Okay. Here goes...
I havn't had a chance to read through all the posts so I apologise if this has already been brought up, but here's my 2 cents worth: everybody is saying that carbon dioxide is causing global warming, but what if it is rather an EFFECT of global warming? All sorts of graphs are being posted showing the link between CO2 levels and temperature and they're not wrong, but the conclusions drawn from them are.
Any zoology textbook will have a chapter on the ability for water to absorb or give off gases based on its temperature, and looking at this will tell you that the higher the temperature of a body of water gets, the more gases it gives off, and vice versa. So lets take the oceans, which just so happen to be QUITE large bodies of water. As the temperature of the oceans increases they release more gas, the largest percentage of which is carbon dioxide. It is a bit more in depth than this, but any scientist worth his/her salt will tell you the exact same thing. So does CO2 CAUSE global warming? I don't think so... Temperature increase = CO2 increase, not the other way around.
What I think causes global warming rather, is the sun. It has been proved that solar flares or "sun spots" generate the heat needed to upset our atmosphere. I don't know off-hand the sources to prove this, but if you can watch Al Gore's movie and believe it, then I challenge you to watch a movie called "The Global Warming Swindle". Some of you may have heard of it and it may have already been mentioned, but in that movie they give scientific proof (just like Al Gore) that global warming is happening but is in no way "man made". I used to be the staunchest supporter of the whole global warming thing, I would make people sick because I would just go on and on about it, until a friend of mine made me watch this movie. It literally turned my world upside down. So to all of you guys on the global warming bandwagon: watch Al Gore, then watch this movie, then make an INFORMED decision about what you believe, don't just take what you're told on face value, even this post.
Something I saw someone ask was why would scientists advocate man made global warming if it was untrue. Well I think I have the answer: MONEY!!! Let me put it like this: politician needs votes to be in power, so he finds the latest "fad" to get the people on his side. Ah! whats this? Man made global warming! Sounds good... But wait? How will people believe politician without proof? After all we aren't stupid. So politician lets it be known that he is looking for proof of man made global warming and is willing to pay lots of MONEY! After all, he wants to win doesn't he? Then you have scientist who is battling for funding for his research, he needs MONEY. So upon seeing that politician wants proof of this "man made global warming" he designs experiments and collects just the right data he needs to give the politician the proof he wants. Politician is pleased with the results, and so gives scientist more MONEY to give him more proof. Basically, the politician is funding the scientists research so long as he gives him the proof he wants. The minute scientist gives contradicting proof, POOF!, away goes the funding. Now imagine this on a much larger scale, with many more scientists needing funding and many more politicians (and others) having the money and wanting the proof. And now, years down the line, any scientist claiming to have evidence refuting man made global warming is labeled a "crack pot" and shunned by his fellow scientists, all because the snow ball has become to big to stop rolling.
Don't get me wrong, I believe that global warming is happening, it's just a bit egotistical to think that Man can effect it it any way.
Also, if you watch the movie, you will see that Mans total contribution of CO2 into the atmosphere is... wait for it... 0.49%!!! Thats 1 in every 200 parts of CO2 is man made! Half a percent...
Use it, don't use it...