. and it has been that way for millions of years

I'm a little dissapointed that Elliot Abrams didn't give a more thoughtful response to some of the issues presented in this segment.

I know he was trying to be funny about drinking soda, but there's already enough confusion out there. Commercial carbon dioxide is captured as a byproduct of other processes, and to my knowledge, its production does not introduce significant amounts that would otherwise not be in our atmosphere.

The suggestion that increased fish populations would be a result of arctic ice melting seems a bit of a stretch too. If there's some scholarly work suggesting that one, I'd like to see it.

The sound of axes grinding is neither cute nor relevant. I'm about sick of reading stuff from people who appear to think they are commenting. Laura Hannon posts daily thoughtful items with comments that take into account multiple points of view. Trash talk does not move the discourse forward.

I am deeply surprised and saddened that the users of this website have such synical and uneducated viewpoints about global warming. Let me put it this way: The weather predictions of Accuweather.com are based on the same science that has shows that Global Warming exists and will become a global crisis if we fail to act. If you do not "believe" in global warming, you have no reason to believe weather forecasts.

Hey Devon: If global warming does exist, which I doubt whole heartedly, it's not the fault of humans....It's a natural process that the earth goes through in a cyclical fashion....You may be deeply surprised and saddend that there are people out there who disagree with you, who are not fear mongers, or boot lickers of the Liberal left and their propaganda, but there are! And there again is that attitude. They disagree with me, so they are "uneducated." Saying stuff like that will not sway anyone who disagrees with you to change their position, I can guarantee that. As for this comment: "If you do not "believe" in global warming, you have no reason to believe weather forecasts", please explain. Because that comment does not make sense one bit.

I don't claim to be a scientist, but when presented with graphs that show CO2 emissions side-by-side with graphs that show temperatures, there is no doubt that the greenhouse effect is real. Then you see how CO2 is off the scale relative to any peak over the last hundred thousand years or so, and that global temperatures are escalating proportionately.

In any case, whatever you think about Global Warming / Greenhouse Effect and the impact of man, there is plenty sense to conserving energy for more selfish reasons that will help the bank account and decrease our dependence on foreign oil/gas. (Not that all political platforms are sound in this regard either: corn ethanol's just a band-aid, if you ask me.)

We shouldn't knock global warming or the non-believers. Its added a lot to the economy. It has helped sell a lot of magazines, news stories, and not to mention the giant boost to ratings. Its a boon! Better than those reports of crack babies in the 80's and those evil underground raves in the 90's.

For those worshiping at the alter of "education:"
http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadGreenhouse.html
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4387552
http://www.drudgereport.com/flash2.htm
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,123013,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,192544,00.html
http://www.clearlight.com/~mhieb/WVFossils/greenhouse_data.html
http://www.hillsdale.edu/imprimis/2002/march/default.htm
http://www.junkscience.com/Greenhouse/
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mars_ice-age_031208.html

Note the significant role of WATER VAPOR that is, NOT mentioned, in agenda driven propaganda. Names withheld to protect the guilty...

Proof is there that we are warming. Proof isn't yet available that humans can be blamed 100%. Scientists and meteorologists learn something new daily about the weather and our atmosphere. Therefore, an assumption can be made that there are plenty of things going on that we don't yet know about. Yes, the greenhouse effect is real...yes, CO2 holds heat and with more CO2 out there, we can warm. Yes, it's all true, but humans aren't responsible for all of it. Look back through history at other warming trends...were we responsible for those too? If so, how about the cooling trends that happened after the warming trends? Everything is cyclical in this world of ours. Learn it, understand it and get over it. Oh, and you ask if I am qualified to make these statements? I am just a degreed meteorologist with forecasting experience, but that doesn't mean anything, right?

One thing is funny, I'm sure that all the "non-believers" (And even the believers) have never actually put their hands on a true scientific publication about global warming. I have! (And that makes me better, doesn't it??)

But let's keep it real simple. Atmospheric CO2 absorbs heat, and re-emits it. 50-60% goes to space, the rest is emitted back down to earth.
CO2 literally keeps the earth warm, and this does not happen on the moon (no atmosphere). More CO2 in the air = a warmer earth.

3,000,000,000,000 tons- Total amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
24,000,000,000 tons- Total annual amount of CO2 produced by fossil fuel burning, and deforestation.

That's nearly a 1% increase in atmospheric CO2 per year, and it's been happening since the 50's. Completely explains the 37% increase in atmospheric CO2 since 1950.

The facts above are so simple, that anyone disputing them is simply being disagreeable to stay stuck in their political view. The above measures are accurate, and dead simple for scientists to measure. All of the 24,000 million ton annual CO2 increase shown above is caused by humans. 1+1 equals 2 guys, and the concequences for the planet are absolutely devestating.

Don't believe it? You will.

No questions - just a comment!

This gigantic and powerful planet is going to do what it does, when it does it and in any way that the natural forces choose to do it. We, as humans, as guests on this planet and mere bystanders. We are insignificant at best. And the scientific community that looks at us as the apex of creation (or evolution) are totally misguided. There is absolutely nothing we can do to promote or hinder the forces of nature.

Right now we, in Michigan and surrounding States, are undergoing temperatures that are 25-30 degrees below normal. It is that way for the next 10-14 days! "Global". Please! Your group makes absolutely no sense nor do I have any faith or confidence in your scientifically based conclusions.

I am sitting where millions of years ago a tropical salt sea was located. Giant salt deposits remain buried under the City of Detroit. Natural gas is being mined throughout the region and oil being pumped from Michigan to Pennsylvania. All because of the decay of the prior tropical climate. And when it ended, a powerful ice age descended upon the region. And because of that, we have our present geographical configuration; the Great Lakes.

Who are you, and who are we to ever think that we can change these forces? Most of us are here for less than 100 years. The earth has been spinning and undergoing massive and powerful changes for billions of years!

If this commentary does not apply to you, please forward it to those who would benefit the most.

Thank you.

Ron Ginther
Mason, MI