I too have a problem with the terminology that is used, IMHO, too loosely.
1) Is there global warming? Yes there is, we are in an interglacial period. I live on the Lake Erie coast and own land that has been modified by glacial transgression and regression as the last retreat started, stopped, expanded, and retreated again. Lake Erie is the product of the latest retreat from the last glacial maximum, the Wisconsin. As the ice retreated larger lakes were formed starting 14000 ya , Lake Maumee, followed only 400 years later by Lake Arkona, a low water phase was next Lake Ypsilanti, 13000 ya Lake Whittlesley when a glacial pulsation occurred called the Port Huron occurred, followed by a retreat of the ice forming Lake Warren and Lake Lane and then Lake Lundy…. I could go through all the stages but Lake Erie came to be in its approximate current position only about 4000 ya. The point is there have been many glacial expansions and retreats in North America within a geologic instant of 14000 years while humans were living here. (See link below for reference).
2) Have human actions increased the rate of change? Possibly, but personally, the question that has to be answered is, is the rate of carbonate deposition (limestone in the making) world wide sequestering the additional carbon that we are putting into the system increasing, decreasing, or staying the same. This is an impossible question to answer. It can only be estimated at spot locations and extrapolated. Would it lag behind our inputs, yes, but by how much, unknown, it can only be estimated. Increased CO2 accelerates weathering of rocks transferring HCO3- into ground water and then into the oceans for deposition. Possibly sedimentation is increasing as it has in the past in similar situations.
3) The Little Ice Age ended only 200 ya. Could it be that our industrial activity is staving off a reoccurrence of an ice advance that could be very deleterious to those living in the northern hemisphere; that would be most of us? I would suggest that we are not sure, but probably not.
4) Being good stewards of the planet only makes sense. More research and study makes sense. But, thinking that, on the big scale of things, we have control over this planets climate is nothing short of arrogant.
My personal observation is that as I learn more, I find that there is more to know. Let’s hope that the Yellowstone super plume doesn’t erupt. Let’s hope that the rate of sea floor spreading doesn’t increase. I f they do, there isn’t anything that we can do about it. Let’s also hope we can duck any big rocks that are floating around.
THE HISTORY OF LAKE ERIE by Michael C. Hansen