http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2009/01/97_of_active_climatologists_ag.php
Just because 97% of climatologists agree that anthropogenic global warming is occurring, doesn't mean it's true. Actually, it does.
I guess it depends on whose opinion you trust.
How many of them would have a job if they were wrong?
Just about all of them. There's some crap gets talked about global warming. However, I think pretty much everyone agrees that the world is getting warmer (even the sceptics). I believe 9 of the 10 hottest years on record in the UK were in the last decade and the 10th was 1998 (I think, certainly late 90s). The question is whether this climate change is man-made or not. Now there's plenty of debate over that (most of it fairly facile) but whether it's man made or not the fact is that studying it to form a view as to the likely consequences and whether there is anything we can do about it (and, if there is, whether we want to) seems fairly important to me, particularly if, as seems likely, warming brings with it a greater frequency of extreme weather events.
Mark,
How far back do records go? At most 150 years? How old is the planet? Several billion years...
CO2 rose dramatically after WW2, yet temperatures fell. CO2 has risen over the last 10 years, temperatures have not risen. The IPCC models did not predict that, which instantly discredits them.
Correlation does not equate causation.
As for extreme weather events, in the UK there were floods in Cockermouth which were attributed to global warming. However, floods happened 50 years ago and 100 years ago. What wasn't around then was an entire industry designed to attribute such events to global warming!
The leading expert on hurricanes has repeatedly stated that there has been no increase in hurricane activity due to any alleged warming. What you will find happening is that more damage is done as more and more people are living in areas of hurricane activity (or indeed flood plains).
Of course climate change is happening. It always has, and always will. It's just arrogant to think we're either responsible or can control it. When we can start controlling minor climatic events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis etc, then I might believe that we could control the entire climate! It's a ridiculous notion...
The climate is such a chaotic, complex system or which lots is not understood. To suggest that temperatures can accurately be predicted 90 years in advance is just preposterous. They're guessing, based on which side their bread is buttered. Releasing reports saying "Nothing is wrong" means no further research grants. Saying "Disaster is coming" gets press coverage and grants for more research...
As for the difference between weather and climate? That's easy. When it's cold, it's weather. When it's hot, it's climate.