Of course the earth goes through natural climate change but we are accelerating these changes.


Climate change is with us. A decade ago, it was conjecture. Now the future is unfolding before our eyes. Canada's Inuit see it in disappearing Arctic ice and permafrost. The shantytown dwellers of Latin America and Southern Asia see it in lethal storms and floods. Europeans see it in disappearing glaciers, forest fires and fatal heat waves.
Scientists see it in tree rings, ancient coral and bubbles trapped in ice cores. These reveal that the world has not been as warm as it is now for a millennium or more. The three warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998; 19 of the warmest 20 since 1980. And Earth has probably never warmed as fast as in the past 30 years - a period when natural influences on global temperatures, such as solar cycles and volcanoes should have cooled us down.

“Recent warming coincides with rapid growth of human-made greenhouse gases'' - NASA


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*Greenhouse gas emissions by the US reached their highest annual total on record in 2004.
:rasta:
*New international climate data show that 2005 is on track to be the hottest year on record, continuing a 25-year trend of rising global temperatures.[/align]



Recent scientific evidence shows that the greenhouse effect is being increased by release of certain gases to the atmosphere that cause the Earth's temperature to rise. This is called "global warming." Carbon dioxide (CO2) accounts for about 85 percent of greenhouse gases released in the U.S. CO2 emissions are largely due to the combustion of fossil fuels in electric power generation. Methane (CH4) emissions, which result from agricultural activities, landfills, and other sources, are the second largest contributor to greenhouse gases in the U.S.

Industrial applications such as foam production, refrigeration, dry cleaning, chemical manufacturing, and semiconductor manufacturing produce other greenhouse gas emissions such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Smelting of aluminum produces another greenhouse gas called perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). Emissions of NOx and VOC from automobile exhaust and industrial processes contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone or smog, also a greenhouse gas.


Health and Environmental Effects:
Greenhouse gas emissions could cause a 1.8 to 6.3° Fahrenheit rise in temperature during the next century, if atmospheric levels are not reduced. Although this change may appear small, it could produce extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods; threaten coastal resources and wetlands by raising sea level; and increase the risk of certain diseases by producing new breeding sites for pests and pathogens. Agricultural regions and woodlands are also susceptible to changes in climate that could result in increased insect populations and plant disease. This degradation of natural ecosystems could lead to reduced biological diversity.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...101202498.html
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/...d=KNMKGIJCKEAG
www.epa.gov/air/airtrends/ aqtrnd95/globwarm.html


considering the evidence at hand, i think even debating this is kind of silly. just look at these hurricanes, which will get much worse.

In terms of overall hurricane activity (number and intensity of storms), the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was clearly the most active season on record...

http://www.pewclimate.org/hurricanes.cfm