[billorites]

I'm fascinated by the whole global warming / climate change debate. It represents an issue where science, politics and religion all converge. No wonder that people get so heated when their scientific arguments are responded to with a religious answer, or vice versa. Anyway... Science has a great deal to say about the issue. These are six points that science can speak to regarding the whole issue. All are open to debate, but are still answerable, IMHO.

1) That global warming was actually happening.

2) That it was the result of human activity (not just normal cyclical natural variations).

3) That the degree of human-caused global warming would cause significant harmful consequences.

4) That these consequences could be reversed by taking certain actions.

5) That any such proposed action (such as the Kyoto treaty) would actually be effective in preventing/reversing the harm.

6) That any such proposed action wouldn't cause worse harm than it prevented (i.e., that the "cure" wouldn't be worse than the "disease").

[curiosity]

#1 has been answered in the affirmative. No one denies that the earth has been warming.

#2 has also been answered in the affirmative, but the degree to which it is man made is open to some debate. But asside from a handful of cranks, no one doubts that human activity has had a significant impact.

The rest of your questions are all very much open to debate. IMHO, economists are probably better equipped to answer questions 5-6 than are scientists.