A fact is a terrible thing to distort.

No essays yet - school and school and school, unfortunately. However, I do have this pleasant little screed, sent to the campus newspaper in reply to a foolish little letter that appeared there today:

In the Friday, April 25, 2008 Diamondback, the following claim appears in a letter by one Tung Pham, Junior, Mathematics:

"There is no scientific consensus that global warming is caused by industrialized carbon emission[.]"

Tung Pham, you have been lied to. Such a consensus has existed for, at a minimum, over eighteen years. Why do I say eighteen years? Because the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, founded in 1988, released its First Assessment Report in 1990, from which I quote:

"We are certain of the following:

• there is a natural greenhouse effect which already keeps the Earth warmer than it would otherwise be.
  
• emissions resulting from human activities are substantially increasing the atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and nitrous oxide. These increases will enhance the greenhouse effect, resulting on average in an additional warming of the Earth's surface. The main greenhouse gas, water vapor, will increase in response to global warming and further enhance it."

If, perhaps, you object that this report is outdated, I refer you to the Fourth Assessment Report, and specifically the Summary for Policymakers provided by the IPCC <http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm.pdf>:

"There is very high confidence that the net effect of human activities since 1750 has been one of warming.

"Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic GHG [greenhouse gas] concentrations. It is likely that there has been significant anthropogenic warming over the past 50 years averaged over each continent (except Antarctica) (Figure SPM.4)

"During the past 50 years, the sum of solar and volcanic forcings would likely have produced cooling. Observed patterns of warming and their changes are simulated only by models that include anthropogenic [resulting from or produced by human beings] forcings. Difficulties remain in simulating and attributing observed temperature changes at
smaller than continental scales."

Note the specific modifiers placed on each of these. These terms have been chosen to indicate exactly how certain these people are: "Very high confidence": at least 9 out of 10, "very likely": >90%, "likely": >66%.

All the IPCC does is review the scientific consensus -

"Mandate: The IPCC was established to provide the decision-makers and others interested in climate change with an objective source of information about climate change. The IPCC does not conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters. Its role is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the latest scientific, technical and socio-economic literature produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change, its observed and projected impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. IPCC reports should be neutral with respect to policy, although they need to deal objectively with policy relevant scientific, technical and socio economic factors. They should be of high scientific and technical standards, and aim to reflect a range of views, expertise and wide geographical coverage."

- and that consensus is unequivocal. Global warming is occurring. And global warming is occurring because human beings are causing it.

Robin Zimmermann
1st-Year Master's Student
Mechanical Engineering

Peace out.