Climate Change and the Media - Political Forum

Charleston Patriot · 01-23-2008, 09:33 AM

NPR offered to interview this guy, but only if he would state that global warming was due to human activity. When Dr. Demming refused to do so, he was hung up on.

U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works
Hearing Statements
Date: 12/06/2006

Statement of Dr. David Deming
University of Oklahoma
College of Earth and Energy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, and distinguished guests, thank you for inviting me to testify today. I am a geologist and geophysicist. I have a bachelor's degree in geology from Indiana University, and a Ph.D in geophysics from the University of Utah. My field of specialization in geophysics is temperature and heat flow. In recent years, I have turned my studies to the history and philosophy of science. In 1995, I published a short paper in the academic journal Science. In that study, I reviewed how borehole temperature data recorded a warming of about one degree Celsius in North America over the last 100 to 150 years. The week the article appeared, I was contacted by a reporter for National Public Radio. He offered to interview me, but only if I would state that the warming was due to human activity. When I refused to do so, he hung up on me.
I had another interesting experience around the time my paper in Science was published. I received an astonishing email from a major researcher in the area of climate change. He said, "We have to get rid of the Medieval Warm Period."

The Medieval Warm Period (MWP) was a time of unusually warm weather that began around 1000 AD and persisted until a cold period known as the "Little Ice Age" took hold in the 14th century. Warmer climate brought a remarkable flowering of prosperity, knowledge, and art to Europe during the High Middle Ages.

The existence of the MWP had been recognized in the scientific literature for decades. But now it was a major embarrassment to those maintaining that the 20th century warming was truly anomalous. It had to be "gotten rid of."

In 1769, Joseph Priestley warned that scientists overly attached to a favorite hypothesis would not hesitate to "warp the whole course of nature." In 1999, Michael Mann and his colleagues published a reconstruction of past temperature in which the MWP simply vanished. This unique estimate became known as the "hockey stick," because of the shape of the temperature graph.

Normally in science, when you have a novel result that appears to overturn previous work, you have to demonstrate why the earlier work was wrong. But the work of Mann and his colleagues was initially accepted uncritically, even though it contradicted the results of more than 100 previous studies. Other researchers have since reaffirmed that the Medieval Warm Period was both warm and global in its extent.

There is an overwhelming bias today in the media regarding the issue of global warming. In the past two years, this bias has bloomed into an irrational hysteria. Every natural disaster that occurs is now linked with global warming, no matter how tenuous or impossible the connection. As a result, the public has become vastly misinformed on this and other environmental issues.

Earth's climate system is complex and poorly understood. But we do know that throughout human history, warmer temperatures have been associated with more stable climates and increased human health and prosperity. Colder temperatures have been correlated with climatic instability, famine, and increased human mortality.

The amount of climatic warming that has taken place in the past 150 years is poorly constrained, and its cause--human or natural--is unknown. There is no sound scientific basis for predicting future climate change with any degree of certainty. If the climate does warm, it is likely to be beneficial to humanity rather than harmful. In my opinion, it would be foolish to establish national energy policy on the basis of misinformation and irrational hysteria.

U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

LessGovMrPrez · 01-23-2008, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charleston Patriot

NPR offered to interview this guy, but only if he would state that global warming was due to human activity. When Dr. Demming refused to do so, he was hung up on.

U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works
Hearing Statements
Date: 12/06/2006

Statement of Dr. David Deming
University of Oklahoma
College of Earth and Energy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, and distinguished guests, thank you for inviting me to testify today. I am a geologist and geophysicist. I have a bachelor's degree in geology from Indiana University, and a Ph.D in geophysics from the University of Utah. My field of specialization in geophysics is temperature and heat flow. In recent years, I have turned my studies to the history and philosophy of science. In 1995, I published a short paper in the academic journal Science. In that study, I reviewed how borehole temperature data recorded a warming of about one degree Celsius in North America over the last 100 to 150 years. The week the article appeared, I was contacted by a reporter for National Public Radio. He offered to interview me, but only if I would state that the warming was due to human activity. When I refused to do so, he hung up on me.
I had another interesting experience around the time my paper in Science was published. I received an astonishing email from a major researcher in the area of climate change. He said, "We have to get rid of the Medieval Warm Period."

The Medieval Warm Period (MWP) was a time of unusually warm weather that began around 1000 AD and persisted until a cold period known as the "Little Ice Age" took hold in the 14th century. Warmer climate brought a remarkable flowering of prosperity, knowledge, and art to Europe during the High Middle Ages.

The existence of the MWP had been recognized in the scientific literature for decades. But now it was a major embarrassment to those maintaining that the 20th century warming was truly anomalous. It had to be "gotten rid of."

In 1769, Joseph Priestley warned that scientists overly attached to a favorite hypothesis would not hesitate to "warp the whole course of nature." In 1999, Michael Mann and his colleagues published a reconstruction of past temperature in which the MWP simply vanished. This unique estimate became known as the "hockey stick," because of the shape of the temperature graph.

