Is it fair to blame “Global Warming” on mankind?

By Rex A. Crouch

Copyrighted © by Rex A. Crouch 2008

I frequently see the last 10,000 years of Earth’s
climate history based on core data from one
lake, or a glacier, or some other source. Given
this 10,000 year dataset we are shown that
mankind is causing global warming.
I cringe every time I see a 10,000 year dataset
for global warming but have diligently kept my
mouth shut. I focus on exploration geology
and subsequently I try to stay away from the
subject of global warming because it is so
politically charged. Despite the volatile nature
of the subject I am violating my own personal
rule on global warming to ask a question. Is it
fair to blame “Global Warming” on mankind?
The 10,000 year data set is just a scratch on
the skin of the Cenozoic. Yes, this is the
timeframe in which humans populated the
earth; but the earth is much older than 10,000
years.
I personally cannot ignore the whole picture.
The Sauk Sequence shows us that global sea
levels have changed dramatically six times
since the Proterozoic, with drastic
transgressions, and regressions. In addition to
these global changes in sea level, there are
corresponding mass extinction events. It is fair
to associate global sea level changes with
global temperature changes.
Life on our planet lives in a system of
differential equations. It is also fair to believe
that our climate is a system of differential
equation with peaks of global warming and
global cooling that exceeds the 10,000 year
dataset. This is not a denial that the
development of human infrastructures have
impacted the climate, but rather a request that
we acknowledge that global warming probably
took place at least five time before humans
ever walked the earth. This implies to me that
global warming in a natural process that will
occur whether humans are here on not. Said
otherwise, humans are not the cause of
climate change.
The belief that global warming is manmade
has nearly become a religion in itself, wherein
the church of global warming is ready to
torture the heretics. Heretics of the church of
global warming are hatefully called “Deniers.”
Please don’t burn me at the stake, but I accept
the full scientific explanation including the
Earth’s entire history—not the data cherry
picking.
As long as Earth is a living planet, it will be a
dynamic planet. The city of New Orleans was
built on silt, subsequently, the city is sinking at
a rate of 2.5 centimeters per years, and there
is nothing we can do to stop it. Volcanoes are
forming new islands in the South Pacific, and
there is nothing we can do to stop. It is
arrogant to believe that humans can control
nature.
In lieu of plans, summits, agreements, and
other political activities that focus on stopping
a natural process, I think we should simply be
better stewards of the planet we use, as we
discuss how to live with global warming, or
global cooling, or whatever climate change we
are dealt, and avoid becoming another mass
extinction statistic.