The great Global Warming Swindle

[peter macdonald]

http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=634922007

i like some of the comments on here..."Global warming is just a tax dodge from goverments" Im shocked to think that Gordon would do such a thing (sic)
"The more frightening issue is that the "thought police" are trying to suppress any contrary argument. 'Global warming' is becoming a religion. It is theory not a fact" The MP John Redwood had a "visit" after his global warming comments
from his web diary

The thought police visit the site

I was not surprised today to be phoned by the Daily Mirror, working in conjunction with a Labour MP, to call me in for questioning about my blogsite. Free discussion and commonsense are clearly not welcomed in some quarters.

The immediate complaint came about global warming. Apparently suggesting that there could be any favourable consequences from global warming is akin to a crime against humanity - we need to concentrate on the gloom and doom that could descend if it was hotter and sunnier in the summer.

Had I not understood the dreadful consequences for people in Bangladesh or Africa, I was asked. When I pointed out I did favour preventive action to tackle water shortages and vulnerability to sea surges, and had made a speech in Parliament about that, I got the impression that did not count. It was still wrong to say anything good about global warming. For much of the developing world it would be great to have a water supply in running taps today, before the future consequences of global warming

So I pointed out that they run the UK at the moment, and carbon emissions are rising. They run the government, whose carbon emissions are rising. If they are so sure higher carbon can damage the people of the developing world, why are they so incapable of controlling their own emissions? Why is their beloved EU pushing up its emissions at a faster rate than the USA? And why are India and China doing so?

If global warming theory is correct we are in for a lot of global warming. There is no evidence that the EU, the US or BRIC are going to curb their emissions anytime soon. So shouldn’t we start planing to handle the consequences?

PM

[George Brims]

Where is your evidence that Global Warming is a swindle? The reactions of some politicians and business people to it or to people's awareness of it may be suspect, but the scientific case is closed.

This takes me back to the early 1970s when some scientists started saying that CFCs were going to damage the ozone layer. "Nonsense" "Commies who want to damage economic development" "Bad science" "No evidence" "We must do further research before taking action" etc etc etc

1985 rolls around and Woops! there's a great big hole over Antarctica and it's getting bigger all the time.

Here's a good summary of the whole story and of how various people opposed the truth.

http://www.wunderground.com/education/ozone_skeptics.asp

[quirbal]

Open minded about global warming, whilst I agree that humans are adding to the problem, I am not convinced that they are completely to blame.

[fred]

Where is your evidence that Global Warming is a swindle? The reactions of some politicians and business people to it or to people's awareness of it may be suspect, but the scientific case is closed.


"The great Global Warming Swindle" was a documentary on channel 4 which looked very convincing at the time but did not stand up to scrutiny. They took out of date information, information disproved years ago and scientific data known to be flawed and put it together with lots of hype and graphs, to cast doubt on global warming.

The program's director Martin Durkin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Durkin_%28television_director%29) has a lot of previous form for similar misrepresentations.

[rich]

The overwhelming scientific consensus is that global warming is real and it is a threat.
Achieving unanimity - or near unanimity - is an extraordinary scientific feat.
It leads me to believe that they are likely wrong.
Nevertheless there are advantages in getting ready to avert doomsday. I look forward to the disappearance of the automobile and to the limited use of electricity. I want horses and windmills - real widnmills - not the ghastly machines that are set to infest the Caithness landsacape.
Anything that promotes the use of the bicyle shoud be encouraged.
It is interesting to note some of the scare stories science has come up with - using aluminum pots can lead to Alzheimer's; eggs are bad for you....oh, dear, I just ran out of scary science stories. And yes, the scientists were correct about fluorocarbons.
Can anyone come up with more scary science stories than my rather feeble twosome?

[rich]

Rising to meet my own challenge of scary science stories:
Malthus and overpopulation
Fear of a new ice age
Overhead power lines cause cancer
HIV is NOT the cause of AIDS
And finally anything at all believed in by Prince Charles.
However none of this stuff can be used to rebut global warming theorists because it is not connected. Those who do not believe in global warming have to make a case based on data, not on past scary science stories

[George Brims]

Speaking as someone with a family history of high cholesterol and heart disease I can assure you that on balance eggs *are* bad for you . Unlike the global warming skeptics I do not convert my disappointment about that into denial.

