I’m going to do something I almost never do around here – make a political statement or two or ten. The views expressed here are only mine. I imagine Sybil will be one of the first to say, “WHAT? Are you on CRACK?” when she read this.
It will come as no surprise that I am a Conservative. I have Liberal leanings when it comes to women’s rights (believe in choice) and gun laws (member of Million Mom March), but I am a staunch conservative when it comes to the environment and all the horse-hockey we’re fed by much of the media and left-wing politicians these days.
Not only that, but I think Al Gore is a grand-standing, self-serving, venal idiot who does not deserve the Nobel Prize. I think he and the “scientists” he employed to make the fallacy-laden farce of a global warming movie should be ridden out of town on a rail after being tarred and feathered. To use Dennis Miller’s name, all the “Global Warmons” can kiss my ass. Why? BECAUSE THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS MAN’S IMPACT ON GLOBAL WARMING (anthropogenic, if you want to technical term).
What is the take-away from all this? The liberal media and politicos will continue to use Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (a.k.a. FUD) to score emotion points against the current presidency BECAUSE IT WORKS. Folks are fearful about global warming, aren’t they? They’re uncertain about their future, aren’t they? Many doubt America’s current political structure, don’t they?
I encourage everyone to read BOTH SIDES of the argument and to not be railroaded into listening to only the one side of this discussion. Today’s media will make it sound like the sky is falling every time they talk about this just to keep your eyes on their channel/paper/magazine/website. Why? Because it works and advertising dollars follow the eyes. The 24-hour news cycle has done more to cause FUD than anything else. These media outlets have no interest in saying, “Oh well, actually, everything’s okay,” because then why would you listen to them? If you’re scared about what they’re going to tell you next, you’ll keep your eyes glued, won’t you?
Why do I think this? Read on. Several of these bullets were gathered from National Geographic’s recent series “Earth: A Biography, Episode: Ice”…
~ For 90% of its existence, the planet has been warmer than it is today. We’re at the tail-end of the last ice age – that’s why the planet is warming, not because of manmade (anthropogenic) reasons.
~ The ocean levels will rise no matter what we do, regardless what presidential candidates say they can do about it, because the glaciers are melting due to the natural planetary warming cycle.
~ The Earth has been in another of its warming cycles for the last 1,000 or so years. We’ve only had extensive use of fossil fuels for the last 100. It is supreme arrogance to think that modern man’s puny speck of time has anything to do with such a huge, natural shift, or that there is anything we can do to stop it.
~ The glacial melting accelerates as time goes on because of melt water “lubricating” the bottom of a glacier toward open (read, lower and warmer) ground, or open water thus increasing iceberg calving. This acceleration is a natural even what at the end of an ice age.
~ Today’s glacial melting is uncovering evidence of earlier settlements, indicating that this melt/growth cycle is common and has occurred several times in man’s time on the planet.
~ Over the next 300-500 years (not 5, not 50, not 100 years), rising sea levels due to ice melt will cause significant portions of tidal or coastal human habitation to be forced to move inland. This melt is unavoidable due to the end of the current ice age, not because we’ve driven cars for the last 100 years. There will be more than enough time to relocate communities before it occurs – the raise of sea levels won’t happen overnight.
~ If ALL of the land ice melted today, the global average sea level would rise about 266 feet, with the Antarctic ice sheet contributing about 240 feet and the Greenland ice sheet contributing about 25 feet. An unlikely event even with the current trends.
If even the experts cannot agree that the planet is warming, how is it politicians can be certain? Thermometers vary on the tale of the tape, from the Earth’s temperature lowering a full degree since 1881, to increasing a full degree since then. Interestingly, recent studies have discovered this variance is primarily due to skewing the data on a chart by 6%, not actually changing temperatures – literally twisting the chart a bit. This is more than a little borderline dishonesty to get the results desired for the political gain.
Don’t believe me? Please read the below, from The Register in the UK:
What could be the motivation for the recent changes [in how the data was reported and represented on graphs that have been used to justify the global warming argument]?Further examination of the NASA site might give us a clue as to what is happening.
NASA staff have done some recent bookkeeping and refined the data from 1930-1999. The issues has been discussed extensively at science blog Climate Audit. So what is the probability of this effort consistently increasing recent temperatures and decreasing older temperatures? From a statistical viewpoint, data recalculation should cause each year to have a 50/50 probability of going either up or down – thus the odds of all 70 adjusted years working in concert to increase the slope of the graph (as seen in the combined version) are an astronomical 2 raised to the power of 70. That is one-thousand-billion-billion to one. This isn’t an exact representation of the odds because for some of the years (less than 15) the revisions went against the trend – but even a 55/15 split is about as likely as a room full of chimpanzees eventually typing Hamlet. That would be equivalent to flipping a penny 70 times and having it come up heads 55 times. It will never happen – one trillion to one odds (2 raised to the power 40.)
