You're correct that satellites can only provide us with relatively recent data, but scientists have used arctic ice cores and rock samples dating back hundreds of thousands of years to show the rise in atmospheric CO2 levels. The data shows a drastic spike in atmospheric CO2 during the last century. http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ As for my personal opinion, I think we're toast. We're far too selfish, divided, and concerned with immediate gratification to change our course. I don't dwell on it too much, though. I find my time better spent in front of nice warm tire and plastic bottle fire.

I don't understand all of the sympathy for Assange. His motivation seems to be rooted in a desire for attention, and it's hard to imagine that he didn't see what he was getting himself into. I would also imagine it's safe to say that, had he aired the dirty laundry of any government of a large country in Asia, his fortunes would have been far worse. For a man that postures himself as an advocate of freedom of press and information, I find it puzzling that he hosts a show on a network that is partly paid for by Vladmir Putin, and seeks refuge in a country that is currently clamping down on its media outlets. I guess the enemy of the enemy is your friend, or so goes it in the realm of diplomacy - the same dark netherworld that Assange sought to expose.