Well we do know that CO2 is rising.
We also see what extremely high level of CO2 does to planets (see Venus).
All the same, I don't believe we are causing irreparable damage to the environment. Technology is improving emissions output, and increased plant life will filter out the CO2 in the decades to come.
We also know that the CO2 level reaches a "point of diminishing effect" and that Regular H2O in the form of water vapor is way more powerful as a "greenhouse" gas than carbon dioxide.
The Al Gore libs hate it when that fact leaks out.
"We also see what extremely high level of CO2 does to planets (see Venus). "
I don't agree that Venus can be used as an accurate model to infer anything about Earth. It is probably one of the biggest sources of misconceptions about a "run away Green House effect" as it relates to Earth. The history of Venus and Earth are largely different. It appears likely that Venus had a moon created in a collision and then somehow lost it in another collision. Venus for whatever reason did not develop the same mechanisms that occurred on Earth which allowed a more favorable environment for life to arise whether that be because of a different chemical/gas distribution or impacts that exceeded what occurred to early earth it is clear Venus and Earth have never been the identical twins that early science writers imagined.
That said, I can only hope the reality that the CO2 levels on Earth started out at levels as much as 80 to 600 (24000-80000ppm)times the current levels when the sun's solar output was 25% less. There are only two periods the Late Carboniferous and our current period where CO2 Levels have averaged less than 400ppm. The hysteria is really out of control. We are no where near the concentrations of CO2(1500ppm) that existed at the times of extensive inland oceans and vast balmy forests of ferns filled with giant insects. So it can easily be said with confidence that we are in no danger of creating a run away greenhouse effect through our paltry emissions. Even the Cambrian period had CO2 levels of as much as 7000 ppm. If you also take into account the Earth's has been losing its internal heat for sometime it is clear that only a fool(Al Gore) could believe the doomsday scenarios that are being passed off as science. We are in no danger of losing the icecaps and the melting of Glaciers is not going to deluge the world.
Here are some interesting articles
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061017085135.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041117003741.htm
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/venus_life_040826.html
I have a hard time believing that CO2 from auto emissions is anywhere near the amount of CO2 deliberately created for the trillions of gallons of carbonated soft drinks made each year. Almost all of which is released unchanged into the atmosphere.
Well THOSE levels of CO2 aren't currently even plausible here on earth. We're arguing about a couple of hundred parts per million here, with an ecosystem that uses CO2 for food, compared to multiple tens of thousands of parts per million on Venus.
The proportion of CO2 in Venus atmosphere is 96.5%. On Mars, CO2 makes up 95% of the atmosphere. Mars is significantly colder than anywhere on earth.
CO2 on earth accounts for less than 0.01% of the atmosphere.
However, it's true that the amount of CO2 in earth's atmosphere is increasing.