query: The geological history of the planet shows major planetary climate changes have never been driven by a trace gas

positive: Climate change denial Climate change denial , or global warming denial , is part of the global warming controversy . It involves denial , dismissal , unwarranted doubt or contrarian views which strongly depart from the scientific opinion on climate change , including the extent to which it is caused by humans , its impacts on nature and human society , or the potential of adaptation to global warming by human actions . Some deniers do endorse the term , but others often prefer the term climate change skepticism , although this is a misnomer for those who deny anthropogenic global warming . In effect , the two terms form a continuous , overlapping range of views , and generally have the same characteristics : both reject , to a greater or lesser extent , mainstream scientific opinion on climate change . Climate change denial can also be implicit , when individuals or social groups accept the science but fail to come to terms with it or to translate their acceptance into action . Several social science studies have analyzed these positions as forms of denialism .   Campaigning to undermine public trust in climate science has been described as a `` denial machine '' of industrial , political and ideological interests , supported by conservative media and skeptical bloggers in manufacturing uncertainty about global warming . In the public debate , phrases such as climate skepticism have frequently been used with the same meaning as climate denialism . The labels are contested : those actively challenging climate science commonly describe themselves as `` skeptics '' , but many do not comply with common standards of scientific skepticism and , regardless of evidence , persistently deny the validity of human caused global warming .   Although scientific opinion on climate change is that human activity is extremely likely to be the primary driver of climate change , the politics of global warming have been affected by climate change denial , hindering efforts to prevent climate change and adapt to the warming climate . Those promoting denial commonly use rhetorical tactics to give the appearance of a scientific controversy where there is none .   Of the world 's countries , the climate change denial industry is most powerful in the United States . Since January 2015 , the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has been chaired by oil lobbyist and climate change denier Jim Inhofe . Inhofe is notorious for having called climate change `` the greatest hoax ever perpetrated against the American people '' and for having claimed to have debunked the alleged hoax in February 2015 when he brought a snowball with him in the Senate chamber and tossed it across the floor . Organised campaigning to undermine public trust in climate science is associated with conservative economic policies and backed by industrial interests opposed to the regulation of emissions . Climate change denial has been associated with the fossil fuels lobby , the Koch brothers , industry advocates and libertarian think tanks , often in the United States . More than 90 % of papers sceptical on climate change originate from right-wing think tanks .  The total annual income of these climate change counter-movement-organizations is roughly $ 900 million . Between 2002 and 2010 , nearly $ 120 million ( # 77 million ) was anonymously donated via the Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund to more than 100 organisations seeking to undermine the public perception of the science on climate change . In 2013 the Center for Media and Democracy reported that the State Policy Network ( SPN ) , an umbrella group of 64 U.S. think tanks , had been lobbying on behalf of major corporations and conservative donors to oppose climate change regulation .   Since the late 1970s , oil companies have published research broadly in line with the standard views on global warming . Despite this , oil companies organized a climate change denial campaign to disseminate public disinformation for several decades , a strategy that has been compared to the organized denial of the hazards of tobacco smoking by tobacco companies .

positive: Natural environment The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally , meaning in this case not artificial . The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth . This environment encompasses the interaction of all living species , climate , weather , and natural resources that affect human survival and economic activity .   The concept of the natural environment can be distinguished by components :  Complete ecological units that function as natural systems without massive civilized human intervention , including all vegetation , microorganisms , soil , rocks , atmosphere , and natural phenomena that occur within their boundaries and their nature  Universal natural resources and physical phenomena that lack clear-cut boundaries , such as air , water , and climate , as well as energy , radiation , electric charge , and magnetism , not originating from civilized human activity   In contrast to the natural environment is the built environment . In such areas where man has fundamentally transformed landscapes such as urban settings and agricultural land conversion , the natural environment is greatly modified into a simplified human environment . Even acts which seem less extreme , such as building a mud hut or a photovoltaic system in the desert , modify the natural environment into an artificial one . Though many animals build things to provide a better environment for themselves , they are not human , hence beaver dams and the works of Mound-building termites are thought of as natural .   People seldom find absolutely natural environments on Earth , and naturalness usually varies in a continuum , from 100 % natural in one extreme to 0 % natural in the other . More precisely , we can consider the different aspects or components of an environment , and see that their degree of naturalness is not uniform . If , for instance , in an agricultural field , the mineralogic composition and the structure of its soil are similar to those of an undisturbed forest soil , but the structure is quite different .   Natural environment is often used as a synonym for habitat . For instance , when we say that the natural environment of giraffes is the savanna .

positive: Earth Earth ( from Eorðe -LSB- Γαῖα , Gaia -RSB- Terra ) , otherwise known as the World or the Globe , is the third planet from the Sun and the only object in the Universe known to harbor life . It is the densest planet in the Solar System and the largest of the four terrestrial planets .   According to radiometric dating and other sources of evidence , Earth formed about 4.54 billion years ago . Earth 's gravity interacts with other objects in space , especially the Sun and the Moon , Earth 's only natural satellite . During one orbit around the Sun , Earth rotates about its axis over 365 times ; thus , an Earth year is about 365.26 days long . Earth 's axis of rotation is tilted , producing seasonal variations on the planet 's surface . The gravitational interaction between the Earth and Moon causes ocean tides , stabilizes the Earth 's orientation on its axis , and gradually slows its rotation .   Earth 's lithosphere is divided into several rigid tectonic plates that migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years . About 71 % of Earth 's surface is covered with water , mostly by its oceans . The remaining 29 % is land consisting of continents and islands that together have many lakes , rivers and other sources of water that contribute to the hydrosphere . The majority of Earth 's polar regions are covered in ice , including the Antarctic ice sheet and the sea ice of the Arctic ice pack . Earth 's interior remains active with a solid iron inner core , a liquid outer core that generates the Earth 's magnetic field , and a convecting mantle that drives plate tectonics .   Within the first billion years of Earth 's history , life appeared in the oceans and began to affect the Earth 's atmosphere and surface , leading to the proliferation of aerobic and anaerobic organisms . Some geological evidence indicates that life may have arisen as much as 4.1 billion years ago . Since then , the combination of Earth 's distance from the Sun , physical properties , and geological history have allowed life to evolve and thrive . In the history of the Earth , biodiversity has gone through long periods of expansion , occasionally punctuated by mass extinction events . Over 99 % of all species that ever lived on Earth are extinct . Estimates of the number of species on Earth today vary widely ; most species have not been described . Over 7.4 billion humans live on Earth and depend on its biosphere and minerals for their survival . Humans have developed diverse societies and cultures ; politically , the world has about 200 sovereign states .

positive: Global warming Global warming , also referred to as climate change , is the observed century-scale rise in the average temperature of the Earth 's climate system and its related effects . Multiple lines of scientific evidence show that the climate system is warming . Many of the observed changes since the 1950s are unprecedented in the instrumental temperature record which extends back to the mid 19th century , and in paleoclimate proxy records over thousands of years .   In 2013 , the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) Fifth Assessment Report concluded that `` It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century . '' The largest human influence has been emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide , methane and nitrous oxide . Climate model projections summarized in the report indicated that during the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 0.3 to for their lowest emissions scenario and 2.6 to for the highest emissions scenario . These findings have been recognized by the national science academies of the major industrialized nations and are not disputed by any scientific body of national or international standing .   Future climate change and associated impacts will differ from region to region around the globe . Anticipated effects include warming global temperature , rising sea levels , changing precipitation , and expansion of deserts in the subtropics . Warming is expected to be greater over land than over the oceans and greatest in the Arctic , with the continuing retreat of glaciers , permafrost and sea ice . Other likely changes include more frequent extreme weather events including heat waves , droughts , heavy rainfall with floods and heavy snowfall ; ocean acidification ; and species extinctions due to shifting temperature regimes . Effects significant to humans include the threat to food security from decreasing crop yields and the abandonment of populated areas due to rising sea levels . Because the climate system has a large `` inertia '' and greenhouse gases will stay in the atmosphere for a long time , many of these effects will not only exist for decades or centuries , but will persist for tens of thousands of years .   Possible societal responses to global warming include mitigation by emissions reduction , adaptation to its effects , building systems resilient to its effects , and possible future climate engineering . Most countries are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) ,  whose ultimate objective is to prevent dangerous anthropogenic climate change . Parties to the UNFCCC have agreed that deep cuts in emissions are required and that global warming should be limited to well below 2.0 C-change relative to pre-industrial levels , with efforts made to limit warming to 1.5 C-change .   Public reactions to global warming and concern about its effects are also increasing . A global 2015 Pew Research Center report showed a median of 54 % consider it `` a very serious problem '' . There are significant regional differences , with Americans and Chinese ( whose economies are responsible for the greatest annual CO2 emissions ) among the least concerned .

