07.02.2009 5:39 pm
Climate change deniers follow typical but strange pattern
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Mr. O’Toole’s skeptical letter on global warming follows a typical but strange pattern. He denies that it’s happening and admits that it’s happening (but it’s natural). Let me address his errors. First, global temperatures have NOT cooled in the last decade. Here is what global-warming deniers must do to make this claim (other than outright lying): 1998 was an extremely warm year, so they compare the average temperature of the last ten years to 1998. This allegedly shows that temperatures are cooling. Unfortunately for them, if they select 1997, they must admit that every year since then has been hotter. If they select 1999, they must admit the same thing. If they choose ANY year on record prior to 1998, they must admit that every year after 2000 has been warmer. Only 1998 works for them. Scientists use all the data. They don’t pick and choose. As for the increased ice at the South Pole, warmer temperatures have allowed more precipitation to fall in the form of snow. As for climate changing naturally in the past, well, forest fires occur naturally too. That does not mean we don’t cause forest fires. If projections of 5°C warming in this century are realized, we will experience about the same warming that occurred over a 5 thousand year period at the end of the last ice age. That is not natural!
William Moran
Innsbrook
Maybe Dr. D-bag should bone up on some very simple math before he proofs other’s posts.
Boob,
–Called game, he said to ask you to debunk this statement:
–It is the height of arrogance to think that ANYTHING we did would matter.
We could totally cut ALL man-made CO2 emissions tomorrow, and it would make no decipherable difference. One volcanic eruption spews more carbon into the air than all man-made CO2 EVER emitted.
–OK, go…
Today, OUR EPA head stated that the cap and trade bill will DO NOTHING for carbon levels, other greenhouse gases, or climate change it China and India are not on board. Of course both have made it clear they will not participate, so this destruction of our economy is being done with our knowledge that it will do nothing. Hope and change.
Just how many volcanic eruptions have we had in the last 50 years? Were there more or less in years previous? What has been the biggest impact on the earth in the last fifty years to drive up carbon in the atmosphere by 30%?
It can’t possibly be human activity. It must be cow farts.
” What has been the biggest impact on the earth in the last fifty years to drive up carbon in the atmosphere by 30%?
It can’t possibly be human activity. It must be cow farts.”-jellio-
–No, as it turns out, it’s termites…at least according to this guy:
http://www.forces.org/Forces_Articles/article_viewer.php?id=615 -
–Very interesting reading, must not be part of your consensus.
There’s no point.
I concede. Global warming is caused by termites and cow farts. Man has nothing to do with it. Continue burning stuff. Don’t look into renewable energy. We’ll never run out of things to burn.
Jellio,
–Don’t have the answers. That is the POINT. Nobody does, yet Obama is willing to destroy our economy and tax us to the nth degree, and for what?
–To try and reduce a greenhouse gas that is 98% of natural origin? If we COULD reduce by 10-20% that 2% of man-made emissions, then so what?
–Open your eyes and see the TRUTH, that nobody KNOWS anything for sure. Least of all Algore. THAT IS THE POINT.
–BTW, nothing personal, think you are a well-meaning and passionate person to be commended for your thoughts. Enjoy the give and take with you. At least you are spirited and can take a joke, unlike your dog, Bob.
De Bunk,
Can’t you even consider the economic sense of exploring renewable energy? “Drill baby drill,” doesn’t solve our energy problems, it just puts more oil onto the world market for the highest bidder to consume. It’s not our oil. It belongs to the company who pays for the drilling rights and licensing to get the oil.
Maybe solar and wind, as it is today, will not provide all of our energy needs, but science and invention should make it much more efficient if we just put some of our energy demand into that platform. I’m using your language, free market stuff. Has the oil and coal industry sewn up the legislative process just like the health insurance industry with millions of dollars to prohibit innovation, so that monopolies can retard growth?