"Given the present composition of the atmosphere, the contribution to the total heating rate in the troposphere is around 5 percent from carbon dioxide and around 95 percent from water vapor."
It is important to note the next sentence, however:
"In the stratosphere, the contribution is about 80 percent from carbon dioxide and about 20 percent from water vapor."
As is always the case in these matters, conflicting sources
Not being an atmospheric scientist I cannot be sure but I feel like the vast majority of the atmosphere's density being in the troposphere temperature effects from the stratosphere would be negligible.
I do not believe that human contribution to global warming is significant.
Water vapor is responsible for 95% of the greenhouse effect, yet somehow it is never brought up in global warming discussions. Why is this?
We've raised CO2 concentrations 100 ppm to 370 ppm... a concentration that's tiny in comparison to the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere... after all, we're on a giant ball of water.
I subscribe to the theory of giant ball of nuclear fire leads to warmer temperatures -> increase in ocean temperatures -> release of dissolved CO2 & increase in water vapor -> greater greenhouse effect
I don't hate the environment and obviously we should be reducing our impact, but cleaner air and water should be cause enough.
If anyone can explain to me why my reasoning is flawed I'll be happy to champion the idea that global warming is primarily driven by man... it would actually make my life easier to embrace it as fact. However, as it stands now, it seems to me a rather arrogant proposition.