negative: Planetary boundaries Planetary boundaries is the central concept in an Earth system framework proposed by a group of Earth system and environmental scientists led by Johan Rockström from the Stockholm Resilience Centre and Will Steffen from the Australian National University . In 2009 , the group proposed a framework of `` planetary boundaries '' designed to define a `` safe operating space for humanity '' for the international community , including governments at all levels , international organizations , civil society , the scientific community and the private sector , as a precondition for sustainable development . This framework is based on scientific research that indicates that since the Industrial Revolution , human actions have gradually become the main driver of global environmental change . The scientists assert that once human activity has passed certain thresholds or tipping points , defined as `` planetary boundaries '' , there is a risk of `` irreversible and abrupt environmental change '' . The group identified nine Earth system processes which have boundaries that , to the extent that they are not crossed , mark the safe zone for the planet . However , because of human activities some of these dangerous boundaries have already been crossed , while others are in imminent danger of being crossed .   Rockström and Steffen collaborated with 26 leading academics , including Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen , Goddard Institute for Space Studies climate scientist James Hansen and the German Chancellor 's chief climate adviser Hans Joachim Schellnhuber . The group identified nine `` planetary life support systems '' essential for human survival , and attempted to quantify just how far seven of these systems have been pushed already . They then estimated how much further we can go before our own survival is threatened ; beyond these boundaries there is a risk of `` irreversible and abrupt environmental change '' which could make Earth less habitable . Estimates indicate that three of these boundaries -- climate change , biodiversity loss , and the biogeochemical flow boundary -- appear to have been crossed . The boundaries are `` rough , first estimates only , surrounded by large uncertainties and knowledge gaps '' that interact in ways that are complex and not well understood . Boundaries can help identify where there is room and define a `` safe space for human development '' , which is an improvement on approaches which aim at just minimizing human impacts on the planet . The 2009 report was presented to the General Assembly of the Club of Rome in Amsterdam . An edited summary of the report was subsequently published as the featured article in a special edition of Nature . Nature also published critical commentary from leading academics they invited to comment on each of the seven planetary boundaries which had been quantified , including comments from Nobel laureate Mario J. Molina and biologist Cristián Samper . In 2015 , a second paper was published in Science updating the Planetary Boundaries concept . The findings were presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos , January 2015 .

negative: Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate Change See Also : climate change mitigation , emissions trading .   The Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate ( MEF ) was launched on March 28 , 2009 . The MEF is intended to facilitate a candid dialogue among major developed and developing economies , help generate the political leadership necessary to achieve a successful outcome at the December UN climate change conference in Copenhagen , and advance the exploration of concrete initiatives and joint ventures that increase the supply of clean energy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions .   The 17 major economies are : Australia , Brazil , Canada , China , the European Union , France , Germany , India , Indonesia , Italy , Japan , South Korea , Mexico , Russia , South Africa , the United Kingdom , and the United States . Denmark , in its capacity as the President of the December 2009 Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change , and the United Nations have also participated in this dialogue along with Observers .

negative: Protoplanet A protoplanet is a large planetary embryo that originated within a protoplanetary disc and has undergone internal melting to produce a differentiated interior . Protoplanets are thought to form out of kilometer-sized planetesimals that gravitationally perturb each other 's orbits and collide , gradually coalescing into the dominant planets .   In the case of the Solar System , it is thought that the collisions of planetesimals created a few hundred planetary embryos . Such embryos were similar to Ceres and Pluto with masses of about 1022 to 1023 kg and were a few thousand kilometers in diameter . Over the course of hundreds of millions of years , they collided with one another . The exact sequence whereby planetary embryos collided to assemble the planets is not known , but it is thought that initial collisions would have replaced the first `` generation '' of embryos with a second generation consisting of fewer but larger embryos . These in their turn would have collided to create a third generation of fewer but even larger embryos . Eventually , only a handful of embryos were left , which collided to complete the assembly of the planets proper .   Early protoplanets had more radioactive elements , the quantity of which has been reduced over time due to radioactive decay . Heating due to radioactivity , impact , and gravitational pressure melted parts of protoplanets as they grew toward being planets . In melted zones their heavier elements sank to the center , whereas lighter elements rose to the surface . Such a process is known as planetary differentiation . The composition of some meteorites show that differentiation took place in some asteroids .   According to the giant impact hypothesis the Moon formed from a colossal impact of a hypothetical protoplanet called Theia with Earth , early in the Solar System 's history .   In the inner Solar System , the three protoplanets to survive more-or-less intact are the asteroids Ceres , Pallas , and Vesta . Psyche is likely the survivor of a violent hit-and-run with another object that stripped off the outer , rocky layers of a protoplanet . The asteroid Lutetia also has characteristics that resemble a protoplanet . Kuiper-belt dwarf planets have also been referred to as protoplanets . Because iron meteorites have been found on Earth , it is deemed likely that there once were other metal-cored protoplanets in the asteroid belt that since have been disrupted and that are the source of these meteorites .   In February 2013 astronomers made the first direct observation of a protoplanet forming in a disk of gas and dust around a distant star .

negative: Climate change in South Korea In recent decades most countries have been experiencing huge industrial progress . Urban and industrial areas in South Korea also had fast development from 1960s to 1980s . Industrialization and the increase in population have produced various pollutants and greenhouse gases , which are anthropogenic factors for climate change . South Korea is experiencing changes in climate parameters , including annual temperature , rainfall amounts , and precipitation . The most distinct climate change predicted for South Korea is an increase in the range of temperature fluctuation throughout the four seasons . The number of record minimum temperature days has decreased rapidly , and maximum precipitation during the summer has increased . Ongoing global climate change has produced local climate changes and extreme weather that affects : social , economy , industry , culture , and many other sectors . The increased possibility for new types of strong weather damage evokes the seriousness and the urgency of climate change . To quickly adapt to climate change , the South Korean government began an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions , and is one step closer to having a low-carbon based socio-economic nation .

negative: Effects of climate change on wine production Climate change in recent times has become a major issue and talking point globally because of its effects on the environment and the repercussions this could be having or possibly have . The effects of climate change on Viniculture ( wine production ) are described in this article .

negative: Environment of Hong Kong The ecology of Hong Kong is mostly affected by the results of climatic changes . Hong Kong 's climate is seasonal due to alternating wind direction between winter and summer .   Hong Kong has been geologically stable for millions of years . Flora and fauna in Hong Kong are altered by climatic change , sea level alternation , and human impact .

