This assessment concludes, based on extensive evidence, that it is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century.

[OCS:

(1) The output of climate models is not “evidence” and, in many cases, the results cannot be replicated and affirmed by other models using different methodologies.

(2) Any reasonable person would observe and conclude that the drivers of global climate are: The Sun’s energy output in all spectral bands, the production of extraterrestrial cosmic rays, the Earth’s position relative to the Sun, the Earth’s precessional and rotational dynamics, the Earth’s vulcanology and plate tectonics, the deep ocean currents, the natural feedback loops – especially involving the greatest greenhouse gas known, water vapor.

(3) How can those who speak of the “observed warming” explain the 18+ year hiatus in warming in the face of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide?]

For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence.

[OCS: This is not a true statement. The climate has always been changing since the Earth developed an atmosphere. There are periods of cooling and periods of warming. And one might expect that the Earth would naturally warm after its emergence from the Little Ice Age. Until the trend regresses to the mean and the Earth proceeds to cool. The trick that the politicians hope you do not consider is that while climate change involves geologic time scales (tens of thousands of years or more), our scientists are concentrating on 30-year periods. In fact, if you look closely at the reported temperature rise, you will see that the scientists do not report temperatures, but their deviation (anomaly) from a man-selected thirty-year period. Also, I cannot believe how many people confuse weather events – mostly determined by oscillatory behaviors such as ENSO (El Nino/La Nina).

As for atmospheric carbon dioxide, it is reasonable to assume that rising temperatures would cause carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans to “outgas” into the atmosphere. And, during colder times, carbon dioxide would be removed from the atmosphere and returned to the colder waters. In fact, water vapor (clouds) is one of the most potent self-regulating feedback mechanisms in nature.]

In addition to warming, many other aspects of global climate are changing, primarily in response to human activities. Thousands of studies conducted by researchers around the world have documented changes in surface, atmospheric, and oceanic temperatures; melting glaciers; diminishing snow cover; shrinking sea ice; rising sea levels; ocean acidification; and increasing atmospheric water vapor.

[OCS: As wise men once observed: the only constant is change. The Earth is always changing and mostly in response to natural phenomenon rather than man-made conditions. Otherwise, you would be hard-pressed to explain how the Earth was hotter, colder, with less and with more atmospheric carbon dioxide before the Industrial Revolution which marked the beginning of man’s artificial impact on our planet.]

For those wishing to read the full report, it can be found here.