Bill, I wasn't making a political point, but a scientific one. I'll not disagree that we are contributors to the naturally occurring phenomena known as the greenhouse effect. The percentage of our contribution is what's important to understand and taken along with the additional data from NASA's research on other planets in our solar system also experiencing similar temperature increases, the most immediate and obvious argument is that if we are "causing" anything, it's very limited in scope.

We may be accelerating by a couple of years something that nature already had going, but just as our output is tiny compared to the overall picture, reducing it, even to zero, won't stop it of affect the process much, especially if you are talking on the grand scale of time.

What I find to be more concerning is the amount of non-biodegradeable toxins we release, often with that same CO2 production, as well as our energy policy in general.

I like how you dismiss my argument with your comment about reading an interesting article without making a political point, not to mention that it's a cheap point. Lovely. As if that's not thinly veiled. So, instead you do exactly what you accuse me of doing - you made your point, not about the very interesting CO2 sink, but about the climate, same as me. And I was simply continuing a conversation started here. Oh, and you politicized it by implying that I have some political agenda. Other than accusing OTHERS of having an agenda, politicians included, in reducing our choice, freedom, and increasing FUD to gain power, I couldn't care less where you stand in the political spectrum. I'm also more than willing to concede that we may have helped things along, but this is nothing new and almost certainly nothing we can stop.

If you reduced our net out put of carbon to effectively zero, then, 99.9%+ of the current greenhouse gases are still there. And I've taken several courses dealing with this, thanks. Maybe you should take one. It would help you understand that there's hard evidence that the sun is in a current increase activity cycle and that our sun is having a FAR greater effect on Global Warming than we are - and not just on Earth.

Where's your facts stating that our output is "excessive"? Based on what? Compared to? Could we reduce it, yes. Would it matter? Show me the math that says it would and on what timescale.

I have no blinders. I'm open to all information and I can clearly think it through and I wait for data from both sides to make decisions. Group think isn't my thing, thanks. And if you think the "Greens" don't have an agenda, you are wrong. I agree that being good stewards of our environment, eliminating toxic output, and striving to leave nature as untouched as possible are all excellent goals. And laws can be enacted to accomplish them. So, I clearly am "pro-environment" and not of the belief that humans cause global warming. My eyes are open, I hope you can open yours as well. There's no need to just "believe" what you are told without considering WHY you are being told. Someone somewhere wants you to identify with their "cause" and do what's "right". You should watch Penn and Teller's video on recycling, but I fear you might cry a little at the truthiness.

I should have said that "global warming being caused by man is a myth". Sorry... I guess I assumed that was evident based on my post.

Very interesting article, thanks. For anyone who still believes that we are causing global warming, I direct you to this article: http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaruherald/4064691a6571.html. There are also several others in which NASA indicates that similar "global warming" events have been seen on other planets that coincide with our own relative warming . In other words, nature is FAR more capable of doing any changes and, in fact, is. Our output is minimal compared to the machinery of our planet and solar system.

It's just a great way for industrialists, activists, PACs, and politicians to usurp freedom and spread fear to maintain or increase their power. I'm more than happy to fight against sending toxins into the air and our seas, but global warming is a myth. It still doesn't stop me from wanting to curb energy consumption or plant trees. But I'm not beholden to Al Gore or anyone else's interpretation of "facts". Sure they are facts, but they conveniently exclude the most obvious cause... our sun is releasing more energy lately, likely on a cyclical basis.