negative: Bali Declaration by Climate Scientists The 2007 Bali Declaration by Climate Scientists was a statement signed by over 200 climate scientists advocating specific targets for greenhouse gas emissions for the 21st century . The statement was based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Article 2 that committed signatories to the '' ... stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system '' and on the science available in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment report ( IPCC AR4 ) . The Bali Declaration was released to coincide with the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference which took place in Bali 3 -- 15 December 2007 .   Category : Climate change policy

negative: Michael Schlesinger Dr. Michael Earl Schlesinger ( born February 23 , 1943 ) is a Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and director of the Climate Research Group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign . He received his Ph.D. ( meteorology ) in 1976 from the University of California , Los Angeles .   Michael Schlesinger is an expert in the modeling , simulation and analysis of climate and climate change , with interests in simulating and understanding the climates of the geologic past and possible future climates resulting from increased concentrations of greenhouse gases and human-made aerosols .   He has been instrumental in developing a range of simple and complex climate models , which have been used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Energy Modeling Forum . His research currently focuses on : ( 1 ) simulating and understanding the effects on climate of a human-induced melting of the Greenland ice sheet ; ( 2 ) simulating and understanding the coupled climate-chemistry system , including the influences of the Sun - both irradiance and energetic electron precipitation - and volcanoes ; ( 3 ) understanding and reducing the uncertainty in the estimation of climate sensitivity and climate feedbacks ; and ( 4 ) performing integrative assessment of climate change , including further development of the robust adaptive decision strategy for mitigating and adapting to human-induced climate change .   He is known for his work on oscillations in the global climate system , on estimating the climate sensitivity , and on seasonal climate change .   He has edited four books , most recently Human-induced climate change : An interdisciplinary assessment . He regularly appears in the media .

negative: Planet A planet is an astronomical body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that  is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity ,  is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion , and  has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.This definition is drawn from two separate IAU declarations ; a formal definition agreed by the IAU in 2006 , and an informal working definition established by the IAU in 2001/2003 for objects outside of the Solar System . The official 2006 definition applies only to the Solar System , whereas the 2003 definition applies to planets around other stars . The extrasolar planet issue was deemed too complex to resolve at the 2006 IAU conference .  The term planet is ancient , with ties to history , astrology , science , mythology , and religion . Several planets in the Solar System can be seen with the naked eye . These were regarded by many early cultures as divine , or as emissaries of deities . As scientific knowledge advanced , human perception of the planets changed , incorporating a number of disparate objects . In 2006 , the International Astronomical Union ( IAU ) officially adopted a resolution defining planets within the Solar System . This definition is controversial because it excludes many objects of planetary mass based on where or what they orbit . Although eight of the planetary bodies discovered before 1950 remain `` planets '' under the modern definition , some celestial bodies , such as Ceres , Pallas , Juno and Vesta ( each an object in the solar asteroid belt ) , and Pluto ( the first trans-Neptunian object discovered ) , that were once considered planets by the scientific community , are no longer viewed as such .   The planets were thought by Ptolemy to orbit Earth in deferent and epicycle motions . Although the idea that the planets orbited the Sun had been suggested many times , it was not until the 17th century that this view was supported by evidence from the first telescopic astronomical observations , performed by Galileo Galilei . At about the same time , by careful analysis of pre-telescopic observation data collected by Tycho Brahe , Johannes Kepler found the planets ' orbits were not circular but elliptical . As observational tools improved , astronomers saw that , like Earth , the planets rotated around tilted axes , and some shared such features as ice caps and seasons . Since the dawn of the Space Age , close observation by space probes has found that Earth and the other planets share characteristics such as volcanism , hurricanes , tectonics , and even hydrology .   Planets are generally divided into two main types : large low-density giant planets , and smaller rocky terrestrials . Under IAU definitions , there are eight planets in the Solar System . In order of increasing distance from the Sun , they are the four terrestrials , Mercury , Venus , Earth , and Mars , then the four giant planets , Jupiter , Saturn , Uranus , and Neptune . Six of the planets are orbited by one or more natural satellites .   Several thousands of planets around other stars ( `` extrasolar planets '' or `` exoplanets '' ) have been discovered in the Milky Way . As of , known extrasolar planets in planetary systems ( including multiple planetary systems ) , ranging in size from just above the size of the Moon to gas giants about twice as large as Jupiter have been discovered , out of which more than 100 planets are the same size as Earth , nine of which are at the same relative distance from their star as Earth from the Sun , i.e. in the habitable zone . On December 20 , 2011 , the Kepler Space Telescope team reported the discovery of the first Earth-sized extrasolar planets , Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f , orbiting a Sun-like star , Kepler-20 . A 2012 study , analyzing gravitational microlensing data , estimates an average of at least 1.6 bound planets for every star in the Milky Way .  Around one in five Sun-like stars is thought to have an Earth-sized planet in its habitable zone .

negative: Climate legislation Climate legislation is legislation dealing with the laws and regulations of greenhouse gas emissions . Many different pieces of climate legislation have been introduced and are being considered by legislatures around the world .

negative: List of nearest exoplanets From the total of known exoplanets orbiting around different stars ( as of ) , only a small fraction are located in the vicinity of the Solar System . At the beginning of 2016 , the nearest 74 exoplanets were confirmed to be located within 50 ly , while some 50 other exoplanets had been proposed to exist . Among the estimated 1,400 stars located within 50 light-years , only 40 had been confirmed to have planetary systems with 14 other stars having unconfirmed exoplanet candidates . Of these 40 star systems , half are visible with the naked eye ( out of a total of about 133 visible stars located within 50 light-years ) , and only five ( Epsilon Eridani , Gliese 687 , Gliese 674 , Gliese 876 , and Gliese 832 ) are among the nearest known 100 known systems .   Reports of planetary systems first came in 1996 for three stars located over 40 light-years away : 55 Cancri , Upsilon Andromedae , and 47 Ursae Majoris . Since 1999 , more planets have been reported , including a total of five planets revolving around 55 Cancri , and four planets around Gliese 876 , Upsilon Andromedae , and Mu Arae . Eight star systems have three confirmed planetary partners , five others have only two planets , while the remaining 23 systems have only one confirmed planet . A total of seven planets have been suggested to revolve around Gliese 667 C and HD 219134 , six around HD 40307 , and five planets around Tau Ceti and Gliese 163 .   Among the confirmed the known planetary systems , 24 are located within 40 light-years , 14 are within 30 light-years , and only six are within 20 light-years . The closest exoplanet considered confirmed by NASA is Epsilon Eridani b , 10.5 light-years away from our Solar System , while the closest known rocky planet is Gliese 674 b , 14.8 light-years away . Planetary companions have been suggested to exist in some of the nine known star systems located within 10 light-years away , including a planetary companion in the closest system , Alpha Centauri ( 4.1 light-years away ) .   Among the confirmed exoplanets within 50 light-years , more than half were found to revolve around their star closer and complete an orbit faster than Mercury does around the Sun , many of them with highly eccentric orbits . In term of their estimated minimum masses , 52 exoplanets are expected to be gas giants and the other 22 are likely Super-Earths . The smallest one , Gliese 581e , is located 20 light-years away and is estimated to have a mass at least twice that of Earth 's . Of the exoplanets within 50 light-years , three have been hypothesized to be potentially habitable ( Gliese 667 Cc , Gliese 163 c , and Gliese 832 c ) , and another three have been directly imaged ( Fomalhaut b , Ross 458 ( AB ) c , and VHS 1256-1257 b ) . The International Astronomical Union took a public survey in 2015 towards renaming some known the exoplanetary systems , including several of the nearest systems : Epsilon Eridani , Fomalhaut , Pollux , 55 Cancri , Upsilon Andromedae , Gamma Cephei , 47 Ursae Majoris , and Mu Arae .

negative: Economics of climate change mitigation This article is about the economics of climate change mitigation . Mitigation of climate change involves actions that are designed to limit the amount of long-term climate change ( Fisher et al. . , 2007:225 ) . Mitigation may be achieved through the reduction of greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions or through the enhancement of sinks that absorb GHGs , for example forests .

negative: Banksia cynaroides Banksia cynaroides is a shrub endemic to Western Australia .   An assessment of the potential impact of climate change on this species found that it was likely to be driven to extinction by loss of habitat by 2080 , even under mild climate change scenarios .

negative: Compact of Mayors The Compact of Mayors is a global coalition of city leaders addressing climate change by pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the future impacts of climate change . The Compact highlights cities ' climate impact while measuring their relative risk levels and carbon pollution . The Compact of Mayors seeks to show the importance of city climate action , both at the local level and around the world . The Compact was launched in 2014 by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg , the UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change . The Compact represents a common effort from global city networks C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group ( C40 ) , ICLEI , and United Cities and Local Governments ( UCLG ) , as well as UN-Habitat , to unite against climate change . 428 global cities have committed to the Compact of Mayors . The collective member cities comprise over 376 million people and 5.19 % of the global population .

