Has human activity truly affected the Earth's climate?

[jamie4w]

The study of oxygen isotopes as a method of analysing has provided much insight on glacial and interglacial cycles, throughout the quaternary period
Individually these techniques may not prove 100% accurate and may all have flaws. Most of the quaternary period has been unaffected by anthropogenic activities, the recent pollution and degradation to the planet may have major impacts. Due to the fact that previous climates of the quaternary period having no relationship with man it is hard to predict the likely outcome of increased greenhouse gasses. how far is it safe to say that man has made an impact?

 

[Mk]

Uh! We don't know how much of an impact humans have made. It's a big place.

 

[wolram]

If we had remained in a sort of enlightened stone age ,i am sure the world
would be safer, imagine, no cars, tv, computers, no mass prodution of any thing, maybe our minds would have progressed more rapidly, but as long as a modern day human exsists he can be blamed for anything.

 

[Andre]

Hi Jamie and welcome,

You may realize that the issue at hand has been discussed abundantly, we just finished some debates here

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=163978
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=163888
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=164569

and I guess that the players are recovering from that, until there will be another new trigger to spike the adrenaline level and blood pressure again.

But to address the items. If you combine the study of oxygen isotopes with other evidence it should be clear that what we think we understand is clearly wrong. "We know now't" as Karl Popper used to say.* And yes we do have a significant impact on the envirmentment but CO2 is at the very bottom of that list in relevancy. it may even be benificial.

*

We know nothing—that is the first point. Therefore we should be very modest—that is the second. That we should not claim to know when we do not know—that is the third."

Karl Popper

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The study of oxygen isotopes as a method of analysing has provided much insight on glacial and interglacial cycles, throughout the quaternary period
Individually these techniques may not prove 100% accurate and may all have flaws. Most of the quaternary period has been unaffected by anthropogenic activities, the recent pollution and degradation to the planet may have major impacts. Due to the fact that previous climates of the quaternary period having no relationship with man it is hard to predict the likely outcome of increased greenhouse gasses. how far is it safe to say that man has made an impact?

...the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has said that it is more than 90 percent likely that global warming since 1950 has been driven mainly by the buildup of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, and that more warming and rising sea levels are on the way. [continued]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/21/news/climate.php

 

[Mk]

If we had remained in a sort of enlightened stone age ,i am sure the world
would be safer, imagine, no cars, tv, computers, no mass prodution of any thing, maybe our minds would have progressed more rapidly, but as long as a modern day human exsists he can be blamed for anything.

Ah, the world would be much safer without modern technology!

 

[ukmicky]

Ah, the world would be much safer without modern technology!

But damn would it be boring