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Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 12:47 pm Post subject: Global Warming Deniers
A book disputing that a consensus on global warming exists has been making some impact. It's titled The Deniers: The world-Renowned Scientists Who Stood Up Against Global Warming Hysteria, Political Persecution, and Fraud--and Those Who Were Too Fearful to Do So , by Lawrence Solomon. The author, a Canadian writer for The National Post, has some solid environmentalist credientials. Some of his articles for the National Post that were incorporated into the book are available online.
I've considered it an article of faith that a consensus on global warming does exist, and that the Al Gore version is basically right. But Solomon appears to merit a serious look. The Amazon reviews of the book help to make me think so. There may be a more significant other side than I've been willing to recognize
DWill.
But what about the melting going on in the north - Alaska and the glaciers? It is undeniable that the glaciers and the permafrost in Alaska are melting.
I don't doubt for a minute that Global Warming is happening but I do question (having read and listened to Scientists' arguments) whether it is being caused by CO2 emissions.
I have to admit that we do pollute the planet......ie plastic bags and bottles and although I find it irksome to separate all my rubbish into paper, plastic, glass, aluminium cans, garden compostable rubbish.... We have five different bins per household!!!! But I do it, because I can see that it needs to be done.
The arguments I have read and heard don't seem to be able to agree as to what is causing global warming......or even what is the largest producer of CO2. For some years they said it was cows......now they say it is termites.......but surely the numbers of termites haven't fluctuated that much over the centuries.
God, I'm confused! Sometimes we don't know whether what's being disputed is whether the warming is occurring globally (which does seem to be obvious, as Saffron says), or whether we have been the cause of it. I would suspect Solomon and the elite scientists he interviews are skeptical about the latter, but maybe there are discordant data even about the former. I think what frightens many is that we may dither for decades about whether action will do any good, while the world goes to hell in a handbasket. In any case, what's an average, scientifically unschooled Joe like me to think?
DWill
DWill, in my view, climate change deniers are Quislings to the oil industry, taking the devil's coin to spread lies in service of profit. It often happens that such mercenaries take scientists' comments out of context, pretending minor points are the main message. If you had three blankets on your bed on a summer night, would adding a fourth blanket make you warmer? That is what is happening with the anthropogenic CO2 emissions which have increased the atmospheric carbon load from 500 gigatonnes to 800 gigatonnes since the start of the industrial revolution. Shifting carbon at such a scale from under the earth into the air is not sustainable. We need large scale new transformative technologies such as algae biodiesel to be introduced rapidly, so we can stop this mad global experiment with fossil fuels. Otherwise, its Venus here we come.
And thank you for not pointing out that cows do not produce CO2 but Methane as do the termites. It is kind of you not draw attention to my numpty brain.
DWill, if you are an ordinary Joe......I'm Henry Kissinger!!!!!!
We're all confused, DWill. Everytime I see another statistic I cringe; where did that come from and what axe is he grinding? Wheat from the chaff, huh?
We're all confused, DWill. Everytime I see another statistic I cringe; where did that come from and what axe is he grinding? Wheat from the chaff, huh?
Ralph
I am with Ralph. It is very frustrating trying to sort through this issue. The only thing I feel certain of is the melting that is going on in the north.
Well, what do you know.....Daisy.....some sense from Dallas!!!!
Isn't it hard when you want to help and you feel helpless?
I keep trying to do my little bit.....but then, some years ago, my daughter worked for 'Greenpeace' and was arrested for destroying GM crops....she was in prison for 36 hours....then at the trial....she was acquited with 28 other protesters from Greenpeace.....but she never would do it again....and, although I am proud....I never want her to do it again!!
We must keep discussing the issues between ourselves....then at least we might have an idea as to what is going on....even if we can't do much about it.
Kind of like "Save Africa" in the 1990's. And Africa is still mostly a mess.