negative: Johannesburg Gas Works The Johannesburg Gas Works also known as Egoli Gas Works established in 1892 , is one of the most historically and architecturally significant industrial sites in Johannesburg . Not only does it have intact machinery to show the production of gas but it also has structurally sound buildings which in their entirety show the process from how gas was produced out of coal up to how it was distributed to the public . Gas production is now extinct but the buildings remain as a reminder of what used to be on the site . The Gas tanks are a major landmark in Johannesburg and make their appearance in most portraits showing Johannesburg 's skyline . The Gas Works also have a rich workers history , which exemplifies the way in which workers were segregated during apartheid .

negative: Banksia meganotia Banksia meganotia is a shrub endemic to Western Australia .   An assessment of the potential impact of climate change on this species found that it was likely to be driven to extinction by loss of habitat by 2080 , even under mild climate change scenarios .

negative: Modern evolution of Esperanto Esperanto has been remarkably stable since its creation compared to other planned languages . This is due to the Declaration of Boulogne in 1905 , which made the early works of Zamenhof binding ; most attempts at change have been therefore seen as distinct language projects ( so-called esperantidos ) , and in the main the Esperanto community has ignored them . The main change in the language has been a great expansion of the vocabulary , largely driven by translations of technical jargon , which is explicitly allowed for by Boulogne . However , there have been more subtle changes to syntax and semantics as the majority of Esperanto authors shifted from native speakers of Slavic and German to other languages , such as French and English . See History of Esperanto #Evolution of the language . This article considers some of the purposeful changes to the language since Boulogne .

negative: Plant-for-the-Planet Plant-for-the-Planet is a children 's idea that aims to raise awareness amongst children and adults about the issues of climate change and global justice . The Initiative also works to plant trees , and considers this to be both a practical and symbolic action in efforts to reduce the effect of climate change . In 2011 , it reached a goal of planting a million trees .

negative: Banksia erythrocephala Banksia erythrocephala is a shrub endemic to Western Australia .   An assessment of the potential impact of climate change on this species found that it was likely to be driven to extinction by loss of habitat by 2080 , even under mild climate change scenarios .

negative: Banksia octotriginta Banksia octotriginta is a shrub endemic to Western Australia .   An assessment of the potential impact of climate change on this species found that it was likely to be driven to extinction by loss of habitat by 2080 , even under mild climate change scenarios .

negative: Climate change in Saskatchewan The effects of climate change in Saskatchewan are now being observed in parts of the province . There is evidence of reduction of biomass in Saskatchewan 's boreal forests ( as with those of other Canadian prairie provinces ) that is linked by researchers to drought-related water stress stemming from global warming , most likely caused by greenhouse gas emissions . While studies , as early as 1988 ( Williams , et al. , 1988 ) have shown that climate change will affect agriculture , whether the effects can be mitigated through adaptations of cultivars , or crops , is less clear . Resiliency of ecosystems may decline with large changes in temperature . The provincial government has responded to the threat of climate change by introducing a plan to reduce carbon emissions , `` The Saskatchewan Energy and Climate Change Plan '' , in June 2007 .

negative: HD 10180 HD 10180 is a Sun-like star in the southern constellation Hydrus that is notable for its large planetary system . Since its discovery , at least seven planets , and possibly as many as nine , have been observed orbiting it , making it the largest known exoplanetary system in terms of total confirmed planets ( significantly larger than previous record holders , Kepler-11 and 55 Cancri ) and potentially the largest of all known planetary systems , including the Solar System .

negative: The Center for Energy and Environmental Research in the Human Sciences at Rice University The Center for Energy and Environmental Research in the Human Sciences ( CENHS ) is an interdisciplinary research center located at Rice University whose work is focused on bringing the expertise and insights of the arts , humanities , and social sciences to bear on the urgent energy and environmental challenges facing the planet , its cultures and species . CENHS supports a community of research professors , visiting research fellows , postdoctoral fellows , artists , and graduate students who engage issues such as energy use and climate change from the perspective of disciplines such as Anthropology , Architecture , Art History , Comparative Literature , English , History , Media Studies , Philosophy , Political Theory , Religious Studies , and Sociology . CENHS 's website and blog ( culturesofenergy.com ) and annual Cultures of Energy spring research symposium are important platforms for organizing knowledge and building community in a fast-growing field known as `` energy humanities . '' What has brought this field into being is the realization that technology alone can not rescue the planet from processes like global warming , ocean acidification and species extinction . These dilemmas have been shaped and reinforced by culture , belief , understanding , worldview , ethics , habit , and institutions and to address them at their source it is thus essential to understand the social , cultural , and philosophical dimensions of how humanity uses energy while also understanding that our energy behavior is inseparable from other species and the earth 's climate . Energy humanities views itself as a cultural and intellectual response to recognition that the planet has entered a new geological era : the Anthropocene .

negative: Traces of a Dragon Traces of a Dragon ( ; aka Traces of a Dragon : Jackie Chan and his Lost Family ) is a 2003 documentary film directed by Mabel Cheung . The film explores the touching and history-filled background of Jackie Chan as we have never seen him before .

negative: GD 40 GD 40 is a white dwarf in the constellation Cetus . The star 's spectrum has been found to show traces of external of metal contamination due to disruption of an extrasolar dwarf planet or an asteroid . The disrupted object should have had roughly the same mass of the Solar System asteroid 3 Juno .

negative: 1998 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 1998 United Nations Climate Change Conference took place in November 1998 in Buenos Aires , Argentina . The conference included the 4th Conference of the Parties ( COP4 ) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) . It had been expected that the remaining issues unresolved in Kyoto would be finalized at this meeting . However , the complexity and difficulty of finding agreement on these issues proved insurmountable , and instead the parties adopted a 2-year `` Plan of Action '' to advance efforts and to devise mechanisms for implementing the Kyoto Protocol , to be completed by 2000 . During the conference , Argentina and Kazakhstan expressed their commitment to take on the greenhouse gas emissions reduction obligation , the first two non-Annex countries to do so .   Category :20 th-century diplomatic conferences  Category : Diplomatic conferences in Argentina  Category : Climate change conferences  Category : History of Buenos Aires  1998  1998  United Nations Climate Change Conference , 1998  Category :1998 in the environment  Category :1990 s in Buenos Aires  Category :1998 in Argentina  Category : November 1998 events

negative: Climate change litigation and the California Environmental Quality Act Litigation related to climate change and greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions has become increasingly common in federal and state courts . Following adoption of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 ( AB 32 ) and publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) Fourth Assessment Report ( AR4 ) , additional pressure was placed on California public agencies to evaluate potential adverse effects to global climate change caused by GHG emissions . In particular , several lawsuits have been filed against agencies for failure to analyze GHG emissions generated by projects subject to the California Environmental Quality Act ( CEQA ) . Court decisions prior to the 2010 revisions to the CEQA guidelines gave early insights as to how CEQA would be used as a vehicle to identify and mitigate GHG emissions within the state . Decisions issued after adoption of the revised guidelines are now being used to interpret CEQA 's new requirement to evaluate GHG emissions and climate change .

