Is Global Warming Man Made or Natural?

One of the hottest topics in the news lately is the issue of global warming. While global warming itself is a widely accepted phenomenon, the cause of global warming is a hotly contested subject.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the earth's average surface temperature has increased 1.2 - 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. Also, the earth's glaciers are shrinking and ecosystems are changing. Global warming is occurring and has been since the end of the Ice Age some 18,000 years ago.

Where the debate heats up is whether global warming is man-made or natural. There are those that believe that the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a result of the man-made burning of fossil fuels is causing a "greenhouse effect." This greenhouse effect causes the earth's surface temperature to rise. On the other side of the debate are those that believe the earth's climate is cyclical and that current temperature increases are attributed to the natural cooling and heating processes of the earth and that humans have little, if any, effect on these processes.

Both sides of the debate point to science to support their arguments. The "man-made" side uses the fact that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are higher than ever while the "natural" side uses the fact that earth surface temperatures are currently around the same as they were during the 1930's before most of the build up of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. "Man-made" debaters claim the harsh 2005 hurricane season was so devastating because of global warming, while the "natural" debaters use the near non-existence of the 2006 hurricane season to cast doubt. Power plants, automobiles and deforestation are listed as reasons for global warming by those in favor of "man-made" causes, while those in favor of "natural" causes list volcanoes, oceanic evaporation and solar changes as reasons for global warming.

But, there may be a more sinister reason why the debate over global warming is so hot - money. Those that support the "man-made" theory claim that their counterparts are simply greedy and do not want to see restrictions placed on the global economy as a result of efforts to reduce man-made carbon dioxide emissions. And those that support the "natural" theory claim their counterparts can only raise research funds if they "prove" global warming is caused by humans because there is no crisis if global warming is natural, thus no need to fund the research.

Whether scientific evidence or money is the driving force behind this debate, one thing is clear, politics is where it comes to a boil. President George W. Bush has infuriated many on the "man-made" side of this argument by rejecting the Kyoto Protocol while former Vice President Al Gore has become a laughing stock among many on the "natural" side of this argument with his book, "Earth In The Balance" and more recently, his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."

The debate over global warming will continue for many years. It may never be known which argument is right, but one thing is certain, the debate will always be a few degrees warmer than the earth's surface itself.