Lost among all the scandals these days, was a very interesting article by an environmental reporter for the New York Times on Monday. Justin Gillis explained in his report that the current "plateau" in the warming of the Earth does not indicate that there has been any slowing in the long term rate of global warming. The contortions that Gillis goes through to "support" his conclusion are actually quite funny to see.
First of all, Gillis has to acknowledge that the atmosphere of this planet has not warmed over the last 15 years. You can sense his pain as he makes this acknowledgement. Gillis tells us, however, that scientists can calculate all the extra energy kept on the Earth due to the presence of of carbon dioxide, so that energy must be going somewhere. He says that there are five or six possible explanations, including that the heat has gone to the deep ocean, but he has to admit that the scientists "do not understand" what is going on. (That is his terminology, not mine.)
Next, Gillis tells us that claims that carbon dioxide is not the cause of global warming are ludicrous. Here's how he puts that:
We certainly cannot conclude, as some people want to, that carbon dioxide is not actually a greenhouse gas. More than a century of research thoroughly disproves that claim.
Gillis goes on to tell us that the warming trend has been going on much longer than just the last 15 or 50 years. That, of course, is the point. In the sixteen, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Earth experienced a so called "mini ice age". This culminated in 1816 when temperatures hit new lows mostly as a result of volcanic activity that year. Since 1816, the trend has been towards warmer temperatures. Gillis is correct that there has been a long term warming across the Earth.
So what is the problem? Gillis is correct! The problem, however, is that the engines and industrial processes that have poured out man made carbon dioxide did not really begin to appear in large numbers for at least a century after the warming started. Even in Gillis' world ruled by the global warming religion, the cause comes before the effect. Carbon dioxide cannot cause warming if it only appears 100 years after the start of the warming trend.
Gillis does try to explain why there have been other stops or "plateaus" in the global warming trend in the past. Here, it gets truly funny. Gillis explains that particulate matter in the air reflected much of the sunlight during past ears, so the warming stopped. The soot in question was then removed from the air and the warming continued. If we translate that into English, what Gillis is actually saying is that prior environmentalist crusades to clean up air pollution are actually the cause of global warming. Indeed, Gillis says that China's heavy pollution may actually work to stop further warming.
Look, the truth needs to be told. There is no proof that carbon dioxide causes warming. If that relationship were real, then the computer models which have failed so miserably to predict current temperatures would work. The fact that these models do not work means that other factors are at work determining world temperatures. And as to this factors, Gillis is indeed correct. The scientists do not understand them.
This is a serious subject. It is one that merits detailed and continuing scientific exploration. It is not, however, one on which there is anything approaching settled science. There is only settled religious dogma. The sooner that global warming proponents realize this truth, the better off we all will be.
First of all, Gillis has to acknowledge that the atmosphere of this planet has not warmed over the last 15 years. You can sense his pain as he makes this acknowledgement. Gillis tells us, however, that scientists can calculate all the extra energy kept on the Earth due to the presence of of carbon dioxide, so that energy must be going somewhere. He says that there are five or six possible explanations, including that the heat has gone to the deep ocean, but he has to admit that the scientists "do not understand" what is going on. (That is his terminology, not mine.)
Next, Gillis tells us that claims that carbon dioxide is not the cause of global warming are ludicrous. Here's how he puts that:
We certainly cannot conclude, as some people want to, that carbon dioxide is not actually a greenhouse gas. More than a century of research thoroughly disproves that claim.
Gillis goes on to tell us that the warming trend has been going on much longer than just the last 15 or 50 years. That, of course, is the point. In the sixteen, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Earth experienced a so called "mini ice age". This culminated in 1816 when temperatures hit new lows mostly as a result of volcanic activity that year. Since 1816, the trend has been towards warmer temperatures. Gillis is correct that there has been a long term warming across the Earth.
So what is the problem? Gillis is correct! The problem, however, is that the engines and industrial processes that have poured out man made carbon dioxide did not really begin to appear in large numbers for at least a century after the warming started. Even in Gillis' world ruled by the global warming religion, the cause comes before the effect. Carbon dioxide cannot cause warming if it only appears 100 years after the start of the warming trend.
Gillis does try to explain why there have been other stops or "plateaus" in the global warming trend in the past. Here, it gets truly funny. Gillis explains that particulate matter in the air reflected much of the sunlight during past ears, so the warming stopped. The soot in question was then removed from the air and the warming continued. If we translate that into English, what Gillis is actually saying is that prior environmentalist crusades to clean up air pollution are actually the cause of global warming. Indeed, Gillis says that China's heavy pollution may actually work to stop further warming.
Look, the truth needs to be told. There is no proof that carbon dioxide causes warming. If that relationship were real, then the computer models which have failed so miserably to predict current temperatures would work. The fact that these models do not work means that other factors are at work determining world temperatures. And as to this factors, Gillis is indeed correct. The scientists do not understand them.
This is a serious subject. It is one that merits detailed and continuing scientific exploration. It is not, however, one on which there is anything approaching settled science. There is only settled religious dogma. The sooner that global warming proponents realize this truth, the better off we all will be.
2 comments:
Jeff you gotta see& hear this.
It really is Chris Matthews.
WOW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_XCZqDOgd4
Thanks for the link. The video is from a show about three weeks ago or so. Matthews has since calmed down a lot, but he got it right originally: the government under Obama is totally out of control. As he put it, the steering wheel no longer guides the car.
Post a Comment