negative: Climate change in Australia Climate change has been a major issue in Australia since the beginning of the 21st century . In 2013 , the CSIRO released a report stating that Australia is becoming hotter , and that it will experience more extreme heat and longer fire seasons because of climate change . In 2014 , the Bureau of Meteorology released a report on the state of Australia 's climate that highlighted several key points , including the significant increase in Australia 's temperatures ( particularly night-time temperatures ) and the increasing frequency of bush fires , droughts and floods , which have all been linked to climate change .   Since the beginning of the 20th century Australia has experienced an increase of nearly 1 ° C in average annual temperatures , with warming occurring at twice the rate over the past 50 years than in the previous 50 years . Recent climate events such as extremely high temperatures and widespread drought have focused government and public attention on the impacts of climate change in Australia . Rainfall in southwestern Australia has decreased by 10 -- 20 % since the 1970s , while southeastern Australia has also experienced a moderate decline since the 1990s . Rainfall patterns are expected to be problematic , as rain has become heavier and infrequent , as well as more common in summer rather than in winter , with little or no uptrend in rainfall in the Western Plateau and the Central Lowlands of Australia . Water sources in the southeastern areas of Australia have depleted due to increasing population in urban areas ( rising demand ) coupled with climate change factors such as persistent prolonged drought ( diminishing supply ) . At the same time , Australia continues to have the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions . Temperatures in Australia have also risen dramatically since 1910 and nights have become warmer .   A carbon tax was introduced in 2011 by the Gillard government in an effort to reduce the impact of climate change and despite some criticism , it successfully reduced Australia 's carbon dioxide emissions , with coal generation down 11 % since 2008 -- 09 . The subsequent Australian Government , elected in 2013 under then Prime Minister Tony Abbott was criticised for being `` in complete denial about climate change '' . Furthermore , the Abbott government repealed the carbon tax on 17 July 2014 in a heavily criticised move . The renewable energy target ( RET ) , launched in 2001 , was heavily modified under Abbott 's government . However , under the government of Malcolm Turnbull , Australia attended the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference and adopted the Paris Agreement . This agreement includes a review of emission reduction targets every 5 years from 2020 .   The federal government and all state governments ( New South Wales , Victoria , Queensland , South Australia , Western Australia , Tasmania , Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ) have explicitly recognised that climate change is being caused by greenhouse gas emissions , in conformity with the scientific opinion on climate change . Sectors of the population have campaigned against new coal mines and coal-fired power stations , reflecting concerns about the effects of global warming on Australia .  The Garnaut Climate Change Review predicted that a net benefit to Australia may be derived by stabilising greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at 450ppm CO2 eq .   The per-capita carbon footprint in Australia was rated 12th in the world by PNAS in 2011 , considerably large given the small population of the country .


query: There is no statistical evidence that global warming is intensifying[…] floods

positive: Effects of global warming The effects of global warming are the environmental and social changes caused ( directly or indirectly ) by human emissions of greenhouse gases . There is a scientific consensus that climate change is occurring , and that human activities are the primary driver . Many impacts of climate change have already been observed , including glacier retreat , changes in the timing of seasonal events ( e.g. , earlier flowering of plants ) , and changes in agricultural productivity .   Future effects of climate change will vary depending on climate change policies and social development . The two main policies to address climate change are reducing human greenhouse gas emissions ( climate change mitigation ) and adapting to the impacts of climate change . Geoengineering is another policy option .   Near-term climate change policies could significantly affect long-term climate change impacts . Stringent mitigation policies might be able to limit global warming ( in 2100 ) to around 2 ° C or below , relative to pre-industrial levels . Without mitigation , increased energy demand and extensive use of fossil fuels might lead to global warming of around 4 ° C. Higher magnitudes of global warming would be more difficult to adapt to , and would increase the risk of negative impacts .

positive: Scientific consensus on climate change There is currently a strong scientific consensus that the Earth is warming and that this warming is mainly caused by human activities. This consensus is supported by various studies of scientists' opinions and by position statements of scientific organizations, many of which explicitly agree with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) synthesis reports.  Nearly all actively publishing climate scientists (97–98%) support the consensus on anthropogenic climate change, and the remaining 2% of contrarian studies either cannot be replicated or contain errors.

positive: Global warming Global warming , also referred to as climate change , is the observed century-scale rise in the average temperature of the Earth 's climate system and its related effects . Multiple lines of scientific evidence show that the climate system is warming . Many of the observed changes since the 1950s are unprecedented in the instrumental temperature record which extends back to the mid 19th century , and in paleoclimate proxy records over thousands of years .   In 2013 , the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) Fifth Assessment Report concluded that `` It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century . '' The largest human influence has been emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide , methane and nitrous oxide . Climate model projections summarized in the report indicated that during the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 0.3 to for their lowest emissions scenario and 2.6 to for the highest emissions scenario . These findings have been recognized by the national science academies of the major industrialized nations and are not disputed by any scientific body of national or international standing .   Future climate change and associated impacts will differ from region to region around the globe . Anticipated effects include warming global temperature , rising sea levels , changing precipitation , and expansion of deserts in the subtropics . Warming is expected to be greater over land than over the oceans and greatest in the Arctic , with the continuing retreat of glaciers , permafrost and sea ice . Other likely changes include more frequent extreme weather events including heat waves , droughts , heavy rainfall with floods and heavy snowfall ; ocean acidification ; and species extinctions due to shifting temperature regimes . Effects significant to humans include the threat to food security from decreasing crop yields and the abandonment of populated areas due to rising sea levels . Because the climate system has a large `` inertia '' and greenhouse gases will stay in the atmosphere for a long time , many of these effects will not only exist for decades or centuries , but will persist for tens of thousands of years .   Possible societal responses to global warming include mitigation by emissions reduction , adaptation to its effects , building systems resilient to its effects , and possible future climate engineering . Most countries are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ) ,  whose ultimate objective is to prevent dangerous anthropogenic climate change . Parties to the UNFCCC have agreed that deep cuts in emissions are required and that global warming should be limited to well below 2.0 C-change relative to pre-industrial levels , with efforts made to limit warming to 1.5 C-change .   Public reactions to global warming and concern about its effects are also increasing . A global 2015 Pew Research Center report showed a median of 54 % consider it `` a very serious problem '' . There are significant regional differences , with Americans and Chinese ( whose economies are responsible for the greatest annual CO2 emissions ) among the least concerned .

negative: Global warming hiatus A global warming hiatus , also sometimes referred to as a global warming pause or a global warming slowdown , is a period of relatively little change in globally averaged surface temperatures . In the current episode of global warming many such 15-year periods appear in the surface temperature record , along with robust evidence of the long-term warming trend ; climate is classically averaged over 30-year periods .   Publicity has surrounded claims of a global warming hiatus during the period 1998 -- 2013 . The exceptionally warm El Niño year of 1998 was an outlier from the continuing temperature trend , and so subsequent annual temperatures gave the appearance of a hiatus : by January 2006 , it appeared to some that global warming had stopped or paused . A 2009 study showed that decades without warming were not exceptional , and in 2011 a study showed that if allowances were made for known variability , the rising temperature trend continued unabated . There was increased public interest in 2013 in the run-up to publication of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report , and despite concerns that a 15-year period was too short to determine a meaningful trend , the IPCC included a section on a hiatus , which it defined as a much smaller increasing linear trend over the 15 years from 1998 to 2012 , than over the 60 years from 1951 to 2012 . Various studies examined possible causes of the short-term slowdown . Even though the overall climate system has continued to accumulate energy due to Earth 's positive energy budget , the available temperature readings at the Earth 's surface indicate slower rates of increase in surface warming than in the prior decade . Since measurements at the top of the atmosphere show that Earth is receiving more energy than it is radiating back into space , the retained energy should be producing warming in the Earth 's climate system .   Research reported in July 2015 on an updated NOAA dataset casts doubt on the existence of a hiatus , and it finds no indication of a slowdown even in earlier years . Scientists working on other datasets welcomed this study , though they have expressed the view that the recent warming trend was less than in previous periods of the same length . Subsequently , a detailed study supports the conclusion that warming is continuing , but it also find there was less warming between 2001 and 2010 than climate models had predicted , and that this slowdown might be attributed to short-term variations in the Pacific decadal oscillation ( PDO ) , which was negative during that period . Another review finds `` no substantive evidence '' of a pause in global warming . A statistical study of global temperature data since 1970 concludes that the term ` hiatus ' or ` pause ' is not justified .   Independent of these discussions about data and measurements for earlier years , 2015 turned out to be much warmer than any of the earlier years , already before El Niño conditions started . The warmth of 2015 largely ended any remaining scientific credibility of claims that the supposed `` hiatus '' since 1998 had any significance for the long-term warming trend . In January 2017 , a study published in the journal Science Advances cast further doubt on the existence of a recent pause , with more evidence that ocean temperatures have been underestimated . An April 2017 study found the data consistent with a steady warming trend globally since the 1970s , with fluctuations within the expected range of short term variability .

