Global Warming

Global warming may be one of the most hotly (forgive the pun) disputed topics of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The topic has even made its way into the American political debate- with conservatives typically arguing against its existence and liberals fighting for its recognition as a serious, impending threat to our global society. The scandal surrounding Anglia University and their researchers' manipulation of global climate data, and Al Gore's obvious political stunt in "An Inconvenient Truth" have helped to deepen the divide between people's opinions on the topic of climate change; far-left liberals often praise their efforts to further the cause, and far-right conservatives point to both groups' manipulation of data to disregard the debate as a legitimate one.

Even liberals have poked fun at Al Gore's role in "An Inconvenient Truth" as a ploy to get attention for himself.

But because of my lack of knowledge on the real data behind climate change, I do not feel as if I can make a substantial conclusion as to its existence or not. I can say, though, that solar flare activity seems like an unlikely explanation behind this century's or the past century's increases in temperature (http://www.lunarplanner.com/SolarCycles.html). Research on the Medieval Warming Period, too, is inconclusive as to whether it was a localized or global event (http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/courses/geog101_sen/broecker.html). What I can say, though, is that the consequences of fossil fuel pollution and production are obvious; increased rates of asthma, pipeline explosions, environmental degradation, strip-mining, large cities becoming "heat islands," decreased air quality, acid rain, etc. And those are enough reasons, I believe, for why we should all support efforts to move toward sustainable energy.