Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum: William Research Paper

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The more political arguments against Ruddiman are more easily dismissed, however.

Synthesis and Evaluation

It must be acknowledged -- and is, in fact, acknowledged by Ruddiman -- that there is not complete scientific certainty that the current warming trend the Earth is experiencing, if indeed it is experiencing one, is the result of human behavior, and specifically the use of fossil fuels. The evidence that Ruddiman presents in Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum, however, clearly suggests that human beings have the potential to cause worldwide environmental change, and if this potential has existed in the past it must exist a thousand-fold now. Though there are scientific questions and possible problems with Ruddiman's argument, these questions and arguments are no more certain in their conclusions than Ruddiman is with his, leaving it up to each individual to decide what the truth is and ultimately ending in a lot of senselessly heated disagreement rather than rational debate.

What the reality of the situation comes down to is this: there is some evidence that human beings have caused, and are currently causing, changes to global temperatures through the release of greenhouse gases. If human beings truly are causing global warming, action should be taken to keep this from reaching dangerous levels. If this action is taken and human beings were not the cause of the warming, no harm would have been done by moving to more renewable and cleaner energy resources.

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Whether or not William F. Ruddiman is correct in his assertions, then, we might as well behave as if he is.

References

Bert, Ray. "Plows, Plagues & Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Climate. Civil Engineering Volume 78, Issue 3 (2008), pp. 73.

Broecker, William. "The Holocene CO2 Rise: Anthropogenic or Natural?" Eos Volume 87, No. 3, pp. 27-8.

Claussen, M.; Brvokin, V.; Calov, R.; Ganopolski, A. & Kubatzki, C. "Did Humankind Prevent a Holocene Glaciation?" Climatic Change Volume 69, Nos. 2-3 (2005), pp. 409-17.

McKee, R. "Editorial Cartoon: Let's Put Global Warming to Use." The Augusta Chronicle, 16 January 2009. Accessed 24 April 2010. http://www.freelancenews.com/opinion/252910-editorial-cartoons-lets-put-global-warming-to-use

Ruddiman, William F. "William F. Ruddiman: Professor Emeritus." Department of Environmental Sciences at the Univeristy of Virginia. Accessed 24 April 2010. http://www.evsc.virginia.edu/faculty/ruddiman-william-f/

Ruddiman, William F. Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Climate. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Shaffer, Gary. "Long time management of fossil fuel resources to limit global warming and avoid ice age onsets." Geophysical research letters Volume 36 (2009). Accessed 24 April 2010. http://www.cwr.uwa.edu.au/~jimberger/CC_Reality_Challenges_Opportunities/Resources_CC_R_C_O/.....

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