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Monday, November 30, 2009

Some caution about global warming

I have taken the view, over the years, that there really is such a thing as global warming, and that human activity is at least partly responsible for that. I am not, by any means, an expert on climatology, but I believe that the scientific consensus is strongly in favor of this view, based on good data.

There is a considerable amount of anecdotal photographic evidence, including changes in the polar ice caps, which is the main reason that I continue to hold to that view. But, out of fairness, I point out that some recently released e-mail exchanges between climate scientists seem to indicate that there has been some fudging to strengthen the case for data supporting global warming. If true, this is a shame. Science should be objective. It probably never has been entirely so, but, for the most part, the system has worked.

National Public Radio has a report, both textual and audio, about these e-mails, and provides an analysis of their significance.

Thanks for reading.

2 comments:

FYT said...

Global Warming and it's cause are much like Christmas's Santa lie ... It seems to be a sort of religion that is good in intention but not practice.

I am happy that GW at least makes us think a little more about our impact on the environment ... It encorages responsibility on a grand scale.

My problem with GW science so far is that it doesn't account for patterns beyond 120 years in weather and technically much much sooner. It doesn't factor in cosmic considerations either - instead it blames everything on mankind. If what I read is correct there are minute movements in the moon, minute differences in sunspots, and minute movements within our solar system that may be affecting our cloud movements, ocean currents, and even the earths "wobble & rotation".

Martin LaBar said...

Thanks, Philip Smith!

I'm not absolutely sure that there is global warming, either, or that, if there is, it has been caused by human activity. But I am sure that the experts in climatology, almost without exception, believe both of these things, and experience tells me that the scientific community, using its God-given skills, is usually correct in its consensus, and, if it isn't, some other scientists eventually come along and set things right. I am also sure that anti-global warming has itself taken on some of the characteristics of a religion.

If you are interested in more of my thoughts on these matters, see here.