The aluminium/Alzheimers thing is a perfect example of what happens when journalists get hold of a scienctific report and misrepresent it to the public. Scientists didn't make any causal link, they merely reported (and have since clarified the cause of) the phenomenon of aluminium accumulating in brain cells in people with the disease.

[badger]

Hear, hear Rich. I love real windmills and wouldn't life be more restful if we weren't all rushing around in cars, or even just not rushing around. If you go to Mary Ann's Cottage in Dunnet (when it's open which it's not yet) you'll see how content people used to be. They lived a simple life on a basic healthy diet of food mainly grown by themselves, it was had work but neighbours helped each other out and this couple at least lived to be nearly 100. Probably didn't get far from home but what you don't know you don't miss.

Ok, that's a bit rose tinted but there must be something to be said for more time to stand and stare and it certainly used a lot fewer energy resources.

[j4bberw0ck]

but the scientific case is closed

Which scientific case is that? The one that says more CO2 = warmer temperatures? Just curious.

I agree with Peter's post - it's become the new heresy NOT to go along with the populist line. Global warming is a hypothesis, no more; certainly not a theory, since the climate models don't work, the forecasts are confused, and it's not possible to predict future events from what's known now........ much of the the rest is political spin.

I don't dispute it's happening. But I'm not sure the human race is the cause.

[horseman]

Hi rich, loved your bit about horses and windmills.But being a neddy rider,it must surely slow down the pace of life somewhat.Come to think of it, that was surely what you were aiming for.:D Nice one.

[oldmarine]

Every where people report what appears to be global warming. My question: is this a cyclic thing that happens ever so often over a period of time (centuries) or is it as some of the alarmists report "people caused?" Depending on which report you read, each side report the facts as they see them.

[Semiazas]

Regardless of its validity right at this moment in time, it's surely a good thing that it's an issue at all?

[fred]

Hi rich, loved your bit about horses and windmills.But being a neddy rider,it must surely slow down the pace of life somewhat.Come to think of it, that was surely what you were aiming for.:D Nice one.

People in cars are always late, you see them all the time rushing to be there on time and arriving late, busses are late, trains are later and with planes you can be sat around at airports for days, the faster things get the later they get. With a horse you can say "I'll be there Thursday" and get there on time.

[rich]

My secret weapon - to be used against global warming and unhealthy eating is a CROCKPOT. It is slow, it takes time, it is environmentaly friendly, it makes meat safer to eat because one avoids the carcinogens produced by grilling.
You can't beat that!
I believe there is a "keep it slow" movement that is flourishing in - of all places - italy.

[rich]

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/04/24/the-italian-dichotomy-slow-local-food-insanely-fast-cars/

The above is the adress for a marvellous little Utube clip about fast cars and slow food in Italy. I hope it works for you. If not Google!

[rich]

Wow! There's a Slow City movement!
http://www.citymayors.com/environment/slow_cities.html

[Cattach]

Warm out there today and only April. Been great for weeks and a really mild winter but unusual storms. Reason - Global Warming - Cause - mostly man and a few women too!!

[Boozeburglar]

If you go to Mary Ann's Cottage in Dunnet (when it's open which it's not yet) you'll see how content people used to be. They lived a simple life on a basic healthy diet of food mainly grown by themselves, it was had work but neighbours helped each other out and this couple at least lived to be nearly 100. Probably didn't get far from home but what you don't know you don't miss.

Ok, that's a bit rose tinted but there must be something to be said for more time to stand and stare and it certainly used a lot fewer energy resources.

Last time I was there the peat smoke was belching out of the place, I sat down to scones and tea before heading back over the hill. There were plenty of very unhappy crofters living around Dunnet back in the day. On balance I think people are happier nowadays. Crofting was a miserable life for the majority, now being peddled as some quaint archaic way of life carried on by primitives who knew no better. Tourist fodder, no more. If you fancy a day to day endurance fight till the day you drop dead you are welcome, but the people from that background can't get out of it quick enough given the chance.

What we need to develop are low impact versions of all the conveniences we now take for granted. That way the ‘developing’ world can have the technology and lifestyle without the huge damage development cost us. We won’t get there by looking backwards through any kind of spectacles.