Normally in science, when you have a novel result that appears to overturn previous work, you have to demonstrate why the earlier work was wrong. But the work of Mann and his colleagues was initially accepted uncritically, even though it contradicted the results of more than 100 previous studies. Other researchers have since reaffirmed that the Medieval Warm Period was both warm and global in its extent.

There is an overwhelming bias today in the media regarding the issue of global warming. In the past two years, this bias has bloomed into an irrational hysteria. Every natural disaster that occurs is now linked with global warming, no matter how tenuous or impossible the connection. As a result, the public has become vastly misinformed on this and other environmental issues.

Earth's climate system is complex and poorly understood. But we do know that throughout human history, warmer temperatures have been associated with more stable climates and increased human health and prosperity. Colder temperatures have been correlated with climatic instability, famine, and increased human mortality.

The amount of climatic warming that has taken place in the past 150 years is poorly constrained, and its cause--human or natural--is unknown. There is no sound scientific basis for predicting future climate change with any degree of certainty. If the climate does warm, it is likely to be beneficial to humanity rather than harmful. In my opinion, it would be foolish to establish national energy policy on the basis of misinformation and irrational hysteria.

U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Jesus! How did the government allow this to get out? Have they lost their marbles?

All the GW movement is is a power grab by governments around the world to gain more control over their populations. The UN has propsed a global temperature ceiling tax already. Then we hear about taxes to combat GW. I dont know how spending money to fight a naturally occuring thing can stop it from happening but people seem to be adversely taken aback when this point is made. Usually the cliche of "shouldnt we be for cleaning up the environment" is heard next.

I am glad this guy spoke up though. It needs to be done everyday until the socialist/communsist agenda on GW is finally dismantled altogether.

FRYandBENDER · 01-23-2008, 10:25 AM

Good read. I wish this information, especially regarding the disappearing MWP, would be covered more by the media. I guess I can wish in one hand and shit in the other. According to Al Gore any dishonesty about global warming is justified because, as he says, the cause is so just.

LessGovMrPrez · 01-23-2008, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FRYandBENDER

Good read. I wish this information, especially regarding the disappearing MWP, would be covered more by the media. I guess I can wish in one hand and shit in the other. According to Al Gore any dishonesty about global warming is justified because, as he says, the cause is so just.

Not only is it just, it is a moral issue.....lol.

Charleston Patriot · 01-23-2008, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FRYandBENDER

Good read. I wish this information, especially regarding the disappearing MWP, would be covered more by the media. I guess I can wish in one hand and shit in the other. According to Al Gore any dishonesty about global warming is justified because, as he says, the cause is so just.

Can you imagine Gore running for prez again? I think that'd be great, because he'd be forced to debate (not dictate) the subject of global warming.

Icefear · 01-26-2008, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LessGovMrPrez

Then we hear about taxes to combat GW. I dont know how spending money to fight a naturally occuring thing can stop it from happening but people seem to be adversely taken aback when this point is made.

Hitler used the fear of communism to have the people of germany remove the democracy there, and while that was an extreme case, it is along a similar line. :/ Thankfully, our constitution has checks and balances that could negate such atrocities. However the fact holds true everywhere that if you give people fear, you will receive their lives. All the government needs is for the people to be afraid and they'll be willing to give up everything they have, including their freedoms.

LessGovMrPrez · 01-27-2008, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icefear

Hitler used the fear of communism to have the people of germany remove the democracy there, and while that was an extreme case, it is along a similar line. :/ Thankfully, our constitution has checks and balances that could negate such atrocities. However the fact holds true everywhere that if you give people fear, you will receive their lives. All the government needs is for the people to be afraid and they'll be willing to give up everything they have, including their freedoms.

Yep, through constant war, fascism creeps in the door unannounced. Same with constantly harping on people's fear (this should sound eerily familar).

BabyFang · 03-14-2008, 11:37 PM

You don't need a college degree to know that global warming is a myth. Any idiot could have told you that.

Well, not any idiot, if Al Gore believed it. Really, people like that shouldn't even be let into society, and he was alowed to run for president!

lizarddust · 03-15-2008, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icefear

Hitler used the fear of communism to have the people of germany remove the democracy there, and while that was an extreme case, it is along a similar line. :/ Thankfully, our constitution has checks and balances that could negate such atrocities. However the fact holds true everywhere that if you give people fear, you will receive their lives. All the government needs is for the people to be afraid and they'll be willing to give up everything they have, including their freedoms.

G W Bush used fear of terrorism and the war on terror to gain re-election for a second term..Also the fear and mistrust of Islam has caused the USA to become fearfull and paranoid..There is a terrorist just around the corner..What freedoms have you lost??

Calvin-X · 03-16-2008, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizarddust

G W Bush used fear of terrorism and the war on terror to gain re-election for a second term..Also the fear and mistrust of Islam has caused the USA to become fearfull and paranoid..There is a terrorist just around the corner..What freedoms have you lost??

9 posts until an off-topic Bush bash.

Seems high. Do we have an average for this type of thing?