Is Global Warming a Crisis?

• “No”

  

  “There Are Benefits from Warmer Temperatures and CO2 ”

• “Objection”

  

  “There's Nothing Good About Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions”
  

There's Nothing Good About Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions

Sierra Club

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Some skeptics try to justify human CO2 emissions by equating a warmer climate with solving world hunger. According to their logic, CO2 is like a fertilizer -- a "plant food" -- that can act as a catalyst for vegetative growth. They postulate that abundant CO2 increases agricultural output, which in turn lowers food prices and provides for the hundreds of millions of famished people in the far-reaches of the world.

This wishful thinking conveniently ignores the dangers our farms and forests face with warming. Things like drought, soil erosion, coastal flooding and salt contamination, oceanic acidification, loss of biodiversity, and tropospheric ozone all hinder crop production. While there is validity to the idea that CO2 "fertilization" will help farms in some cooler countries, arid and tropical regions will face serious problems in the coming decades.

Decreases in crop production because of climate change already are happening: "In the Sahelian region of Africa, warmer and drier conditions have led to a reduced length of growing season with detrimental effects on crops. In southern Africa, longer dry seasons and more uncertain rainfall are prompting adaptation measures," according to the latest UN IPCC report. By 2020, areas in Africa could see a drop in agricultural output by 50 percent. By then, between 75 and 200 million people will be affected by water scarcity.

The IPCC has found short-term benefits of more CO2 for some regions in terms of farm production, such as New Zealand and Southeast Asia. However the overall negative social and economic impacts will far outweigh any regional boost in agricultural production, and ultimately hundreds of millions of people, especially in developing countries, will feel the impacts.

Next Argument

"No" NCPA

• Scientific Consensus Overstated
  9
• Climate Forecasts Inaccurate
  6
• Computer Models Based on Faulty Assumptions
  5
• Reports of Environmental Crisis from Global Warming Unfounded
  7
• There Are Benefits from Warmer Temperatures and CO2
  6
• Climate Adaptation Better than Mitigation
  5
• Climate Legislation Would Slow Economy Without Promised Benefits
  3
• Carbon Taxes Are the Best Policy for Greenhouse Gas Regulation
  3

"No" The Heartland Institute

• Global Warming Alarmism
  7
• There Is No Scientific Agreement
  7
• Most Scientists Don’t Believe Humans Threaten Earth's Climate
  7
• The Law of Unintended Consequences
  4
• The Politics of Global Warming
  6

"Yes" Sierra Club

• Science Is on Our Side
  7
• Global Warming’s Impact Is Already Happening
  7
• How Much Damage Will Be Done?
  7
• It’s an Economic Crisis If We Do Nothing
  6
• Even Bush, U.S. Military, British Petroleum, Wal-Mart Agree With Us
  5
• Who Are Today’s Skeptics?
  5

"Yes" NRDC

• The Debate is Over: It's Time For Action
  4
• A Little Historical Perspective
  4
• Global Warming is Changing Today’s World
  5
• For Some, Global Climate Change Means Survival
  3
• Corporations Are Part of the Answer
  3
• A Green Economy Means Job Opportunities
  4
• The Cost of Climate Change: We Need To Act Now
  4

Most Objections

• Reports of Environmental Crisis from Global Warming Unfounded
  7
• There Are Benefits from Warmer Temperatures and CO2
  6
• Global Warming Alarmism
  7
• The Politics of Global Warming
  6
• It’s an Economic Crisis If We Do Nothing
  6
• The Debate is Over: It's Time For Action
  4

Is Global Warming a Crisis?

• Yes
• No

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