Global Warming: Environmental Emergency or Green Hysteria
Thesis
Global warming, the increase of the earth’s average temperature, is an issue that has come to the forefront of scientific, political, and public thought. While the majority of the global scientific community appears in agreement that climate change is occurring and worthy of serious concern, a significant minority have expressed dissenting opinions (Anderegg, et al, 2010). The main arguments against global warming range from whether it is actually occurring or merely scientific speculation; whether the attention on global warming is just another form of media scaremongering; if global warming is occurring, what are its causes and is it necessarily detrimental to human existence; the argument that the scientific community is divided about global warming; and lastly, whether global warming is just a natural development that is part of a long history of climate changes undergone by the planet (Vogel and Lazar, 2010). All of these arguments, as well as their rebuttals, produce a multilayered picture of a complicated, emotionally provocative and divisive issue with no easy answers.
Multiple interests make the task of separating the facts of global warming from the scientific, political, economic, and media conglomeration difficult. But even with the allowance of dissenting opinions and the consideration of alternate scientific possibilities, there is no denying that overwhelming scientific evidence points to global warming as a real and serious problem that must be dealt with immediately. While recognizing the considerable rigorous research undertaken by a multitude of scientists over several decades, that the majority emphasize global warming as a critical issue must not be looked upon lightly. If most scientific research has shown climate change as occurring and needing immediate global attention, then it would be ridiculous to waste another minute looking at alternative opinions. It is not...