Re: [asa] climate change severity

"Both Gray and Pielke say there are many younger scientists who voice their concerns about global warming hysteria privately but would never jeopardize their careers by speaking up.

"Plenty of young people tell me they don't believe it," he says. "But they won't touch this at all. If they're smart, they'll say: 'I'm going to let this run its course.' It's a sort of mild McCarthyism. I just believe in telling the truth the best I can.'"

That's the big danger with the bandwagon effect: dissenting views get buried. Just about everyone agrees there are major changes going on, especially in the vicinity of the north pole. The unknowns have to do with what the ultimate consequences will be and whether humans can take any action at all that will significantly affect those consequences. Conservation is common sense, but can it have any significance for climate change?

Predictions from scientists about world catastrophes have been notoriously inaccurate. Scientists' views tend to be too narrow, and I venture that everyone's views about climate change are too narrow at this point. The system we're dealing with is huge and immensely complex. Any solution to the problem--if there is a human solution--will require calm evaluation of all data from many informed points of view. Agitated yelling from bands of environmentalists and politicians only make it more likely that any action taken will be wrong.

Don

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Fivefree@aol.com<mailto:Fivefree@aol.com>
  To: asa@calvin.edu<mailto:asa@calvin.edu>
  Sent: Friday, January 05, 2007 7:33 PM
  Subject: Re: [asa] climate change severity

  In a message dated 1/5/2007 10:31:00 A.M. Mountain Standard Time, pvm.pandas@gmail.com<mailto:pvm.pandas@gmail.com> writes:
    ... Especially the cherry picking of
    facts and the need for 'sound science'...

  I've followed 'global warming' articles since the late 80's. I've heard hysteria (your UCS .pdf URL is one), some facts and lots and lots of opinion. Yes, it is getting warmer.

  Most of what I hear from the pro position almost always start by saying 'Most scientists agree that CO2 is causing...' and then start into their own unique sermon. The biggest missing piece has been the heating of the atmosphere. This is where 'heat trapping CO2' must keep solar radiation around the planet. This has been flat or at most shown a mild increase beyond outside of data collection error. I have also been disturbed by MANY distinguished veteran climatologist's, through the years, being vilified by obvious activist left wing organizations such as the Union of Concerned Scientists. See http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008220<http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008220> as a published example of this.

  See also the Denver post rod an alternative source.
  Mars finally shows it has a wonder all its own
  Form discusses red planet
  By Katy Human
  Denver Post Staff Writer

  Wednesday, November 10, 2004 -

  'Mars' distinctive personality is finally emerging...Michael Malin, president of Malin Space Science Systems, talked about gullies that may have been sculpted recently by liquid water; evidence of ancient seas; and the discovery that the planet's south polar cap of dry ice is losing weight.

  "Mars is experiencing global warming," Malin said. "And we don't know why."

  So before we limit the number of livestock on the planet and other actions, lets be very sure of the what the data is saying.

  William Gray, the Hurricane researcher/ climatologist says that his 50 years of experience collecting data does not point to human CO2 as the culprit. From the Denver Post :

  'Gray acknowledges that we've had some warming the past 30 years. "I don't question that," he explains. "And humans might have caused a very slight amount of this warming. Very slight. But this warming trend is not going to keep on going. My belief is that three, four years from now, the globe will start to cool again, as it did from the middle '40's to the middle '70's."

  Both Gray and Pielke say there are many younger scientists who voice their concerns about global warming hysteria privately but would never jeopardize their careers by speaking up.

  "Plenty of young people tell me they don't believe it," he says. "But they won't touch this at all. If they're smart, they'll say: 'I'm going to let this run its course.' It's a sort of mild McCarthyism. I just believe in telling the truth the best I can.'

  So please, calm down, wait and see. Changing western civilization for the sake of 'mild McCarthyism' is not advisable. Besides, China and India (who are left blameless here) have an unlimited permit for CO2 emissions. How convenient. And Politically Correct.

  Regards,
  Jack Jackson

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Received on Sat Jan 6 11:57:08 2007