State of Fear and Global Warming

Let me start out by saying that I am trying to have a reasonable, intelligent, well-thought-0ut discussion about global warming. I am not advocating either side, so please no flames or tirades. That said...

I recently read "State of Fear" by Michael Crichton. I admit that it was a very enjoyable read, including the added material after the body of the book. Crichton obviously did a lot of research (supposedly for two years) for this book. And he has compelling arguments supported by scientific references.

I know that a lot of environmental groups have written counter-arguments because of the book. This makes sense, since Crichton refutes the claims of these groups. Crichton makes the argument that global warming is a religious movement, meaning it is faith-based rather than fact-based. I hadn't really thought of it (or other topics) in this way, but it makes sense to me.

Now, I don't claim to be an expert in this area, but I am trying to educate myself enough to speak intelligently on this topic. And I want to discuss it based on reality, facts, peer-reviewed science, ... So, some questions for those more knowledgeable than me:

• Without using any future projections (i.e. guesses), what proof is there that CO2 or other human changes have led to long-term temperature rises on earth? I'm talking about overall, with localized affects like warming in big cities due to lots of asphalt, taken into account.
  
• Given that Antarctica is getting colder with resulting thicker ice, how does "global warming" explain this?
• How is "global warming" different than cyclical temperature changes that have occurred before?

I'll leave it at that for now. I know that is a plethora of other items we could discuss, but lets start with this. Again, replies should include peer-reviewed scientific evidence. Posts with unsupported claims will be ignored. That said, replies are welcome and encouraged.

Mark