The facts, Sir, just the facts
The Round Mound of Misinformation, Al Gore to you, and his acolytes, have trumpeted proof of global warming every time there was a change in the weather.
TOM BURGUM
Contributing Columnist
burgum@lbknews.com
Last week’s LBK News carried a letter from Keith Peterson, a visitor from Great Britain. He wrote, among other things, “It is laudable to give space to a variety of views as epitomized by this week’s (Feb. 12 edition) Key Opinion by Tom Burgum about Global Warming.” Mr. Peterson’s opinion of my column could lead one to believe he thinks it should be an exception to the “It’s-laudable-to-give-space-to-a-variety-of-views” rule.
Ordinarily I don’t answer letters to the editor, but Mr. Peterson’s thoughtful response to my column deals with an important subject and is a worthy exception to the rule.
One of his problems with the column was that, “Mr. Burgum doesn’t seem to understand the difference between climate and weather.” Now, anyone who claims I don’t understand one thing or another is not taking a great risk of being proved wrong. Here, however, I intend to stand my ground.
Over the past decade, the Round Mound of Misinformation, Al Gore to you and his acolytes, have trumpeted proof of global warming every time there was a change in the weather. Hurricane Katrina − proof of global warming. Drought in California − proof of global warming. Floods in California − proof of global warming. Forest fires in Oregon − proof of global warming. Lack of snow in Colorado, Utah and New England − proof of global warming. Massive snow storms throughout the Midwest and New England − proof of global warming. Warmer than normal winters − proof of global warming. Colder than normal winters − proof of global warming.
In short, if global warming devotees can claim evidence of global warming every time a swallow shows up five days early in Capistrano, I reserve the right to cite record snow fall this winter as evidence to the contrary.
Mr. Peterson then asks why we should pay attention to the 5 percent of the scientists who still think the earth is flat when 95 percent of the relevant scientists have statistics that prove the earth is rapidly warming.
Not so fast there, my letter-writing friend.
The Minority Report of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works now lists more than 700 dissenting scientists from around the globe who are challenging man-made global warming claims made by the United Nations. This is more than 13 times the number of UN scientists who authored the IPCC report that is now so prominent for its mistakes.
The list of skeptical scientists is impressive, including several Nobel Prize winners. For those interested in the extensive list of scientists and their findings, see: http://hatch.senate.gov/public/_files/ussenateepwminorityreport.PDF.
Mr. Peterson also believes that water levels are beginning to rise, not over thousands of years but over decades. Well he might believe this because reputable scientists have told us this is the case time and time again. Now, however, we know this may not be true.
Sunday’s Guardian (UK), headlined an article with “Climate scientists withdraw journal claims of rising sea levels.” The withdrawn findings predicted a rise in sea levels of between 7cm and 82cm by the end of the century. In a statement, the authors of the “sea rise” study said, “Since publication of our paper we have become aware of two mistakes which impact the detailed estimation of future sea level rise. This means that we can no longer draw firm conclusions regarding 21st Century sea level rise . . . without further work.”
On the other hand, the global warming skeptics aren’t always on target either. They have been contending that earth’s temperature has stabilized for the last 10 years. It now appears this view is in error. Phil Jones, the former director of Britain’s Climate Research Unit, told the British Broadcasting Company that temperatures have stabilized over the past 15 years. He also told the BBC that, “The vast majority of climate scientists do not believe the debate over climate change is settled.”
Jones also admits that during what is called the Medieval Warm Period (circa 800-1300) global temperatures may have been warmer than today’s. This, he believes, would change the debate as it is a bit difficult to blame SUVs and American corporations for 10th Century climate change.
Our correspondent friend finally asks if America shouldn’t lead the way to a new green economy instead of complaining about cost. Good question. I can only answer for myself, but I would prefer to have the European Union lead the way. We carried the defense load during the Cold War with significant help from only one country in the EU − Great Britain. Furthermore, France, and a few others in the EU, have made it clear that they are tired of following the American lead, so I say to them, grab the baton, lead the parade, knock yourselves out. It might be interesting to see if some of our French critics can run anything but their mouths.
Note: If you wish to keep abreast of global warming news I strongly recommend reading on-line editions of the Telegraph or the Guardian, both reputable British publications. It is because I rely on news from the Mother Country that I did know that the British Climate Research Unit was located at the University of East Anglia which, not surprisingly, is in East Anglia − not Angola. I attribute the typographical error to a spell-check program on steroids.
Tom Burgum is a retired Washington lobbyist and Democratic activist with strong opinions on national affairs. He writes a column that often irritates his fellow Democrats and remaining liberal friends.
