James Hansen, of "The Sky is Burning" fame, stated recently that we have essentially reached the point of no return in the "man-caused climate change" debate. Meanwhile, after surveying the evidence, most Britons have decided that Hansen must be making a lot of money from the Al Gore Climate Change Campaign.The sky is falling...I think.
Hansen's opinion is that those in big energy should be thrown in prison. I give as my counter-opinion that Hansen and Al Gore should be thrown in prison for trying to scare the crap out of people with unfactual "facts".
At any rate, according to James Hansen, we have reached the point of no return, with nothing to show for it, but if we go any farther, it could get really, really, bad, instead of just really bad.In testimony before congress Monday
Dr. Hansen, who heads NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and who advises Al Gore on the environment, testified once again to the existence and dangers of global warming. He presented charts that predict the loss of the entire Arctic ice shelf within two decades, and stated that we are already past safe levels of CO2 in our atmosphere.Hansen also said
that CEOs of big oil and coal companies should be tried for crimes against humanity and nature for purposefully misinforming and misdirecting the public in regards to global warming...Hey, now there's an idea. Since Hansen gave his opinion on global warming--which is 90% substantiated (10 percent is a pretty big uncertainty, by the way) by a plethora of scientists on the government dole--that those in big energy should be thrown in prison, I give as my counter-opinion that Hansen and Al Gore should be thrown in prison for trying to scare the crap out of people with unfactual "facts".
By the way, that arctic ice shelf? It's
It is important to talk about how warmings have actually happened in the past, and not place all the blame on people, especially if you only dare to do it with 90% certainty. If the blame is in the wrong place, the solutions will be, too.
not been shrinking as of late, the victim of a global climate that has not warmed in nearly 11 years. What about the Antarctic? That ice is growing. Including the sea ice. Large chunks that have recently broken off are likely because of more ice than due to less.Brian Fagan, in his new book The Great Warming, chronicled an event that is not very convenient to many scientists--you know, the ones who say that man is to blame and so we need to take away liberty in order that earth doesn't explode--those people. Fagan says that there was a great warming in the 12th and 12th centuries. Interestingly, man could not have caused it. Fagan's main point is that such warmings are difficult to deal with, regardless of how they happen.
I think, therefore, it is important to talk about how warmings have actually happened in the past, and not place all the blame--with the accompanying notion that government can solve the crisis by taking away man's freedoms--on people, especially if you only dare to do it with 90% certainty. If you place the blame in the wrong place, likely your solutions will not be solutions after all.
A majority of Britons agree. They're starting to get sick of all the people who are getting paid by the government to be CCCL's (Climate Change Chicken Littles).
The majority of the British public is still not convinced that climate change is caused by humans - and many others believe scientists are exaggerating the problem, according to an exclusive poll for The Observer.Why are people souring on the climate change swindle? Because, in large part, they're getting smarter.
The results have shocked campaigners who hoped that doubts would have been silenced by a report last year by more than 2,500 scientists for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which found a 90 per cent chance that humans were the main cause of climate change and warned that drastic action was needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
There is growing concern that an economic depression and rising fuel and food prices are denting public interest in environmental issues. Some environmentalists blame the public's doubts on last year's Channel 4 documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle, and on recent books, including one by Lord Lawson, the former Chancellor, that question the consensus on climate change.
I think the biggest problem with this whole farce, is that instead of encouraging people to be environmentally responsible, it's driving people in the other direction.
ReplyDeleteI think there is definite value in educating people about ways to reduce our impact on the world around us, but even more I value to option to choose to be responsible because it's the right thing to do and because I want to do it, not because I've been terrorized into it.
UK, you're being forced to change your activities by high energy prices brought about by environmental policies put in place because of global warming.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say I'm being forced, but it is a motivating factor - and not a good one either.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to articulate my thoughts on this, because of all the BS that is involved. It's just become a very polarizing issue, and both sides are laughing all the way to bank, while the the average Joe gets screwed.
UK,
ReplyDeleteHear, hear! Very good point. It is critical that we be environmentally responsible. Some people, I fear, though, are going the other way simply because they're being told to, much like a kid doesn't do his chores simply because mom or dad told him he had to.
Cameron,
I agree with you--mostly. Environmental policies have caused a great deal of the high energy prices that we have. But also, John McCain had his finger in the pot of energy deregulation, which allowed Enron to rape California and most of the country, and which is now (or at least until recently) allowing investment firms to not just speculate, but to buy up huge quantities of petroleum in an effort to maintain an artificially high price that is as much as 50% too high. Watch the story here.