Global Warming?

Is it true that the Arctic Ocean ice is receding to the point that the fabled Northwest Passage is now a possibility? Is it true that the North Pole will soon be open water during the summer months if the present rate of sea ice melt continues? Is it true that (according to Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center) Glacier National Park's glaciers are retreating to the point that they will be entirely gone by 2030? Is it true that thousands of acres of northern pine forests are being destroyed by beetles that were previously kept in lower elevations by the cold? Is it true that thousands of acres of permafrost is melting across the Northern hemisphere resulting in huge quagmires and sinkholes and the release of ancient trapped methane? Is it true that The Patagonia Ice fields of Chile and Argentina are retreating at unprecedented rates releasing huge volumes of fresh water into the oceans? Is it true that Greenland's glaciers are melting to the point that large streams of water can be seen flowing freely through huge crevasses in the ice? Is it true that ice cores from Greenland dating back 400,000 years show that greenhouse gases have correlated to warming and cooling trends in Earth's weather patterns and accurately tracked major gas increases like volcanic eruptions and industrialization?

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I have seen all these things on TV so I wonder if they are being faked and why? The "greenhouse effect" seems a fairly straightforward explanation of what happens when excess greenhouse gas is trapped in the atmosphere. If this effect is false what do think happens when this gas is trapped? If this effect, as commonly understood, is too small to account for the changes that seem to be occurring, what do you think is the cause? In my view, it is beyond man's ability to alter the course of events already set in motion by whatever forces or combinations thereof that are ultimately responsible. However, I know that the effects of breathing car exhaust and coal fumes are beyond debate and I know it is extremely unpleasant and unhealthy and would welcome any changes to a system that is slowly killing us all. Whether we die hot or cold is of little concern. Anonymous

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