Posted by
Steve on Thursday, March 22, 2007 2:54:48 PM
Al Gore went to Capital Hill yesterday and testified before Congress on global warming. To hear Al Gore talk, global warming is a fact. He also said that ALL scientists agreed that global warming was man made. That is a bald faced lie. There are thousands of scientists that disagree that global warming is man made. Many of them are leaders in the field of climate and global studies.
We know that throughout time the temperature has gone up and it has gone down. We know that the average temperature has been much hotter and much colder during long stretches of time. We also know that we have data on the temperature from a very short period of time. The thermomotor was invented in the 1800's. It was not commonly available until late in the 1800's. The data available from that time is only as good as the people that gathered it. It is really only since around the time of Sputnik that we have accurate data for the entire globe. 50-60 years of accurate global data is not enough information with which to throw out our entire culture.
Al Gore cited the computer models as supporting global warming. Computer models have been spectacularly wrong about climate since computer models were first used. Also, if I have a bias that global warming exists, I can put information in the computer model to support my position. We have to rely on facts. We cannot rely on speculation. Computer modeling is speculation. I will admit it is impressive speculation, but it is still speculation.
Fact: the temperature has risen 0.7 degrees Centigrade in the last 100+ years. Projecting that into the next 100 years, I would have to assume that the rise would be similar. Al Gore assumes that the average rise will be 10 or more degrees. That is unrealistic.
Fact: the ice pack in the Antarctic is retreating in one area and rising in the other 80% of the area. Al Gore only cites the information on the area where the ice pack is retreating. Fact: there are more Polar Bears now than there have been since we have counted them. Al Gore insists that the Polar Bear is disappearing. His information is completely wrong.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Al Gore gives an incomplete or inaccurate picture of what is happening. He comes to a conclusion that is completely unrealistic by any scientific measure. He does not tell us the truth all of the time. When the facts are easily checked, he still lies. If he lies when facts are easily checked, how can we trust him when the facts are harder to check. My conclusion on his testimony is that Al Gore showed himself to be a fraud and a phony. He is unwilling to walk the walk that he expects all of us to do. Until he gets more of a commitment and is willing to live under the restrictions that all of us will have to live with, I will not believe a word he says. He claims to be living a carbon neutral lifestyle. He is buying credits from himself and making a profit in doing so. That smacks of corruption in the worst way.
Global warming, if it is occurring at all, is natural. There is nothing any of us can do to stop it from happening. We can work to overcome its effects, but if it is occurring, we will not be able to stop it. I personally believe that the problem is that we are getting ready for another ice age. The signs are showing up and we are reaching the upper limit of time between ice ages. Just some food for thought on this 22nd day of March 2007, the first day of Spring.