Quote Originally Posted by DuncanONeil View Post
The penultimate data used is the data set from East Anglia.
This was only the beginning of the data. Since then there have been multiple sets of different data, all pointing in roughly the same direction. Ice core samples, tree ring data, etc, etc. Sure, some data show variations, for various reasons. Most of them explainable, except to those who insist that such variations are proof of the opposite. The facts are there. The interpretations are where the problems lie. But any interpretation which cherry picks among the facts is virtually useless.

The hockey stick graph has been evaluated to determine it is just as likely that CO2 is following the increase in temp as the other way 'round.
It has been evaluated by whom? By those who don't like the idea of AGW! And one other point to consider is the fact that Global Warming does, indeed, increase the release of naturally occurring greenhouse gases. CO2 which has been trapped in permafrost for millenia is now being released due to the thawing of that permafrost. The same with methane gases.

Be advised I have never claimed the world was not warming. But there is also evidence that the world itself is cooling, has been for much of a decade.
There are, of course, natural cycles overlaid upon the Global Warming trends. Sure, there can be several years in a row where the global temperature may drop, slightly. But the overall, long-term trend is towards warming. The highs are higher than historical, generally, while the lows are not as low as historical, generally.

So the question remains; What is really happening?
What is happening is that the world is getting warmer. Not too much question about that. And even if you insist that mankind is not the CAUSE of the problem, man's actions are certainly making the problem worse. Reducing our CO2 emissions may not stop the problem, not anymore at least, but it certainly could help to reduce the ultimate impact. And lets face it, finding cheap, alternative forms of energy, preferably non-polluting, would ultimately help everyone. Denying the problem and blindly carrying on as if there's nothing wrong only makes things worse.