TIA - Hasn't there been a fairly much steady increase in industrial and transportation-related CO2 emmissions ever since the beginning of the industrial revolution...in other words from the 1800s right up to now? If so, and if global warming is so much due to CO2 in the atmosphere, then why have we not seen the world getting steadily warmer throughout the entire history of our industrial revolution?

Instead, we have seen a number of warming and cooling phases during that historical period. There was a notable cooling phase in the 40's, during WWII and it was one of the reasons that the German Army got into big trouble in the severe Russian winter in '41-42. Why did that happen during an ever-increasing industrial output and burning of fossil fuels worldwide? I suspect it happened because of variations in the energy output of the sun. There was another notable cooling phase in the early 70s, and the papers at the time were printing scare stories about the possibility of a new Ice Age. Where'd that come from? You notice that they turned out to be dead wrong about it? ;-) Yet it was the popular trend of the time for some reason...maybe because "We're all doomed!" stories appeal to people's sense of drama and they sell copy.

I'm not saying that CO2 does not contribute some to global warming. It does. So does atmospheric water vapour, but to a much greater extent than CO2. The biggest influence, however, seems to be the varying behaviour of the sun itself. Scientists are presently noticing a historic minimum of sunspot activity...that means less energy coming to this planet from the sun...that will mean a cooling planet for awhile till the sun gets more active again.

I think that the role of atmospheric CO2 in this picture is a very minor one. I am in favor of reducing our CO2 emissions anyway...not because I think they're causing "global warming", but because I am in favour of cleaner air.

In that respect I fully agree with Bill D that we must "control our impact on the environment". For sure. It's only good sense to minimize our industrial CO2 emissions...but I think the present "global warming" scare is based upon false assumptions and has tried to pin the tail on the wrong donkey, as it were. I think it's a fad, built upon a faulty premise.