Here is the latest rebuke to the tenuous theory of global warming. Dr. Bob Carver of James Cook University in Australia believes it is time to call global warming alarmists to the carpet for their blatent disregard of scientific evidence.
Buried among the facts in this global warming story is the little charmer that no global warming has been measured on earth since 1998. But Carver says a lot more.
He is more concerned about the possiblity of global cooling, since we know long-term warming and cooling period have occurred forever on earth. He thinks the current naturally occuring warming period is over, and cooling is the most likely atmospheric event in the future, something which should concern people a lot more.
“It is past time for those who have deceived governments and misled the public regarding dangerous human-caused global warming to be called to account. Aided by hysterical posturing by green NGOs, their actions have led to the cornering of government on the issue and the likely implementation of futile emission policies that will impose direct extra costs on every household and enterprise in Australia to no identifiable benefit.”
“Not only do humans not dominate Earth’s current temperature trend but the likelihood is that further large sums of public money are shortly going to be committed to, theoretically, combat warming when cooling is the more likely short-term climatic eventuality.”
“In one of the more expensive ironies of history, the expenditure of more than $US50 billion ($60 billion) on research into global warming since 1990 has failed to demonstrate any human-caused climate trend, let alone a dangerous one.”
“Yet that expenditure will pale into insignificance compared with the squandering of money that is going to accompany the introduction of a carbon trading or taxation system.”
Biography: Dr. Bob Carter is a professor of environmental science at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.
June 18th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
I dont think it is accurate to say that this (that there hasnt been a warmer year since 1998) is evidence against the phenomenon of global warming.
I wonder what his evidence is leading him to believe we are headed for a cooling trend anytime soon?
June 18th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
To the global warming nuts, no evidence is evidence. You just can’t ever prove a negative. The evidence of global cooling is that the current warming period appears to have peaked. It started around 1850 and would be par for the course to last about 150 years.
June 19th, 2007 at 7:25 am
But the evidence still points to warming. If you dont pull 1998 out of context and look at it within the trend of the last 150 years, it is an extremely high year. The year 2006 was sixth warmest on record (since 1850), exceeded by 1998, 2005, 2003, 2002 and 2004. To me this isn’t comforting news.
The important question is what is causing the current, rapid warming? We cannot dismiss it as natural variation just because the planet has been warmer at various times in the past. Many studies suggest it can only be explained by taking into account human activity.
Nor does the fact that it has been warmer in the past mean that future warming is nothing to worry about. The sea level has been tens of meters higher during past warm periods, enough to submerge most major cities around the world.
June 19th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Ah good, you recognize that past warming periods have been far more hot than this one. And although you present the impossible negative (ie. “just prove that global warming isn’t caused by man.”), you are at least reasonable.
But there are NO studies that show human activity causing global warming so you are misrepresenting facts. There are studies which show a correlation (not causation!) between CO2 and increasing temperatures, but they have been rather refuted lately on timing issues if you read the literature. The same sort of study would show a correlation between global warming and the rising popularity of dance. You could use the same evidence to ban dance as you would to limit human-produced CO2.
Regardless, the question is also whether global warming is a bad thing or a good thing. Change isn’t necessarily bad, and since temperature cycles are inevitable and naturally occurring, what would you want to see done? We don’t have the ability to turn a fire hose on the sun.
And who says global warming is such a bad thing? In the last warming period, grapes were grown in England and Greenland sustained farming. Studies show we can have more agricultural output, and more diversified animal species including higher numbers of food fish. Why is that bad?
June 19th, 2007 at 11:02 am
I think you are referencing the lag between CO2 and temperature in the ice core data. This does prove that CO2 did not cause the past warming effects. But I dont think any scientists ever made that claim. The fact is that CO2 is a proven greenhouse gas that traps heat. The difference between past events and this one is that we are actively putting CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at much higher rates than they would otherwise accumulate.
I realize that the cycles are inevitable, but i think that the sooner we stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, the sooner we can reduce our impact on the climate and minimize the risk of reaching tipping points that will make preventing further warming even harder. Even if we only manage to slow warming rather than prevent it, societies will have more time to adjust to the changes.
