Things Heat Up over Global Warming at the Statehouse
Nathan Greene
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So, according to the Register, there was a bit of a ruckus today at the Capitol when five Republican legislators passed out copies of a book that claims global warming is a natural, cyclical phenomenon that isn’t necessarily caused by humans. The rabble-rousing culprits were Reps. Dwayne Alons of Hull, Ralph Watts of Adel, Chuck Soderberg of Le Mars and Jamie Van Fossen of Davenport and Sen. Jerry Behn of Boone.The book is entitled, “Unstoppable Global Warming - Every 1,500 Years” and is authored by S. Fred Singer and Dennis T. Avery.
The Register says without attribution, “Most scientists generally agree that global warming is a real phenomenon caused largely by human pollution. Scientists say it threatens thousands of species of animals and they predict continued melting of polar ice caps and flooding of coastal regions that could displace millions of families throughout the world.”
But is this true? Well, if you’ve heard Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth,” you probably think so. But when I read this, I was reminded of an ABC News 20/20 story by John Stossel I saw a few months back, and I was able to find the written version of it on the 20/20 website.
I specifically remembered Stossel sitting down with a group of 4 well-known scientists who took issue with Al Gore’s statements that the debate on global warming is “over.” Stossel reports:
I interviewed some scientists who say the debate is by no means over. John Christy and Roy Spencer won NASA's Medal for Exceptional Achievement for figuring out how to get temperature data from satellites.
"We all agree that it's warmed," Spencer said. "The big question is, and the thing we dispute is, is it because of mankind?"
Climate changes, they say, always has, with or without man. Early last century, even without today's huge output of carbon dioxide, the Arctic went through a warming period.
These scientists also had harsh criticism for the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). According to the 20/20 piece, this is the group that won the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Al Gore. Some of the scientists interviewed by Stossel had worked with this group in the early stages of its report. These scientists point out that most people in the group are not even scientists, but rather environmental activists appointed by various governments.
When the IPCC report came out, it included the names of all members of the commission. The problems was, some of those members, including Stossel’s interview subjects, did not agree with the findings and resigned from the commission. One in particular discussed the fact that, despite his resignation, he was still listed as a “contributing author” of the report, and had to sue to get his name removed from the report.
Here’s the kicker, despite these scientists’ lengthy resumes and achievements, the pro-global warming crowd resorts to insults when these people don’t agree with them. Here’s how Stossel puts it:
Let's hope the Democrats quoted in the Resister don't take a "Shut up... dissent should not be heard" attitude. If they do, they just might miss the truth in the process.Those who call [the global warming believers’] extreme projections into question are compared with Holocaust deniers and accused of being paid off by big business. I've questioned the extreme global warming predictions in the past, and for that I've been branded a "corporate toadie" and a "flat-earther." I don't mind being called names, but is this what the global warming debate has come to? One side saying, "Shut up. Dissent should not be heard?"
The truth is, that while everyone agrees that the earth has warmed, lots of good scientists don't agree that it's mostly our fault, and don't agree that it's going to be a catastrophe. So when Gore says, "The debate is over," I say, "Give Me a Break!"
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