The latest round of dire predictions about global warming has hit the news
media. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had
warned that temperatures are rising faster than previously thought, resulting in
increases in famine, flooding, disease, and possibly the extinction of some
species.
In spite of these extreme predictions, not all scientists are panicked.
There are three issues concerning global warming which have yet to be settled
within the scientific community:
- Is global warming really happening or is the data
contaminated by faulty collection techniques (taking readings from so called
heat islands around cities and from ocean water rather than from the
air)? What is the base year used to predict a warming trend? Using
a cold period as the base would show warming, while using a warm year would
show cooling. Satellite data does not support warming statistics.
- If there is global warming, is it caused by the
activities of man, i.e. burning of fossil fuels, etc.? Does the
historical record show wide swings in climate before the industrial age? Some
scientists have gone on record to say that sunspot activity has a much greater
effect than does human activity. Also, the greenhouse gas most
responsible for warming is water and not carbon dioxide, and there is little
that can be done about that.
- Finally, if global warming is true, will the effects
of such a trend be as catastrophic as the computer models predict? Keep
in mind that computer models have failed to account for the effects of clouds
and forests in moderating temperatures.
Over 16,000 atmospheric scientists signed the Leipzig Agreement refuting the
conclusions of the global warming scare. There is no consensus among
scientists despite claims to the contrary.
See the recent article on global warming in the February issue of
“Personal Update” newsletter.