negative: Global warming in Russia Global warming in Russia describes the global warming related issues in Russia . This includes climate politics , contribution to global warming and the influence of global warming on Russia . In 2009 Russia was ready to reduce emissions 20 -- 25 % from its 1990 emission levels by the year 2020 .

negative: Harold Lewis Harold ( `` Hal '' ) Warren Lewis ( born October 1 , 1923 -- May 26 , 2011 ) was an American Emeritus Professor of Physics and former department chairman at the University of California , Santa Barbara ( UCSB ) . He was chairman of the JASON Defense Advisory Group from 1966 to 1973 , and was active in US government investigations into safety of nuclear reactors .   In his 1990 book Technological Risk he warned of the risks of global warming . In 2010 , after 67 years of membership , he resigned from the American Physical Society , citing what he saw as `` corruption '' from `` the money flood '' of government grants related to global warming .

negative: Politics of global warming The complex politics of global warming results from numerous cofactors arising from the global economy 's interdependence on carbon dioxide emitting hydrocarbon energy sources and because carbon dioxide is directly implicated in global warming -- making global warming a non-traditional environmental challenge .

negative: Global Warming Policy Foundation The Global Warming Policy Foundation ( GWPF ) is a think tank in the United Kingdom , whose stated aims are to challenge `` extremely damaging and harmful policies '' envisaged by governments to mitigate anthropogenic global warming .   It promotes climate change denial . In 2014 , when the Charity Commission ruled that the GWPF had breached rules on impartiality , a non-charitable organisation called the `` Global Warming Policy Forum '' or `` GWPF '' was created as a wholly owned subsidiary , to do lobbying that a charity could not .  The GWPF website carries an array of articles `` sceptical '' of scientific findings of anthropogenic global warming and its impacts .

negative: Climate change in Germany Climate change in Europe describes the climate change related issues in Europe . This includes the climate politics , contribution in the global warming and the influence of the global warming in Europe .

negative: Warming Warming may refer to :  People  Eugenius Warming , ( 1841 -- 1924 ) , Danish botanist  Thomas Warming , ( b. 1969 ) , Danish illustrator , painter and author  Other  Global warming  Warming up  Warming Land

negative: Tropical Storm Chedza Severe Tropical Storm Chedza was a deadly tropical cyclone that struck Madagascar in January 2015 . It formed from the intertropical convergence zone and moved over Mozambique , After moving open waters , the system began organizing on January 14 , becoming Tropical Storm Chedza two days later . It quickly intensified over the Mozambique Channel due to warm waters and favorable conditions , and the storm attained peak 10 minute sustained winds of 100 km/h ( 65 mph ) on January 16 . That day , Chedza moved ashore western Madagascar between Belo sur Mer and Morondava , and it quickly crossed the island while weakening . The storm briefly re-intensified , passing southwest of Réunion before turning to the southeast . Chedza became extratropical on January 19 , and was last noted two days later .   The formative stages of Chedza brought rainfall to an already flooded region across southeastern Africa . Weeks of heavy rainfall killed 117 people in Mozambique and 104 in neighboring Malawi , where it was the worst floods in 24 years . In Madagascar , Chedza struck after weeks of heavy rainfall , causing rivers to increase and flooding widespread areas of crop fields . In the capital city of Antananarivo , the deluge damaged the main water pump that controlled water levels in the region . The rainfall caused mudslides and damaged roads . Across the country , flooding from Chedza displaced 54,792 people , after destroying 4,430 houses and flooding another 3,442 , mostly in Vatovavy-Fitovinany in the southeastern portion . Chedza killed 80 people and caused about $ 40 million in damage ( 2015 USD ) . Later , the storm brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to the mountainous peaks of Réunion .

negative: National Environmental Education Act The National Environmental Education Act of 1990 is an act of Congress of the United States of America to promote environmental education .   In this act , Congress found that `` threats to human health and environmental quality are increasingly complex , involving a wide range of conventional and toxic contaminants in the air and water and on the land '' and that `` there is growing evidence of international environmental problems , such as global warming , ocean pollution , and declines in species diversity , and that these problems pose serious threats to human health and the environment on a global scale '' and declared several other problems that need to be fixed or addressed by improving environmental education .

negative: United States Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection The United States Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection was one of six subcommittees of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works during the 110th Congress . The subcommittee 's jurisdiction included :   Global warming  Fisheries and wildlife , including the Fish and Wildlife Service  Endangered Species Act ( ESA )  National Wildlife Refuges   The subcommittee was formerly known as the Subcommittee on Fisheries , Wildlife , and Water , but was renamed during committee organization of the 110th Congress when global warming was added to its oversight responsibilities . It served as a counterpart to the new Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming , Oversight , and Children 's Health Protection .   The subcommittee was chaired by Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut , and the ranking member was Senator John Warner of Virginia .

negative: Global warming controversy The global warming controversy concerns the public debate over whether global warming is occurring , how much has occurred in modern times , what has caused it , what its effects will be , whether any action should be taken to curb it , and if so what that action should be . In the scientific literature , there is a strong consensus that global surface temperatures have increased in recent decades and that the trend is caused by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases . No scientific body of national or international standing disagrees with this view , though a few organizations with members in extractive industries hold non-committal positions . Disputes over the key scientific facts of global warming are more prevalent in the media than in the scientific literature , where such issues are treated as resolved , and such disputes are more prevalent in the United States than globally .   Political and popular debate concerning the existence and cause of climate change includes the reasons for the increase seen in the instrumental temperature record , whether the warming trend exceeds normal climatic variations , and whether human activities have contributed significantly to it . Scientists have resolved these questions decisively in favour of the view that the current warming trend exists and is ongoing , that human activity is the cause , and that it is without precedent in at least 2000 years . Public disputes that also reflect scientific debate include estimates of how responsive the climate system might be to any given level of greenhouse gases ( climate sensitivity ) , how global climate change will play out at local and regional scales , and what the consequences of global warming will be .   Global warming remains an issue of widespread political debate , often split along party political lines , especially in the United States . Many of the issues that are settled within the scientific community , such as human responsibility for global warming , remain the subject of politically or economically motivated attempts to downplay , dismiss or deny them -- an ideological phenomenon categorised by academics and scientists as climate change denial . The sources of funding for those involved with climate science -- both supporting and opposing mainstream scientific positions -- have been questioned by both sides . There are debates about the best policy responses to the science , their cost-effectiveness and their urgency . Climate scientists , especially in the United States , have reported official and oil-industry pressure to censor or suppress their work and hide scientific data , with directives not to discuss the subject in public communications . Legal cases regarding global warming , its effects , and measures to reduce it have reached American courts . The fossil fuels lobby has been identified as overtly or covertly supporting efforts to undermine or discredit the scientific consensus on global warming .

negative: Ross Gyre The Ross Gyre is one of the two gyres that exist within the Southern Ocean . The gyre is located in the Ross Sea , and rotates clockwise . The gyre is formed by interactions between the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the Antarctic Continental Shelf . Sea ice has been noted to persist in the central area of the gyre .   There is some evidence that global warming has resulted in some decrease of the salinity of the waters of the Ross Gyre since the 1950s .

