Casting doubt on global warming

For a number of years, atmospheric scientists and the media informed us every time the Earth’s temperature was higher than the previous year that it was evidence of global warming, most likely man-made. Now that there have been several years of global cooling (8/23, National/World, “Cooler temps fueling more climate debate”), we are told by the same crowd to ignore the evidence and trust in the theory, instead. This is science?

In another context, we were constantly reminded that science is based on evidence and to ignore it and have faith in an unproven idea is really religion.

I realize it would be difficult and even harmful to the reputation for those people who promoted this view to consider that they might have been wrong all these years, but are they scientists or believers? They ought to at least have the humility to prevail on the president and Congress to postpone passing economically devastating measures until their theory is proven by a resumption of global warming.

Robert Reimers
Gardner

Comments

[Okanagan Orchardist]

With more than 50% of Americans still believing in the literal interpretation of creationism ---despite the scientific proof against it --- it will be virtually impossible to convince these people ---particularly from the state of Kansas where the creationists are probably in the majority -- that climate change is indeed a fact.

This debate has become ludicrous. All we ask from the deniers is to become good stewards of Mother Earth and convince everyone else to do so as well. Then it will become a win/win situation for everyone. And as for you, Jazz-man, please refrain from suggesting that, because of your religion, you know what is best for everybody.

[Jack G.]

I recently had the occassion to drive from California to Texas, almost 1/2 the country. I was struck by the vast amounts of wide open spaces with a massive sky above it all. I saw a beautiful and vast country with very little population along the way. I looked at the vastness of the horizon and pondered the effect of emissions from the few cars on this 1200 mile drive. I thought about the fact that 2/3 of the world is covered by water, and recalled that when flying coast to coast much of the United States on the flight route was unpopulated. Take a similar trip for yourselves and observe. What do you see? I saw nature in all its beauty, and in perfect harmony. All I hear is gloom and doom from the Global Warming side, well where is it? They talk about it in terms of "ending the existence of life on earth" yet life abounds everywhere. "The tides will rise", well they haven't. I think that I will vote for waiting utill they actually do rise, before supporting something so economically devastating as cap and trade. After all, I'm orignially from the show me state.

[profmandia.blogspot.com]

http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/global_warming/global_dimming.html

My Global Cooling page clearly shows there has been NO GLOBAL COOLING. Please look at this before spreading this misinformation.

http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/global_warming/

Historian of science, Naomi Oreskes of UC San Diego, states “Scientific knowledge is the intellectual and social consensus of affiliated experts based on the weight of available empirical evidence, and evaluated according to accepted methodologies. If we feel that a policy question deserves to be informed by scientific knowledge, then we have no choice but to ask, what is the consensus of experts on this matter.”

Climate change has been extensively researched and the overwhelming majority of climate scientists agree that the observed modern day global warming is unprecedented and is very likely caused by humans. Although there is little serious debate between climate experts, many in the general public still think that these scientists are unsure about climate change and the role that humans have played in modern day global warming. The Website above summarizes some of the key research that has led scientists to their overwhelming consensus while also addressing some of the unfounded claims by climate change skeptics and denialists.

The only plausible explanation is that today's warming is primarily due to human activities. The increase in greenhouse emissions can easily account for this warming. There is robust evidence for the man-made global warming. There are no other known sources of warming that can explain the observed modern climate change. People that claim there is no warming or that the warming is not caused by humans have offered no credible alternate hypotheses. Yes, these folks make claims but none of the claims has stood up to scientific scrutiny. Because I see/hear much disinformation from well-intentioned folks, I feel it is my duty to try to educate people on this very important matter.

Unfortunately, it is an uphill battle because most of the real science is discussed in hard-to-read scientific journals and most of the bad science is easily accessible on Web pages, blogs, and other forms of mass media. Worse, there are political organizations such as The Heartland Institute that present themselves as scientific organizations but these organizations are directly and indirectly funded by the fossil fuel industry and others that stand to lose if greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.

Scott Mandia - New York

[pmcw]

Interestingly, the one person on this thread that has even a modicum of experience wrote that there is no clear proof that global warming (climate change et al) is being driven my human activity. Equally interesting is the fact that Al Gore aligned his substantial personal wealth with venture capitalist, Kleiner Perkins and invested HEAVILY in green initiatives that stand to reap huge rewards if our congress passes the very ill-conceived cap and trade legislation. Want to find the truth - follow the money. The real "inconvenient truth" is this is an attempt to "gore" America's wallets to fatten Al Gore's purse.

[Pub 17]

I have actual work to do, so I'll close out with a proposal for a Reverse Cash for Clunkers program.

I propose giving long-term Toyota drivers $45,000 allowances for their existing 25MPG vehicles in trade against Cadillac CTS-V's. That would give me, uh, them, payments they could handle, and stimulate the hell out of MY economy.

I'll take mine in Blue Diamond TriCoat, please.

[Pub 17]

Jazz-Man--
And what are we told? You DO NOT know the hour, you're not supposed to know the hour, you PERSONALLY must act as if you may be called in the next thirty seconds, but we are told repeatedly that we are to be good stewards.

At this point we would take a huge leap forward if we were to act as if we only have to preserve the Earth another twenty years!