(Authors note: Several readers have astutely pointed out that the probability calculation is incorrect. A proper statistical calculation of coin toss probabilities shows greater than four sigma deviation – which places the odds of a random 55/15 distribution at closer to “one out a million,” rather than “one out of a trillion” as originally reported.)
Particularly troubling are the years from 1986-1998. In the 2007 version of the graph, the 1986 data was adjusted upwards by 0.4 degrees relative to the 1999 graph. In fact, every year except one from 1986-1998 was adjusted upwards, by an average of 0.2 degrees. If someone wanted to present a case for a lot of recent warming, adjusting data upwards would be an excellent way to do it.
Looking at the NASA website, we can see that the person in charge of the temperature data is the eminent Dr. James Hansen – Al Gore’s science advisor and the world’s leading long-term advocate of global warming.
Data Sources
NASA and Had-Crut data are largely based on surface measurements, using thermometers. They both face a lot of difficulties due to contaminated data caused by urban heating effects, disproportionate concentration of thermometers in urban areas, changes in thermometer types over time, changes in station locations, loss of stations, changes in the time of day when thermometers are read, and yet more factors.
NASA has a very small number of long-term stations in the Arctic, and even fewer in Africa and South America. The data has been systematically adjusted upwards in recent years – as can be seen in this graph, reproduced below. Temperatures from the years 1990 to present have more than one-half degree Fahrenheit artificially added on to them – which may account for most of the upwards trend in the NASA temperature set.
I just felt I had to say something on all this. It’s been stewing in my gut for a long while. Sure, I’m doing my responsible part by recycling what my community recycles, driving less, striving to lower my carbon footprint. However, I am doing it because of land-fill causes (I’d like a cleaner planet) and fuel costs. Not because I think it will amount to a hill of beans on the “global warming” joke.
Sources:
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2238317.0.Doubt_is_cast_over_global_warming.php
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/02/a_tale_of_two_thermometers/
http://www.climateaudit.org/?p=2964
http://junkscience.com/Greenhouse/index.html
http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/G/great_global_warming_swindle/
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/al_gore_global_warming/2008/05/19/97307.html
I just… have major major issues with media. Major. Pretty much hate them. [Sorry, all you media types out there.] I mean, hype sells. I understand the business aspect to it. But really now.
Ignoring most of what you said and going elsewhere 😀 – it would be nice if people were a bit more careful [ok, factories] about pollutants. I mean – smoggy areas? It’s… not good. Unpleasant. Horrid. Clean fresh air = love.
Also polar bears. Haha. The oh noes polar bearz! Commercials get me. I lurve me some polar bears. LOL. I… am not crazy. Serious. [I’ll probably also wish I could edit this later. Class makes me nuts.]
I’m with you on the Al Gore love and I’m grateful he didn’t decide to run for president – I already have a headache from the candidates you guys have running.
I also believe in the warming cycle of the planet and yep, there will be another ice age and stuff so I’m much like you in that I conserve and protect to keep the earth clean.
Thing is, I can’t just let go of man’s impact on the planet in the last 100 years but again it’s enviromental changes I’m talking about and our impact on eco-systems. Let’s not even get into how we have changed our physical health – sure, we discovered cures etc but Mother Earth ain’t going to take that sitting down. They talk about the coming epidemic because there will be one, there has to be one because we cannot sustain our current population. Hell, I was so stunned by the lack of protocol when SARS was in Canada that I now know there is no plan of quarantine when the shit hits the fan.
But I don’t worry much about it. Those that survive will and those that won’t won’t. Worry won’t solve it.
But I’m with you on cycles of the earth and cycles of disease – they exist for more reasons than we can even understand.
But 100 years of industrialization has had it’s own impact on us and global warming is barely a speck of said impact.
And I’m liberal probably but in Canada I think that’s common 😉
CindyS
I didn’t read this, just skimmed it, said what the fuck ever and posted it.
WOOT! For blog control… Dude don’t look to me to protect your sensibilities. But this made me sad… Dennis Miller… damn once upon a time he was teh funny.
Of course I voted for Clinton – twice. Three times if you count Hilary ;). And am gonna go live in CindyS closet soon and hide but I like you anyway.
You odd texan you.
And really like Bush needs global warming or not to color his terms in office.
::running away to hide behind cindys now::
Holy crap – I thought this was just a rant on global warming! Sybil has me worried I am now in league with George W. Bush – NOT!!!! The hairs that would curl if you could hear my family at the dinner table.
And wasn’t Dennis Miller the bomb when he was flat broke and cynical as hell. Now he’s all high on himself. Ugh.
