RichardK wrote: ↑While the earth's temperature has fluctuated in the past, there is nothing in the scientific record that compares to the stunning, rapid rise seen since we started burning fossil fuels.
How do you support this claim? We only have precise
yearly data going back to 1880, and even then the data's accuracy is somewhat questionable prior to recent, satellite-generated information. Even so, going by the yearly data that we do possess, the current rate of warming is not alarming and does not seem to correlate with the rate of CO2 increase. Since 1880 there have been four significant cooling periods (1880-86, 1899-1910, 1942-49, and 1960-66), plus a number of plateaus in the 5-year trend line. Also, it's interesting to note that we dropped to 1880s levels in the 1960s and 70s (~14.1°C), before climbing to the present level (~15.1°C). Additionally, the warming trend rate between 1966 and 2019 (+0.0196°C/year) is not radically higher than the rate between 1910 and 1942 (+0.0156°C/year). So if global warming is significantly impacted by greenhouse gases, how do we make sense of this temperature data when
CO2 levels have been on a steep and consistent upward trajectory since the 1800s?
I know this topic often turns into a heated affair, but I'm just interested in the data and making logical sense of it. If CO2 is causing the warming trend, so be it. I have no emotional investment in this debate. I'm well-aware of industry propaganda, as well as environmentalist. But just because an oil company rep or tree-hugger makes an argument, that doesn't mean it's wrong. Besides, I'm not using biased info from either side. I'm basing my argument on the best scientific data from the ice core records and respected authorities like NASA.