[Pub 17]

What nonsense. If our economy is totally dependent upon destroying the only planet we have, we should, a) extract all the fossil fuel we can as fast and cheaply as we can, or b) grow up. Choose wisely.

[Keith Williams3]

Let me start by saying if I could get a Cadillac CTV-S I would and I would get it because of American Made and its green built exhaust. I’m not against green parse just over political use of green. My reason for saying taking it in an entire new direction is because of being a Christian the earth we inhabit is not a permanent planet, nor was it ever intended to be. The environmental movement is consumed with trying to preserve the planet forever, and we know this is not God's plan. Well that’s what I believe.

With global warming, as with any other topic, it is crucial to understand what the facts are, who those facts come from, how they are interpreted, and what the spiritual implications should be.

[Gary]

The global warmists' dirty little secret is that even using their suspect climate models, none of the proposals to reduce CO2 emissions (Kyoto included) would reduce future warming by more than a smidgeon. The only thing that would really be reduced is the already troubled economy.

[Pub 17]

Rouge--
Thank you. The height of one wave is irrelevant, the height of the tide is predictable. One cold day doesn't mean squat.

Jazz-Man--
The earth HAS to last forever. The idea that our generation can irrevocably use up some part of the earth means that we don't give a damn about where our grandchildren and their grandchildren are going to live.

This blog doesn't like my posting a link to the Cadillac CTV-S site. Google "Cadillac CTS-V 2009" -- 191 miles per hour, 25 mpg highway, exhaust so clean you can pipe it into the house, built in America by Americans. If we use our brains we don't have to suffer or "destroy the economy" to go green. If you're old enough you remember when Cadillacs had 500-cubic inch engines that got eight miles per gallon. I'LL GUARANTEE YOU THEY DIDN'T GO 191 MILES PER HOUR. Things CAN get better, Rouge--you just have to give up that 1974 4X4 Suburban with the 454 you love so dearly.

[Kee]

Pee poor analogy Pubsey. The height of a wave is not at all like weather prognositication. And as a matter of fact tides are very predictable. Here is some more warming for you...
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/near.record.cold.2.1153693.html

Grab a tree and hold on and go Ohmmmmmmmmm Pubesy, lol....

[Keith Williams3]

My point is as new products come out that will better serve us and earth it is good to partake but forced going green is not right.

Now I am going to take this in an entire different direction, My time on this earth is limited, and green goers are trying to preserve the planet forever; therefore going green is not particularly my nitch. I am for stewardship However; I will not allow environmentalism to become a form of idolatry, where the rights of an inanimate planet and its non-human creatures are held in higher esteem.

Once again as a Christians I should to treat our world with respect and good stewardship, but I will not allow politically-driven hysteria to dominate my view of the environment.

[Pub 17]

Rouge, you've come up with some howlers in the past, but
"Hmmm, they can't go out 24 hours with any accuracy yet they are positive about twenty years from now. Please."
goes in your top ten.
That's as ignorant as saying that you can't talk about "sea level" because that wave came up to here, but the next one only came up to there.

[Keith Williams3]

I’m all for cleaning up the ocean of garbage, all for recycling, All for clean (people getting new mufflers) I turn my lights off when not using them.

[Pub 17]

Jazz-Man, you can't turn the world around overnight. You wait till it's "proven" and it's too late. Your common sense tells you that six billion people are producing trillions of BTUs of heat with no place to go-the entire population of the world when the New Testament was written was about the same as the U.S. east of the Mississippi today. Is it really going to hurt us to practice good stewardship? How is turning from Chevy Caprices with 454 four-barrels to Chevy Volts "destroying the economy"?

[Kee]

They just can't stand it can they!

I remember in 1979 we were facing an extened period of gloval cooling, perhaps even another ice age! We had developed catlytic converters to change carbon monoxide into more friendly carbon dioxide.....

But now the"science" that tells us all definitely global warming is coming in twenty years give us the next day forecast in terms such as, "it could, might, there is a chance, perhaps there will, some pop-ups, no there is a 10, 20, 30, 40 etc. per cent of rain."

Hmmm, they can't go out 24 hours with any accuracy yet they are positive about twenty years from now. Please.

[Keith Williams3]

Talk about common sense, having a stroke warrants doing something, putting the world in a panic warrants medication. Can’t even compare the two. Like I said I’m for conservation, green bags to keep my food longer but green this and that is ridicules.

[Pub 17]

Yeah, how stupid Al Gore is. Let's clean up the mess AFTER it's so bad even mossbacks can't ignore it, it's so much cheaper and easier that way.

Grow up.

[Kee]

See what did I tell you? LMAO, where is Al Gore when you need him. Al, Al, quick come out to my house warm in up man, we are closing the pools a month early!

[Pub 17]

Jazz-Man
Let's pretend that this afternoon you experience the following:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Now, what you're going to do is,
a) Do nothing. You've been doing fine for years, and you probably just had a bad clam for lunch, OR
b) Go to the E.R. You've probably just had a stroke.
You COULD follow course a), until it's been absolutely and definitely proven you've had a stroke.
Unfortunately, you're now dead. It's too late to do anything.

Use your common sense. If you stick six billion people in a closed room, how reasonable is it to believe that NOTHING is going to happen to the air and temperature in that room?