negative: Scientific opinion on climate change The scientific opinion on climate change is the overall judgment among scientists regarding the extent to which global warming is occurring , its causes , and its probable consequences . The scientific consensus is that the Earth 's climate system is unequivocally warming , and that it is extremely likely ( meaning 95 % probability or higher ) that this warming is predominantly caused by humans . It is likely that this mainly arises from increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere , such as from deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels , partially offset by human caused increases in aerosols ; natural changes had little effect .   This scientific opinion is expressed in synthesis reports , by scientific bodies of national or international standing , and by surveys of opinion among climate scientists . Individual scientists , universities , and laboratories contribute to the overall scientific opinion via their peer-reviewed publications , and the areas of collective agreement and relative certainty are summarised in these respected reports and surveys .   National and international science academies and scientific societies have assessed current scientific opinion on global warming . These assessments are generally consistent with the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change . The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report stated that :  Warming of the climate system is unequivocal , as evidenced by increases in global average air and ocean temperatures , the widespread melting of snow and ice , and rising global average sea level .  Most of the global warming since the mid-20th century is very likely due to human activities .  Benefits and costs of climate change for -LSB- human -RSB- society will vary widely by location and scale . Some of the effects in temperate and polar regions will be positive and others elsewhere will be negative . Overall , net effects are more likely to be strongly negative with larger or more rapid warming .  The range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time .  The resilience of many ecosystems is likely to be exceeded this century by an unprecedented combination of climate change , associated disturbances ( e.g. flooding , drought , wildfire , insects , ocean acidification ) and other global change drivers ( e.g. land-use change , pollution , fragmentation of natural systems , over-exploitation of resources ) .   Some scientific bodies have recommended specific policies to governments , and science can play a role in informing an effective response to climate change . Policy decisions , however , may require value judgements and so are not included in the scientific opinion .   No scientific body of national or international standing maintains a formal opinion dissenting from any of these main points . The last national or international scientific body to drop dissent was the American Association of Petroleum Geologists , which in 2007 updated its statement to its current non-committal position . Some other organizations , primarily those focusing on geology , also hold non-committal positions .

negative: Noah's Ark Noah 's Ark ( תיבת נח Biblical Hebrew : Tevat Noaḥ ) is the vessel in the Genesis flood narrative ( Genesis chapters 6 -- 9 ) by which God spares Noah , his family , and a remnant of all the world 's animals from the flood . According to Genesis , God gave Noah instructions for building the ark . Seven days before the deluge , God told Noah to enter the ark with his household and the animals . The story goes on to describe the ark being afloat for 150 days and then coming to rest on the Mountains of Ararat and the subsequent receding of the waters . The story is repeated , with variations , in the Quran , where the ark appears as Safina Nūḥ ( سفينة نوح `` Noah 's boat '' ) . The Genesis flood narrative is similar to numerous other flood myths from a variety of cultures . The earliest known written flood myth is the Sumerian flood myth found in the Epic of Ziusudra .   Searches for Noah 's Ark have been made from at least the time of Eusebius ( c. 275 -- 339 CE ) to the present day . There is no scientific evidence for a global flood , and despite many expeditions , no evidence of the ark has been found . The challenges associated with housing all living animal types , and even plants , would have made building the ark a practical impossibility .

negative: AGW AGW can refer to :    Anthropogenic global warming ; see the following :  Attribution of recent climate change  Human impact on the environment  Climate change  Global warming  Global warming controversy  Actual gold weight , a measure used in gold bullion , coin or bar  Agnew Airport , Queensland , Australia ( IATA code : AGW )  Access gateway , shorthand for multi-service access gateway ( MSAG ) , a device used in telecommunications .  Kahua language ( ISO 639-3 code : agw )

negative: 1960 It is also known as the `` Year of Africa '' because of major events -- particularly the independence of seventeen African nations -- that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism .

negative: Methane emissions Global methane emissions are major part of the global greenhouse gas emissions . Methane in the atmosphere has a 100-year global warming potential of 34 .

negative: R-407A R-407A is a mixture of gasses used as a refrigerant . It is a zeotropic blend of difluoromethane ( HFC-32 ) , pentafluoroethane ( HFC-125 ) and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane ( HFC-134a ) . R-407A was developed as a close match to R-22 's capacities and flow rates , making it well suited as an energy efficient retrofit for R-22 in medium and low temperature refrigeration systems for supermarket and food storage applications , but not for air conditioning systems or those with flooded evaporators . It must be used with synthetic oils . Its global warming potential is 2107 .

negative: Warm Springs Historic District Warm Springs Historic District is a historic district in Warm Springs , Georgia . It includes Franklin Delano Roosevelt 's Little White House and the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation , where Roosevelt indulged in its warm springs . Other buildings in the district tend to range from the 1920s and 1930s . Much of the district looks the same as it did when Roosevelt frequented the area .   Evidence indicates that prehistoric man was the first to use the springs , and as when Roosevelt used the springs , the temperature was 89 ° F.

negative: Warm River, Idaho Warm River is a city in Fremont County , Idaho , United States . The population was 3 at the 2010 census , making it the least populous city in Idaho . It is part of the Rexburg , Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area .

negative: Christmas 1994 nor'easter The Christmas 1994 nor'easter was an intense cyclone along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada . It developed from an area of low pressure in the southeast Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Keys , and moved across the state of Florida . As it entered the warm waters of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean , it began to rapidly intensify , exhibiting traits of a tropical system , including the formation of an eye . It attained a pressure of 970 millibars on December 23 and 24 , and after moving northward , it came ashore near New York City on Christmas Eve . Because of the uncertain nature of the storm , the National Hurricane Center ( NHC ) did not classify it as a tropical cyclone .   Heavy rain from the developing storm contributed to significant flooding in South Carolina . Much of the rest of the East Coast was affected by high winds , coastal flooding , and beach erosion . New York State and New England bore the brunt of the storm ; damage was extensive on Long Island , and in Connecticut , 130,000 households lost electric power during the storm . Widespread damage and power outages also occurred throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts , where the storm generated 30 ft waves along the coast . Because of the warm weather pattern that contributed to the storm 's development , precipitation was limited to rain . Two people were killed , and damage amounted to at least $ 21 million .

negative: United States Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, and Children's Health Protection The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming , Oversight , Children 's Health Protection is one of the six subcommittees of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works . Created in 2007 , the subcommittee has general oversight jurisdiction over the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as diverse issues such as global warming , children 's health protection , and the National Environmental Policy Act ( NEPA ) .

negative: The Greenhouse Conspiracy The Greenhouse Conspiracy is a documentary film broadcast by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 12 August 1990 , as part of the Equinox series , which criticised the theory of global warming and asserted that scientists critical of global warming theory were denied funding . It is one of the earliest instances of the suggestion of a conspiracy to promote false claims supporting global warming . Although the title of the program implied the existence of a conspiracy , when interviewed on the program Patrick Michaels played down the idea , saying , `` It may not quite add up to a conspiracy , but certainly a coalition of interests has promoted the greenhouse theory : scientists have needed funds , the media a story , and governments a worthy cause '' .

negative: Gary S. Schofield Gary Stewart Schofield is the New Zealander president of Global Concern , Inc. a nonprofitorganization with practical solutions for global warming . He is also a writer , musician , television producer and artist .

negative: Christopher C. Horner Christopher C. Horner is an attorney in Washington , D.C. and a Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute who opposes the mainstream view of climate change and has been prominent in promoting climate change denial . He is the author of three books disputing the scientific evidence for man-made global warming . Horner had a financial relationship with coal companies who provided him with funds . Horner has been criticized for hounding climate scientists with frivolous requests for documentation and emails .

negative: 2013 Colorado floods The 2013 Colorado floods was a natural disaster occurring in the U.S. state of Colorado . Starting on September 9 , 2013 , a slow-moving cold front stalled over Colorado , clashing with warm humid monsoonal air from the south . This resulted in heavy rain and catastrophic flooding along Colorado 's Front Range from Colorado Springs north to Fort Collins . The situation intensified on September 11 and 12 . Boulder County was worst hit , with 9.08 in recorded September 12 and up to 17 in of rain recorded by September 15 , which is comparable to Boulder County 's average annual precipitation ( 20.7 inches , 525 mm ) . This event has also been referred to as the 2013 Colorado Front Range Flood , reflecting a more precise geographic extent in and along the Colorado Front Range mountains .   The National Weather Service 's Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center stated in a document that the annual exceedance probability ( AEP ) for the entire rainfall event was as low as 1/1000 ( 0.1 % ) in places .   The flood waters spread across a range of almost 200 mi from north to south , affecting 17 counties . Governor John Hickenlooper declared a disaster emergency on September 12 , 2013 , in 14 counties : Adams , Arapahoe , Broomfield , Boulder , Denver , El Paso , Fremont , Jefferson , Larimer , Logan , Morgan , Pueblo , Washington and Weld . By September 15 , federal emergency declarations covered those 14 counties as well as Clear Creek County .

