I see a lot of people voicing their opinions about climate change, and how mankind is completely responsible for it.  Then, come to find out, these people don’t even fully understand what climate change is.  That personally drives me crazy; if you’re going to have an opinion on something, that’s fine, as long as you know what you’re talking about.  Otherwise, where is your proof?  Before forming an opinion about climate change, you need to understand it as much as possible, so maybe this will help.

Understanding Climate Change

Climate itself includes many patterns, mainly involving precipitation, wind, temperature, humidity, and even the seasons.  Think about how the summers have been getting warmer, for instance, with hot weather in surprising places.  Climate change isn’t just about weather though; instead, it pertains to how the seasons change over a fairly long span of time.  Those changes are how essential ecosystems are shaped over time, but there is fundamental proof that the Earth has been going through extreme climate changes throughout its history.

Climate Change vs. Global Warming

Many people also believe that climate change is the same thing as global warming, but that is not true, although the two things are related.  Global warming is actually the cause for climate changes – but that is no bad thing.  Activists use this to try and make the point that global warming is only happening now, it has never happened before, and climate changes prove that.  However, over different eras throughout history, the climate has undergone much more intense changes than you see right now.

The Cause of Climate Change

I’ve noticed that the biggest debate among those who think climate change and global warming is natural versus those who believe humans cause it, has to do with the actual cause of climate change.  Activists try to say that it’s all carbon dioxide and nothing else.  That is not quite the full story, though.  Highly respected scientists who support the idea of natural climate change point out that something as innocuous as water vapor has a hugely detrimental effect on the climate, even more so than CO2.

The Truth about Climate Change

My opinion on climate change is different that the opinion special interest groups try to make everyone else believe.  I’ve seen and read enough to believe that, all throughout its history, the Earth has gone through climate changes.  Many of them have been significantly worse than what we are seeing now.  There are scientists, for instance, who point out that during certain eras in the past, even the North Pole was hot enough to grow a garden.  The climate goes through consistent changes over time – it heats up, then it cools down, and life goes on.

There are groups, businesses, and even governments out there who would like you to believe that you and me and everyone else are all personally responsible for climate change.  That is a ridiculous assertion, especially when you take the time to look at the facts.  I may not be a professional geologist, physicist, biologist, or oceanographer, but I do know how to research.  The things I’ve found make it pretty clear that the Earth has gone through climate changes dozens of times before; that is part of its pattern.  It happened before any of us were around and will continue after.