Call me a liar
Posted by David Keelan on Wednesday, August 8, 2007
I said I wouldn’t write about “Climate Change” anymore. Well something happened to change that.
Lately I have been able to bring myself to begin listening to talk radio. So I tuned in Ron Smith at WBAL and his guest was Steven J. Milloy, the founder and publisher of JunkScience.com and CSRwatch.com. (BTW: David Wissing also has an interesting post on the “climate change” issue and is encouraging everyone to quit walking and drive a car)
So, I called in and asked these question.
Steve, I have been trying to learn what I can about this debate and I think I have more questions than answers.
1. If 3% of greenhouse gases are made up of carbon dioxide and man contributes only to a percentage of that how can carbon dioxide have such a disproportionate effect on global temperatures and lead to such hysteria.
2. Please explain the Michael Mann “hockey stick”
I wanted to ask him about the “consensus” theory, but I did get to ask about the $29 billion US Global Warming Research Industry employing hundreds (if not thousands) of climate change experts. What a gravy train. Ron Smith’s retort “And Al Gore complains about the $10 million being spent to debunk climate change theory?”
Ron and Steve had a lot to say about both my questions. They blasted Mann and wondered why he wasn’t drummed out of the business. The consensus is that Mann threw out the “little ice age” in his model and if it had been included then the 20th century would look pretty normal.
Anyway, Steve has put out a $100,000 challenge.
$100,000 will be awarded to the first person to prove, in a scientific manner, that humans are causing harmful global warming. The winning entry will specifically reject both of the following two hypotheses:
UGWC Hypothesis 1
Manmade emissions of greenhouse gases do not discernibly, significantly and predictably cause increases in global surface and tropospheric temperatures along with associated stratospheric cooling.UGWC Hypothesis 2
The benefits equal or exceed the costs of any increases in global temperature caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions between the present time and the year 2100, when all global social, economic and environmental effects are considered.
Complete rules and an entry form can be found here
Howard County Maryland Blog 
Freemarket said
Liar!
Seriously, these two assertions cannot be proved or disproved. #2 is far too subjective (how to measure benefits and so forth). Global warming is a theory with a lot of evidence to support it. Can global warming be “proven” beyond the shadow of a doubt? Probably not. Similarly, no one can “prove” evolution. Sure, there is a mountain of evidence to support the theory of evolution, but it cannot be “proven”. Same with the law of gravity and everything else in science.
Only a pseudo-science goofball would make such a challenge.
David Keelan said
FM. Thanks for the comment. That is pretty much Steve Milloy’s point too. I don’t know if you read the entry form but he pretty much makes it clear – there is no way to win this $100,000 yet policies are being proposed that would, by some measures, be considered drastic and cost the economies of the world a lot more. Call him what you will, but I think a lot more needs to be learned before we disrupt economic policies for dubious theory.
I think this challenge is part tongue in cheek and part publicity.
pzguru said
I’m glad you decided to post on this topic again. It seems that the local evening news have been running more and more stories about global warming – but the coverage is very slanted in my opinion.
There was an article in either the Sun or the Examiner, within the last 2 months (I cut it out but it got lost), that talks about how Greenland was practically devoid of glaciers only several thousand years ago. Which adds to the evidence of cyclical temperature swings. And, how then could we even try to maintain a static temperature or static conditions around the world? Just because there’s ice ther now, does that mean that’s how it always must be? It doesn’t seem possible since the earth’s forces apparently have more influence on temperature and climate patterns than mankind or our emissions. Which only makes sense.
It was interesting to hear about this expert throwing away certain climate info – sounds like the results were being fixed. Imagine that….
observer said
and PZguru, I guess you are always right about these things. More baseless claims. I like the lost newspaper article, great back up!!
pzguru said
To Observer – the article was on a table near a window. Maybe it spontaneously burst into flames due to global warming. You can google search those newspaper for the article – it’s real.
pzguru said
Another great idea has come to my head, actually two, that should be welcomed by all those who feel the urge to cut back on energy consumption and help the environment.
#1 – I think that every town, city, County, State, and HOA entity should stop mandating that people mow their grass. It would reduce gasaoline consumption. It would reduce carbon monoxide emissions. The taller grass will slow erosion and produce more oxygen, and possibly have a cooling effect. Wildlife would also flourish. Birds, butterflies, insects (they’re entitle to live also) would thrive and everyone’s back yard would become a vast habitat. [I also think that fertilizers and chemlawn treatments should be banned – who really cares if their lawns are emerald green?]
#2 – The Columbia Association and every HOA in the Country should ALLOW outdoor clotheslines and/or drying racks (picture the old fashioned octagonal devices that looked like a giant TV antenna). Allowing people to dry their clothes outside would reduce electricity consumption, reduce trash (no more scented static sheets and lint balls) and reduce heat emissions inside peoples’ houses.
OK – let’s see what the readers think about these ideas. I’m not joking either. I would like to never have to mow my grass again. Actually, I’m not in an HOA so I don’t have to mow my grass if I don’t want to. And, I do use a clothes pole to dry clothes and nice days.