CindyS
Oh I meant Gwen not you. You are my twin – only the nice one so you couldn’t be in league with the evooooollll. And your closet wouldn’t be a good place to camp out in then!
Not to go on a rant…
le sigh those where the days
I agree with you Gwen. When I was a kid in the 70’s they were trying to scare us all with the next Ice Age talk. And with snow drifts as high as our one story house (after dad used the snowblower on the driveway for the thousandth time that winter) I believed it! LOL
I’m no scientist but maybe the earth has cycles in the weather/climate?! *wink*
I won’t get into politics/politician’s because that just gives me a giant headache. But I do agree about global warming being a sham.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t change the way we do some things that harm the environment, but I don’t think the oceans are going to start boiling over anytime soon either.
Oh, and I still think Dennis Miller is teh funny, but eh, I’m conservative! LOL
If we all agree man’s impact to global warming is a sham, why the bloody hell do people let politicians like Barack Obama get away with saying they’re going to “lower the level of the oceans” in their presidency? That man is delusional.
Thanks for the support, ladies. I fully expected to come back a day later and see myself being slammed.
I think politicians of every ilk lie and use scare tactics – whether it be WMD or global warming or whatever they think will work. So I’m with you on Gore – I think he’s an idiot. I’ve read many of the things you have too and the thought that he actually won a Nobel with his half baked theories – well, it certainly took all luster out of that prize. What makes me furious is the way the media buy into the whole thing. They are hands in pocket with the scare tactics.
And laughing at Cindy – not all Canadians are liberal. We are on opposite sides of the coin – but I loves her anyway 🙂
Kristie – I was so thinking of you when I wrote that 😉
The thing about politics for me is I’m never all one – one guys has a good idea and the other has a good idea but it’s really about voting for the guy (woman) who is the lesser evil. I go through the platforms saying ‘yep, yep, crazy, crazy, nope, yep’ and whoever has the most ‘yeps’ gets the vote. I’m always stunned at how someone seems intelligent and then they throw out ‘and I want to build a massive bio-dome to ‘whatever’.’ Oh shit. They were doing so well until they showed their crazy. Ugh.
CindyS
Ditto to what you said. I’m sick of turning on the tv/news/radio to be bombarded by global warming crap. Aside from the war, economy, and violence that’s already a problem the “higher” ups want to make this into a big deal. This topic just seemed to drop out all of a sudden.
I really could care less about the presidential candidates views on it-it’s not gonna happen tomorrow. But poverty, hunger, murder and war will–yet people avoid talking about that because it’s “depressing”. And the media is absolutely fabulous for bringing a topic that will get ratings and attention to the front of the list until its not popular anymore then finding a new scandal.
Why not instead of focusing on the global warming bs focus on recycling centers and pushing for a universal health system. Personally when I drive down the street I don’t see a buttload of warming going on, but I do see bags full of garbage that lazy a**es won’t recycle or take responsibility for. And people being turned away at clinics because of overcrowding or inability to pay upfront.
Me…I’m a liberal with conservative tendencies. I’d rather focus on the immediate problems than worry about 100+ years from now when I’ll be dead anyway. And I have no idea what the hell is gonna happen for the presidential race–I have to trust the media (which is really never gonna happen) to be truthful. Everything I hear one day is contradicted the next day so the person running can play up to that particular crowd. Veteran and community health care…sure. Gun control…sure. Abortion…sure. Welfare and social security….sure. More money towards education…….sure…well maybe. Okay eventually.
Well . . . not ALL of us think it’s a sham.
Gotta agree with Sybil here. Not sure how I feel about the global warming issue (we have had quite an impact on the environment there’s no denying it). But talking about global warming is just another distraction issue, like friggin’ gay marriage. I’m all for gay marriage (Congratulations Adam and Steve!), but trying to stir up the conservatives and liberals over such things, just serves to distract us from the war in Iraq, and the fact that the economy is going down the shitter.
For hard science, a good place is start is to look at the website of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is really happening.
This post really enraged me so I won’t say more.
Jennifer – there is no doubt whatsoever that the planet is warming. That is a scientific fact.
What I am questioning is man’s impact to that warming trend. The anthropogenic aspects of the theories are all hogwash to me. The planet would be warming even if man were never on it. It’s a natural cycle that our lovely blue ball goes thru every few thousand years.
Are we doing the planet any favors using as much fossil fuels as we do? Absolutely not. Could we each be doing more to reduce our carbon footprints? Absolutely yes.
But, even if every man, woman, and child on the planet HALVED our carbon footprint, the Earth would still warm at largely the same rate – approximately 1.17 degrees every hundred years or so (I think is the rate). At least until the next ice age or cataclysm – Krakatoa, etc.
