Global Warming Debate

I am a subscriber and regular reader of Scientific American. As one might expect from the title their coverage of scientific issues is generally on the mark. Unfortunately on the issue of global warming - or more specifically anthropogenic (i.e. the whole problem is created by humans) global warming - the editors of SA have apparently drunk the Al Gore Kool Aid and have bought the human activity driven hypothesis hook, line and sinker.

My own view is that it is the height of egotism to presume that humans and their activities are so important to a planet whose climate has historically been and is still today driven first by the sun and its variations in energy output and second by the earth itself via its naturally occurring volcanism. The bottom line is that humans just ain't that important.

Whether or not the earth is in a long term warming cycle is still highly debatable. Even if it is my belief is that it is most likely the result of naturally occurring cyclical variations in the sun's output and the Earth's orbit around the sun rather than anything that mankind might contribute.

Remember that the Earth has gone through multiple ice ages and periods with no ice caps at all without the benefit of a single human footprint.

Attached below is a link to an outstanding documentary produced by the CBC that questions the whole global warming hysteria. You won't find this being shown in any theaters near you nor will any of the participating scientists be receiving any academy awards. It's about 45 minutes long but well worth viewing.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3309910462407994295&hl=en