negative: Hockey stick graph Hockey stick graphs present the global or hemispherical mean temperature record of the past 500 to 2000 years as shown by quantitative climate reconstructions based on climate proxy records . These reconstructions have consistently shown a slow long term cooling trend changing into relatively rapid warming in the 20th century , with the instrumental temperature record by 2000 exceeding earlier temperatures .   The term `` hockey stick graph '' was coined by the climatologist Jerry Mahlman , to describe the pattern shown by the ( MBH99 ) reconstruction , envisaging a graph that is relatively flat with a downward trend to 1900 as forming an ice hockey stick 's `` shaft '' followed by a sharp , steady increase corresponding to the `` blade '' portion . The reconstructions have featured in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) reports as evidence of global warming . Arguments over the reconstructions have been taken up by fossil fuel industry funded lobbying groups attempting to cast doubt on climate science .   Paleoclimatology dates back to the 19th century , and the concept of examining varves in lake beds and tree rings to track local climatic changes was suggested in the 1930s . In the 1960s , Hubert Lamb generalised from historical documents and temperature records of central England to propose a Medieval Warm Period from around 900 to 1300 , followed by Little Ice Age . This was the basis of a `` schematic diagram '' featured in the IPCC First Assessment Report of 1990 beside cautions that the medieval warming might not have been global . The use of indicators to get quantitative estimates of the temperature record of past centuries was developed , and by the late 1990s a number of competing teams of climatologists found indications that recent warming was exceptional . introduced the `` Composite Plus Scaling '' ( CPS ) method used by most later large scale reconstructions . Their study was featured in the IPCC Second Assessment Report of 1995 .   In 1998 Michael E. Mann , Raymond S. Bradley and Malcolm K. Hughes developed new statistical techniques to produce ( MBH98 ) , the first eigenvector-based climate field reconstruction ( CFR ) . This showed global patterns of annual surface temperature , and included a graph of average hemispheric temperatures back to 1400 with shading emphasising that uncertainties ( to two standard error limits ) were much greater in earlier centuries . independently produced a CPS reconstruction extending back for a thousand years , and ( MBH99 ) used the MBH98 methodology to extend their study back to 1000 .   A version of the MBH99 graph was featured prominently in the 2001 IPCC Third Assessment Report ( TAR ) , which also drew on Jones et al. 1998 and three other reconstructions to support the conclusion that , in the Northern Hemisphere , the 1990s was likely to have been the warmest decade and 1998 the warmest year during the past 1,000 years . The graph became a focus of dispute for those opposed to the strengthening scientific consensus that late 20th century warmth was exceptional . In 2003 , as lobbying over the 1997 Kyoto Protocol intensified , a paper claiming greater medieval warmth was quickly dismissed by scientists in the Soon and Baliunas controversy . Later in 2003 , Stephen McIntyre and Ross McKitrick published disputing the data used in MBH98 paper . In 2004 Hans von Storch published criticism of the statistical techniques as tending to underplay variations in earlier parts of the graph , though this was disputed and he later accepted that the effect was very small . In 2005 McIntyre and McKitrick published criticisms of the principal components analysis methodology as used in MBH98 and MBH99 . Their analysis was subsequently disputed by published papers including and which pointed to errors in the McIntyre and McKitrick methodology . Political disputes led to the formation of a panel of scientists convened by the National Research Council , their North Report in 2006 supported Mann 's findings with some qualifications , including agreeing that there were some statistical failings but these had little effect on the result .   More than two dozen reconstructions , using various statistical methods and combinations of proxy records , support the broad consensus shown in the original 1998 hockey-stick graph , with variations in how flat the pre-20th century `` shaft '' appears . The 2007 IPCC Fourth Assessment Report cited 14 reconstructions , 10 of which covered 1,000 years or longer , to support its strengthened conclusion that it was likely that Northern Hemisphere temperatures during the 20th century were the highest in at least the past 1,300 years . Further reconstructions , including Mann et al. 2008 and , have supported these general conclusions .

negative: Chesapeake Climate Action Network The Chesapeake Climate Action Network ( CCAN ) is the first grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland , Virginia , and the District of Columbia . The organization 's mission is to foster a rapid societal switch to clean energy and energy-efficient products , joining similar efforts worldwide to address global warming .

negative: Half Gone Half Gone : Oil , Gas , Hot Air and the Global Energy Crisis is a book by former oil geologist Jeremy Leggett about both oil depletion and global warming .

negative: The Dinosaur Heresies The Dinosaur Heresies : New Theories Unlocking the Mystery of the Dinosaurs and Their Extinction is a 1986 book that was written by Robert T. Bakker .   The book sums up the extant evidence which indicates that dinosaurs , rather than being cold-blooded and wholly lizard-like , were in fact warm-blooded , agile creatures more similar to modern birds than to lizards or other reptiles . Although controversial on publication in 1986 , the passage of time has proven Bakker correct in many respects , and much of Dinosaur Heresies now represents the prevalent view in paleontological circles ( although other parts have been outdated by more current research ) .   The main arguments used to show that dinosaurs were warm blooded are :  Almost all animals that walk upright today are warm-blooded , and dinosaurs walked upright .  The hearts of warm-blooded animals can pump much more effectively than the hearts of cold-blooded animals . Therefore , the giant Brachiosaurus must have had the type of hearts associated with warm-blooded animals , in order to pump blood all the way up to its head .  Dinosaurs such as Deinonychus led a very active life , which is much more compatible with a warm-blooded animal .  Some dinosaurs lived in northern latitudes where it would be impossible for cold-blooded dinosaurs to keep warm .  The rapid rate of speciation and evolution found in dinosaurs is typical of warm blooded animals and atypical of cold blooded animals .  The predator/prey ratio of predatory dinosaurs to their prey is a signature trait of warm-blooded predators rather than cold-blooded ones .  Birds are warm-blooded . Birds evolved from dinosaurs , therefore a change to a warm-blooded metabolism must have taken place at some point ; there is far more change between dinosaurs and their ancestors , the archosaurs , than between dinosaurs and birds .  Warm-blooded metabolisms are evolutionary advantages for top predators and large herbivores ; if the dinosaurs had not been warm-blooded there should be fossil evidence showing mammals evolving to fill these ecological niches . No such evidence exists ; in fact mammals by the end of the Cretaceous had become smaller and smaller from their synapsid ancestors .  Dinosaurs grew rapidly , evidence for which can be found by observing cross-sections of their bones .

negative: Exodus (Bertagna novel) Exodus is a science fiction novel written for teens to young adults by Julie Bertagna , published in August 2002 . The story is set on an island faced with the problem of a rising sea level , caused by melting ice caps and other forms of global warming . Mara must think of a way to save herself , the other villagers and , most importantly , the world . The book was short-listed for the Whitbread Children 's Book of the Year in 2002 . Exodus is part of a trilogy ; the sequel to the book is Zenith , published in 2007 , followed by Aurora , published in 2011 .   Julie Bertagna was inspired to write this book in 1999 , when she learned of two South Pacific Islands being engulfed by the sea as a result of global warming , forcing the people to find higher land . Bertagna started to investigate into the topic of global warming and the stories inspired her to write Exodus and its sequel Zenith .  The purpose of the book is to inform young readers about global warming and convince them that something must be done about it .

negative: Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here `` Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here '' is a single by British rock band Enter Shikari from their 2012 album A Flash Flood of Colour . The song 's title is a re-used title from an old song played by the band in their early days .