We are being fed a pile of rubbish with all the FUD on Global Warming. Sure we should reduce our carbon emissions, if for no other reason than to have healthier air to breath and less dependence on oil. Sure we should all recycle as much as possible or reasonable if for no other reason than to have a healthier, cleaner planet. But are we, mankind, making the earth warmer? No way.
So basically you’re saying that an increase in greenhouse gases will not have any effect on climate. This cannot be true as these gases, carbon dioxide, methane, etc., are known to trap heat in the atmosphere. They’re why we can live on the Earth in the first place because of the insulating layer they create. Without these gases the Earth would have an average surface temperature of 0 degrees F instead of the 59 degrees F we have now. The problem now is that there are more of them in the atmospere than ever before. Ergo they are trapping more heat, ergo they affect climate.
Here’s what the IPCC says, “Scientists have concluded that human activities are contributing to global warming by adding large amounts of heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. Our fossil fuel use is the main source of these gases. Every time we drive a car, use electricity from coal-fired power plants, or heat our homes with oil or natural gas, we release carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the air. The second most important source of greenhouse gases is deforestation, mainly in the tropics, and other land-use changes.
Since pre-industrial times, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 31 percent. Over the same period, atmospheric methane has risen by 151 percent, mostly from agricultural activities like growing rice and raising cattle. As the concentration of these gases grows, more heat is trapped by the atmosphere and less escapes back into space. This increase in trapped heat changes the climate, causing altered weather patterns that can bring unusually intense precipitation or dry spells and more severe storms.”
There has undoubtly been warming and cooling periods in the past, but they have not been this extreme. Again from the IPCC, “The observed warming over the past 100 years is unlikely to be due to natural causes alone; it was unusual even in the context of the last 1,000 years. There are better techniques to detect climatic changes and attribute them to different causes. Simulations of the climate’s response to natural causes (sun, volcanoes, etc.) over the latter half of the 20th century alone cannot explain the observed trends. Most simulation models that take into account greenhouse gas emissions and sulphate aerosols (which have a cooling effect) are consistent with observations over the last 50 years.”
I am a scientist and I put my faith in science. I agree with your frustration at the fear-mongering tactics of the media, but that’s not where I get my information. The media always distorts. Just look at what they do to medical studies! Check with scientific orgainizations that put out peer-reviewed articles in the top scientific journals and you’ll see the debate is over.
I keep quoting the IPCC because they’re the #1 guys in this field. For another perspective, The UN Food and Agricultural Organization put out a paper last year about the effects of global meat production on global warming called “Livestock’s Long Shadow” which I would steer (excuse the pun) you to also. It’s fascinating stuff.
Ask any scientist of good reputation without a finger in the political stew and s/he’ll tell you that global warming exists. If you ask, they will show you the holes in the ozone layer, holes that weren’t there a generation ago, and if you care to take a trip, you can see for yourself that the icebergs are melting.
Even in my lifetime I’ve seen a serious change in the weather, one that can’t be explained by cyclical change. In a way, it doesn’t matter what we believe. It’s going to happen anyway.
No reputable scientist even bothers to deny global warming any more. But politicians do.
I read the comments. I read the data at the sites. None of it says the magic phrase I’m looking for: “Man is causing global warming” or “Man is the single most significant contributor to global warming”.
It says, “Scientists have concluded that human activities are contributing to global warming…” Well, so does cow flatulence.
It says, “The observed warming over the past 100 years is unlikely to be due to natural causes alone…” Key word, “unlikely.” Not “cannot” and not “isn’t” but “unlikely”.
Sorry. That is not definitive proof, or even a definitive statement, that man is the cause. I believe we aren’t. Global warming would be happening whether we were here or not.
I believe that the planet will warm along the same trend it always has and will, eventually, stop as it reaches what I call its “self-correction point”. Where upon it will begin the processes that cause it to cool again.
By that point (hundreds of years in our future), perhaps we will have gotten a clue and will be kinder to our home – using fewer fossil fuels and dealing with our trash more intelligently.
Show me the beef, so to speak.
I had an unexplained seizure last Thursday. I think I shall blame global warming. DUDE or gwen. That works.
Sorry Jennifer ten to one I would agree with you more than that gwen girl. Honestly though no matter what you believe, you are welcome here 🙂
We rawk like that
I’m in a very decided minority on this site.
And Sybil – the seizure is because you haven’t sent me the Cole yet. I’m convinced.
And take care of yourself, you silly girl! We can’t do this without you!
Holy shit really? Shit I thought I had. I so should have gone to the post office today. God knows what the fuck you are going to end up with to send out.
uh
sorry?
small minority but the biggest mouth likes yah 🙂