England once again has a booming vineyard industry that probably surpasses those from the Medieval period. As far as Greenland growing grapes, many are very sceptical.
Finally, it is true that certainly some regions will clearly benefit (mostly richer nations that can adapt) from a warmer climate. Rainfall will fall in mid-latitudes but rise in high latitudes, and initially agricultural yields will probably increase. Some regions will suffer, though. Africa could be hardest hit, with yields predicted to halve in some countries as early as 2020.
Endemic species with limited ranges will undoubtedly suffer as will those who are at the highest latitudes. Speciation usually happens at geologic timescales, so the most likely scenario is net extinction, especially when considering habitat fragmentation and degradation from expanding human influence.
June 19th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
‘but i think that the sooner we stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases”
solar activity is higher now than in the recent past, and we may actually be on the beginning of an upswing
so perhaps you could just hit the dimmer switch on the sun
June 19th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
speaking of adaption of species …
is michael jackson evolving?
June 19th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
If so, I fear it is merely an evolutionary dead end.
June 19th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
“The fact is that CO2 is a proven greenhouse gas that traps heat. The difference between past events and this one is that we are actively putting CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at much higher rates than they would otherwise accumulate.”
Yeah, but what is the effect on temperature? Practically nil if any, given that mankind produces only a tiny fraction of the CO2. The hypothesis that CO2 increases have made any impact on temperature change is dubious and unproven. It is a theory that is unsupported by evidence. Again, you might as well talk about the correlation between temperature increases and the popularity of dance. Correlation is NOT causation.
We can agree on the rest. Climate change will have winners and losers as it always does in every cycle. What is unknown is if the winners will outnumber the losers, but at least we recognize this interesting possibility.
June 19th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
China overtakes US as world’s biggest CO2 emitter
“…according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, soaring demand for coal to generate electricity and a surge in cement production have helped to push China’s recorded emissions for 2006 beyond those from the US already. It says China produced 6,200m tonnes of CO2 last year, compared with 5,800m tonnes from the US. Britain produced about 600m tonnes.
Jos Olivier, a senior scientist at the government agency who compiled the figures, said: “There will still be some uncertainty about the exact numbers, but this is the best and most up to date estimate available. China relies very heavily on coal and all of the recent trends show their emissions going up very quickly.” China’s emissions were 2% below those of the US in 2005. Per head of population, China’s pollution remains relatively low – about a quarter of that in the US and half that of the UK.”
John Vidal and David Adam
Tuesday June 19, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
June 19th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
No sweat – I’m sure China is more than willing to chopstick out billions of Yuan in carbon credits immediately.
June 19th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
It is true that human emissions of CO2 are small compared with natural sources. But the fact that CO2 levels have remained steady until very recently shows that natural emissions are usually balanced by natural absorptions. Now slightly more CO2 must be entering the atmosphere than is being soaked up by carbon “sinks”.
As far as CO2-driven climate change being dubious, the latest IPCC report puts it at a 90% probability. If I were a betting man…
No way China would be willing to pick up some of the carbon burden until at least the US steps up.
June 20th, 2007 at 7:01 am
According to the picture, I must still be in the ice ages!
January 25th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Global Warming is a hoax
Man-made Global Warming is a hoax that threatens our future and the future of our children. Václav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, which just assumed the presidency of the European Union, is right when he states that “environmentalism is the new communism and climate change is a myth.�
In agreement with Klaus, more than 650 international scientists dissent over the man-made global warming claims. They are more than 12 times the number of UN scientists (52) who authored the media-hyped IPCC 2007 Summary for Policymakers.
Additionally, more than 31,000 American scientists have signed onto a petition that states, “There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate…� http://www.pr-inside.com/the-petition-contains-the-signatures-of-r613239.htm
“Progressive� (communist) politicians like Obama seem determined to force us to swallow the man-made global warming scam. We need to defend ourselves from the UN and these politicians, who threaten our future and the future of our children. Based on a lie, they have already wasted millions and plan to increase taxes, limit development, and enslave us.
If not stopped, the global warming scam will enrich the scammers (Gore and Obama’ Wall Street friends), increase the power of the U.N. and communists like Obama, and multiply poverty and servitude for the rest of us.