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These are precisely the kind of questions that good, skeptical scientists have been asking. Their research has led to a stronger and stronger consensus that human activities are having an effect, and it appears to be quite substantial. The debate, among scientists with perspectives such as yours (and mine) but far more expertise and in-depth knowledge of the research than we have, is now moving to a different level. Now they are asking if we may be on the verge of a tipping point in climate, and if so, what actions can we take to avoid it. (If human activity is moving us in one direction, the presumption is that the trend can be reversed by changes in our actions.) I'll be reading new books on that issue soon, and you may wish to visit The Science Shelf and subscribe to receive alerts of new reviews, but the older books I've cited above and in another discussion on this blog will help you understand the current consensus and how it has been reached. To understand why so many well-intentioned people are still giving so much credence to the doubters, read The Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney. I approached that book as a skeptic, but I came out persuaded that science is indeed under ideological attack in the U.S. today. The word "Republican" in the title transforms what I see as an ideological fight into a partisan one. I'm still debating that angle, though for now the Democrats do seem to doing a better job of interpreting science in order to propose political policies. Fred Bortz -- Science and technology books for young readers (www.fredbortz.com) and Science book reviews (www.scienceshelf.com)