Global Warming: Causes?

[Tasachan]

Hey guys. I'm working on a debate for class, and we have to write an argument that supports the opposite of what we believe.
So my topic is the causes of global warming. My original paper covered how it is caused by mankind. This time I have to write how it is a natural occurrence. But how do I prove that when there is so many studies showing how carbon in the atmosphere has negatively affected us and all that? =\

And... I actually prefer to call it "climate change" instead of global warming, because there are many parts in the world that are cooling as well. But yeah. That's not the assignment.


Thoughts?

 

[Armored Prayer]

Didn't the sun also have something to do with this.

Like it was flaring more violently than usual. It does something like that every 50 years or so? I'm not really sure.

 

[Wardnath]

Apparently, the total CO2 in the atmosphere is <1%.

 

[PTSpyder]

This is easy since it is not caused by man.

First off there is the geological record, showing times where the earth was many times hotter than it is now, and at other times having the entire surface of the planet covered by ice, none of which could have been caused by man.

Second, we have the geologically speaking "recent" event known as the ice age, the after effects of which are still being felt on the planet, including the fact that we are still warming up from it.

Third, you can do more research on the fact to get specific data, but each year mankind as a whole produces less carbon dioxide, monoxide, or other supposed "greenhouse gases" then a single volcano eruption. Man made CO2 makes up less than 1/3 of 1% of 1% CO2 in the total atmosphere. Meaning ? even if every single person on the planet stopped producing carbon emissions completely, the maximum impact on the atmosphere of the world would be a net decrease of total atmospheric CO2 by >.003% AT BEST. The reality is that even if we stopped using fossil fuels entirely, we could not achieve this because of aspiration *breathing* of both mankind and the necessary farming/food animals to feed the entire world.

Fourth, we have the fact that almost all global warming data is gathered almost exclusive out of the Atlantic Ocean or the immediately adjoining areas. The climate in these areas has been affected by what was known as "the little ice age", when the ocean currents that pull warm, tropical waters up the coasts of the US and Europe stopped due to naturally occurring, post ice age melting of glacier ice in the Arctic Circle. This held down the temperatures in the most populated areas of the globe for much of the time when modern record keeping on climate and temperature has been gathered.

All these facts and more give an appearance of an artificial "effect", seeming to show that the climate is warming rapidly, when it is actually going through natural cycles. The sad fact of the matter is you are being lied to by very intelligent people who know how to play with scientific data to serve a political purpose.