are we burning the planet away is it true that disasters such as the tsunami could have been caused by us?
413583
the earth has been around for 4.5 billion years and humans have been around for just a few hundred thousand years and we have only been industrial for 200 years and in the time before that the earth has seen comets,tectonic plate movements, solar flares, a reoccurring ice age, the devastation of an entire dominate species, volcanoes, earth quakes, great floods, and sky blackening fires\n\nthe earth has been thru alot and we as humans are no difference. our planet has seen em come and seen em go and will more than likely out live us.\n\nso the tsunami is a natural part of mother nature and not due to us drilling for oil
977280
not likely- no matter how many humans populate the planet, we make up  a very small fraction of the total mass of the earth,which is the same as it always was, since very little material has been removed from the earth since it was formed. The tsunami didn't affect the earth's orbit, it affected the rotation of the earth around its axis(sped it up by about one-billionth of a mile per hour) but didn't change the speed at which we travel around the sun(orbit) at all.no matter how we redistribute material around the planet we only change the weight distribution of the planet by a very,very small fraction so the effect will be unnoticable. the effect on this planet from human activity of any kind is much smaller than we think- greenhouse gas levels were far higher during the age of the dinosaurs than they are now (and humans didn't exist then). the amount of iron and other minerals we have taken out of the ground accounts for about onemillionth of a percent of the total amount still there. from out in space, you can't look at the earth and see anything that would suggest we live here, except the Great Wall of China and the light from our cities at night, so how great of an impact do we really have?
1003366
It's our choice to destroy this planet, not His.  We choose to pollute the earth.  We choose to mine everything out of the ground that's useful to us.  We choose to kill each other and everything around everything around us.  I swear the earth has had about all she can take from us.  I think that's why we are having so many natural disasters.
103387
There is no way we can prove that they weren't, but there is absolutely no evidence that they were.\n\nThis is what is called an "Argument from Ignorance", and it is completely logically invalid. We could apply the same argument to show that the huricanes that struck the USA last year were caused by dragons or leprechauns.\n\nAlthough there is no evidence to suggest that leprechauns or dragons did cause the hurricanes there is no way that we can prove that they did not.\n\nWhat science does in these cases is apply Occam's razor. We can invoke the idea the global wamring of less than 1oC has increased the incidence of hurricanes, or we can go with the far simpler idea that it is simply random variation. Science demands that we go with random variation until we have some evidence to the contrary.\n\nBy applying Occam's razor we also get to rule out dragons, leprechaun's, pixies and the wrath of God as explanations. It is by the rigorous applictaions of these logical principles that science has allowed us to learn so much about the world. We can't just discard them when we want to see evidence of the effecst of global warming.
634043
The overpopulation of the planet is the biggest disaster ever. We are just now beginning to experience the horrific consequences.
436530
Have you ever heard the expression, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket"?  The same idea applies here.\n\nThere are any number of natural disasters that could destroy our way of life (meteor strike, multiple massive volcanic eruptions, a global plague, a nearby supernova), and they are virtually undetectable until immediately before they occur - even if we do detect them, the likelihood of preventing them is only a likelihood, not a certainty.
1175559
Saw an interesting program on this on the Science channel recently.  Basically scientists think it was because of a mega volcano that erupted that cause the first stage of the extintion.  Then world wide temperature rised 5 degrees and the methane in the bottom of the ocean evaporated and contributed to a super global warming and that raised the Earth's temperature another 5 degrees.  That was the most devastating extintion the planet saw and most of life on Earth and the Ocean died.
925385
Oh I dunno - earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, axe murderers, people who leave the gas on, that kind of thing, I guess. Or were you thinking more in the way of turning over awkwardly and breaking your neck?
32508
Maybe the correct way asking this question is :Was there a very big explosion in India thousands of years ago? The earth survived many disasters caused by meteorite falls. The affect of such a disaster can be compared only with nuclear explosions.
803494
Yes.  Global Warming is occuring.  It will just keep getting worse if we don't take measures to try and prevent things from getting worse.
1055838
We're not in heaven yet! =) We're still on earth, so yes, we still have environmental disasters which are called "natural" disasters. if we pray, there might be a miracle, but there will still be other disasters. But God promises us that He will be our shelter and comfort in times of trouble. \n\n"Do best for what is possible and let God for the impossible"\nif reducing cardom emissions and researching renewable energies and advanced agriculture reduce environmental  disasters then we should do it. We also pray to God. The two can go together. \n Look at our inventors. Most of them believe in God.
555359
No, because all of the materials used to make people are constantly being recycled.\n\nThe mass of the earth is increasing, however, because of the constant bombardment of the planet with cosmic dust and stuff.
1119271
Tsunamis and earthquakes we can do nothing about. They are what we call "acts of God". We cannot control them. \n\nWhat we can control is how we behave when they occur. We can be compassionate. We can be understanding. We can open our hearts and hands and help.\n\nWe need to learn more about the world we live in. It is actually a big world despite the fact that the Internet and telephones and televisions connect us so easily. But when we are miles away from the earthquake, when it happens, or if we just cannot get there when a hurricane hits or a tsunami happens, then we can only watch in awesome desperation.\n\nThe world is still growing and changing. Just like people are growing and changing. We just haven't gotten to the point when we can be there to help the moment horrible things happen.\n\nIf we could, we would. No matter what country we are from.\n\nPeople basically want to help out and be a brother to a person across the world from them. Most of the time, they just do not know how to do that well.
304041
Exactly none. There is a finite amount of energy stored on the planet in the form of fossil fuels. Burning it releases this energy. You cannot add more. There has been heat RELEASED by the burning of fossil fuels onthe planet, which many people believe causes global warming. The only heat energy added to the planet is solar energy.
1030641
humans are part of nature, so i'm worried most about some human pushing the BIG button..... a tsunami will wipe out some people, but atomic weapons detonating all over the planet would end us all.
24509
Partly.\nThe increasing emission of Green House gases in causing Global warming which is making the world's climate go topsy-turvy\n\nNow you have Summer heat waves in Europe, Snow fall in Dubai, the killer Hurricanes\n\nPerhaps it is time for Mankind to step back and think as to why these are happening\n\nBut I should state that Earth Quakes are not quite related to this effect (but then again, you would never know)
60411
We are pretty enduring.  \nMankind can do things to the planet no animal as far as we know, has ever done.  If you look at the ice cores from Greenland, you will see the variance in temperature before man is significant on the earth, is greater than man has seen while being on the earth.  Is it possible to overheat something that will heat itself far beyond any heating we could do?  While we can influence the earth's climate, we can not stop it or start it at will.  We party because as inhabitants we pale in comparison to the natural cycle the earth can and has gone through.  I only hope we are smart enough to manage the climate the earth can throw at us.