Is climate change really a threat? I keep seeing newsreports of how we need to change to %26quot;combat%26quot; climate change by being more energy efficient around the house and with transportation etc, as if we%26#039;re all doomed unless we change, and change FAST.

But the way I see it, if climate change is so much of an issue, why has it only in recent years come to surface among the worlds many problems? 10 years ago I don%26#039;t remember seeing anything about climate change.

5 years ago you could ask someone in the street, %26quot;Do you worry about climate change?%26quot; and get a %26quot;Lol what?%26quot; reply.

Now it%26#039;s more like, %26quot;Do you worry about climate change?%26quot; and get, %26quot;Oh very much so, I%26#039;ve been spending much less time on the roads and saving a lot of energy around the house.%26quot;

I%26#039;m just saying, the change in views to the climate has changed very suddenly, and it seems to be a very fearful topic.

But, is it really a threat? The Earths climate has always been changing, from the Ice Age to tropical climates of the dino era, to now.

And... who profits?
showing how since the industrial revolution the levels of carbon dioxide has rocketed to higher than any other peaks on the graph. It appears (though many still claim otherwise) that human activity has effected this - so it seems that we are changing the climate.

The media is what has caused this fear you mention, some of which is unsubstantiated.
This is a quote I used in my coursework, from a new scientist article (http://environment.newscientist.com/chan...

%26quot;such images [melting glaciers, all-at-sea polar bears, and forest fires] are used to portray a global catastrophe that is not just imminent but happening now. The narrative is compelling – the end of the world as we know it, with a series of photogenic disasters along the way%26quot;

Because, lets face it, people crave disaster, and this is what sells papers. A headline reading %26quot;we may have very slightly warmer summers%26quot; isn%26#039;t interesting, whilst one saying %26quot;Millions face draught in global warming catastrophe%26quot;.

Personally, however, I feel that we should be trying to stay %26#039;green%26#039;, because it seems evident to me that we are actually doing something to the climate, and it isn%26#039;t likely to be good. It%26#039;s a delicate system and shouldn%26#039;t be messed with!

Also, I think it%26#039;s only surfaced in recent years because the scientific technology that has been developed that can measure this sort of stuff... it%26#039;s probably been known about for quite a long time but only in the last few years have governments understood the threat and considered it - and therefore it has got into the media.

This probably wont be much help to you... seen as though I spent so long researching I thought I%26#039;d share my views. 33% 3 Votes

The graph in this article shows that 1999 and 2000 were cooling years, 2001 to 2006 were stable and 2007 another cooling year. This has happened despite the continuing increase in CO2 levels, and indicates that the role of CO2 in our atmosphere has been considerably exaggerated, it is a factor, but only one in many.

These measurements have been made by the official organisations that monitor global temperature, not GW sceptics or oil industry people, so they cannot just be dismissed.

What worries me is that instead of learning to adapt to a changing environment, a process that has always, and will always happen, we are putting all our resources into a futile attempt to stop a natural process. A Masters degree in Ecology and 30 years professional experience. 0% 0 Votes 0% 0 Votes

its only a threat to humanity if it starts getting significantly cooler. if the climate cools 2 degrees we wont be able to feed the worlds 6 billion people with current farming methods.
the last ice age was only about 7 degrees cooler than today on average %26amp; the permanent ice sheets extended down to the missouri%26amp; ohio rivers in north America. the ice locked up so much water that sea levels were more than100 meters lower than today.
a 1 or 2 degree temp. increase would make the world a much more human friendly place as far as agriculture %26amp; human habitability are concerned. 11% 1 Vote

All of this is bullshit, if you want to %26#039;combat%26#039; climate change we should all switch to nuclear energy which doesn%26#039;t produce any CO2. 22% 2 Votes

yes its a threat anyone living on the coastal areas is at risk for permanent flooding in recent years we have just seen bigger differences in glacier run off. also researchers have seen reduction in polar bears and penguins.

save the earth!!!!!!!!!!!!! 0% 0 Votes

The greatest most immediate threat is to poor people in third world countries. 0% 0 Votes