Climate Change Heresy
I must have a contrarian streak, because not only am I a Mormon heretic, I am in danger of heresy when it comes to climate change. The link between human activity and climate change has always seemed rather weak, but I’ve waffled back and forth on the issue. The following documentary (via JunkScience.com) has steeled my resolve.
Unless I find some strong refutation of the ideas in this video, I will follow my nose and refuse to accept that CO2 contributes in any significant way to climate change.
Tags: climate change, environmentalism, global warming, skepticism
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April 16, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
Well, it’s certainly not strong refutation, but doesn’t Milloy’s source of funding raise questions about his scientific reliability? It sure seems like he gets paid by corporate interests to popularize “science” that helps the corporation. Money from Phillip Morris to refute secondhand smoke, money from Exxon to refute global warming…
Corporate activism, work as a lobbyist…
This guy’s not a scientist. And his loyalties sure look paid for. I realize that this doesn’t mean he’s wrong, but it mkaes his message a lot less credible to me.
April 16, 2007 @ 8:56 pm
Steven Milloy certainly is… controversial.
The video doesn’t rely on Milloy alone. It interviews scientists with credentials of their own. It also casts doubt on the source of funding for the scientists who research global warming. It shows some impressive correlation between sun spot activity and global temperature trends. It also makes a very strong point that alternative energy sources are unrealistic in much of the developing world. The developing world needs cheap energy sources in order to raise its poor out of poverty. A solar powered steel factory? Not likely.
As a climate layman, I can only bring my engineering background to the table. In the end I can only say what the arguments feel like. The evidence commonly cited for global warming is convincing that global warming is happening. It doesn’t manage to convince me that the warming is due to human activity nor that it will lead to catastrophe. Much of that evidence confuses correlation with causation. Much of it is based on computer models rather than experimental data. If meteorologists can’t predict tomorrow’s weather reliably, why should I trust their 50 year predictions. What happened to the global cooling people from the early 1970s? The way global warming is presented to the public is so simple (e.g. CO2 = bad) that it sets off alarms in my head: nothing is that simple.
Anyway, I have plenty of doubts that human activity is increasing global temperatures. That said, there are plenty of other reasons to reduce fossil fuel dependence (go pebble bed reactors). I just don’t like being on the wrong end of a hard sell that feels like it’s dumbed down to the point of being completely wrong. Considering how politicized the issue has become, I despair of getting at the real truth.
I’ll defer to the skeptical street cred of James Randi who is also not able to make a final call in the global warming debate.
April 17, 2007 @ 10:26 am
Also, it is unreasonably cold here in the DC area right now. Un-freaking-reasonable. I’d like soem global warming, at least for this part of the globe.
April 17, 2007 @ 11:18 am
My condolences on your unseasonable weather. Does telling you that it’s a gorgeous spring day in Vegas count as rubbing it in?
April 18, 2007 @ 8:24 am
Yes. Yes, that does count as rubbing it in.
Janell said,
April 24, 2007 @ 12:26 pm
I’ll resist jumping onto my soapbox, but it’s always nice to see another person who doesn’t blindly follow the latest global warming hype spurred on by Gore!
April 24, 2007 @ 12:41 pm
Janell,
If you can shed some light on the global warming issue, by all means do.
Cybr said,
April 24, 2007 @ 6:41 pm
Nice spring weather, I’ve been frickin freezing my *** off these couple of past days here in Vegas. Having lived in Vegas for as long as I have, I’ve been searching for those hot weather breaking days we used to have in the summers.
Recently some sources have been sited (I’d have to look them up again but one involving a Russian astronomer), that show the average temperature of Mars has steadily increased at the same rate as Earth. Oh my stars and garters, our global warming issue is affecting our neighbors now.
April 24, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
Just hold on. It’s supposed to get into the mid 90s later this week. Your posterior will be toasty warm in no time.
That bit about Mars is intriguing. Most of the references that I found said that Mars global warming is attributable to dust. That’s based on computer models so I take it with a grain of salt. Even if this is true, it still shows that the mechanics of global climates is pretty complex.
May 25, 2007 @ 9:14 am
Yet further evidence that I’m not the only one uncertain about climate change.