Is it Our Fault?

 

Some people say that climate cycles have always existed, that the climate changes anyway and that there is no proof that our greenhouse gas emissions contribute significantly to this. Some arguments against this are: 

• The majority view of researchers, who have taken natural climate variation into account (including changes in the sun's heat), is that only our greenhouse gas emissions can explain the amount of warming, especially since 1975. As new evidence emerges, the potential risks of our emissions keep being revised in an upwards direction.
   

• Our fuel burning, industrial and deforestation activities since the industrial revolution have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by around 38% and methane by 100%, plus other greenhouse gases. We know that these emissions add to warming (by definition) – apart from scientists' predictions from computer modelling, it is reasonable to believe that this rapid addition will have a substantial effect.
  
  The potential climate extremes are on a much greater scale than, for example, the "Medieval  Warm Period" which started in the 9^th century, or the "Little-Ice Ages" which followed it from the 14^th to 19^th centuries. On top of the previous causes (sun, volcanoes, agricultural changes, etc), the new factor is man-made greenhouse gas - according to ice core analysis, there is now vastly more of it in the atmosphere than for the last 600,000 years.
   

• There are now 12 times as many people in the world (and in the UK) than 300 years ago. On top of that, each of us in industrialised countries is consuming vastly more energy and therefore creating many times the greenhouse gas than anyone living previously. We shouldn't expect to be able to seriously modify nature's finely balanced systems to this extent without something having to give.
   

• The lack of cause-and-effect proof is no reason not to strive to reduce emissions. To fail to act is to take an enormous gamble with the wellbeing of others and of future generations, or at worst, with life on Earth. It is too convenient to deny the problem so that we can continue our current lifestyles involving un-moderated energy consumption. There may never be proof.