Who is seeking the easier way out?
Although Climategate is still barely acknowledged by main stream media, it is very clear some of the fanatical supporters of Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) are making very loud, chest-thumping comments about Global Warming Skeptics not being allowed to derail the upcoming Climate talks in Copenhagen. This is in no doubt in response to the leaked emails and the acknowledgement by CRU that they can no longer even provide the raw data from which they announced that the world is warming and mankind’s fault. This is particularly damning given their data forms a larger part of the foundation the IPCC had made its claims about AGW…
However, we at the Dappled Planet have to take issue here.
Firstly, it is wrong to call people who wish for an investigation into the massaged climate data as “Global Warming Skeptics.” It would be more accurate to say such people are ’skeptical of the claims of the AGW community” not deniers of the climate changing. It is pretty indisputable that the climate on this planet has been warming, first dramatically, and now gently since the end of the last ice age, 10,000 years ago.
What is highly disputable is how much influence man is having on the climate and what is probably even more contenscious is how much influence are we having specifically on climate by burning fossil fuel?
With that in mind then, the average so-called “Global Warming Skeptic” is thus more concerned that by focusing on ONLY man-made CO2 emissions, we ignore the following:
- What if man-made CO2 emissions are NOT accountable for the warming trend? According to geologic history and Antarctic and Greenland ice core data, CO2 concentrations rise in the atmosphere in RESPONSE to warming. Rising CO2 concentrations come AFTER warming, not before
- What if by focussing ONLY on regulating man-made CO2 emissions, we neglect other factors which can cause warming – both natural and man-made? Think about that for a moment. What if there are other factors – both natural and man-made, contributing to global warming at this time?
- Maybe the climate is warming… but how much is actually aportioned to man’s activities? By reducing our contribution would we actually have an impact?
That means by focussing exclusively on cutting CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels may only have a NEGLIGIBLE TO NO IMPACT on global warming. Think about that for a moment as well!
If AGW is mainly hot air from climate scientists, then that means by focussing exclusively on regulating man-made CO2 emissions, it will NOT STOP CLIMATE CHANGE.
And that means all those dire predictions by the IPCC may yet come true (albeit, again, a glance at the geologic record doesn’t really substantiate the dire claims…).
By focussing exclusively on CO2 emissions, the AGW community do a great disservice to the cause of climate change. If man-made CO2 is not one of the main contributors to climate change on the planet (as would increasingly seem to be the case), then the climate is going to continue to change regardless of the very costly exercise of introducing cap and trade or carbon taxes. This means NOTHING is being done about actually preparing for changes induced by climate changes and by all means, mankind is not as nomadic and adaptable as they used to be.
What if for example, clearing of land and creating a darker albedo for the Earth is having a larger effect than CO2 emissions? This is not something being considered because of the blinkered approach of the AWG movement.
The problem is it is most likely, there are many things contributing to climate change at this time – both natural and man-made. By focussing exclusively on one thing, it is easy for politicians to look like they are doing something when in reality, the very thing they propose is too simplistic and too expensive
The reality is we need to be focussing on many things, and probably the largest thing we need to be focussing on adapting to climate change – not thinking we can control it. That is much harder for politicians to acknolwedge and follow through on. And only the so-called “Global Warming Skeptics” are focussing on that right now…
So who is really taking the easy road out now?
