By Gordon J. Fulks, Ph.D.
From near record-high to near record-low temperatures last November in the Pacific Northwest, from relatively warm ocean conditions and “dead zones” to relatively cold ocean conditions and fabulous salmon runs off our Pacific Coast, from an unusually cold winter to an unusually hot summer in Russia, from near record-low Arctic sea ice to near record-high Antarctic sea ice, our climate displays wide variability. But an army of psychologists, journalists and even scientists make sure that the warm swings they deem alarming get the greatest attention. These propagandists know that the selling of Global Warming is all about perception, not reality.
If the data will not support their storyline for another United Nations climate conference in Cancun, Mexico, an army of data manipulators stand ready. They rework averages to show continued warming during the last decade when honest assessments show flat or slightly declining temperatures. Some can be relied upon to say that 2010 was the warmest year “ever,” when honest scientists say that the El Niño this year was very similar to 1998. Also, the recent warm period was not as warm as the previous Medieval Warm Period, something Alarmists deny ever existed.
The simple truth is that there is nothing unusual going on today, let alone anything related to human carbon dioxide emissions. Climate variations are expected on a planet with vast oceans and atmosphere that are never in complete equilibrium. Climate variations are expected with a sun that varies slightly in total solar irradiance, varies more in x-ray and ultraviolet output, and varies substantially in magnetic irregularities which modulate galactic cosmic rays. Climate variations are also expected in a solar system with large planets like Jupiter that alter the earth’s orbit and produce the huge climate variations called Ice Ages.
But how is someone who never studied science going to figure out who is telling the truth? Science is not what I say, just because I have a good education and long experience. It is all about honesty, logic and evidence.
The simplest solution is to look out the window. The British Met Office used its new $50
million supercomputer to predict a mild winter in Britain, 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than last year. So far, the reality is record-breaking cold, heavy snow and paralyzing ice!
But what if the New York Times, President Obama, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC), Yale University and The Oregonian all say to be worried, very worried?
Perhaps you should question their expertise. Thomas Freidman of the New York Times frequently calls for action on climate change but has no expertise and relies on a notorious propagandist. President Obama relies on scientists whom he funds to give him the answers he wants. The NAS is run by an electrical engineer to support government programs. He discovered that Global Warming is far more lucrative than electrical engineering. The UNIPCC is run by a railroad engineer who writes romance novels. Yale University promoters are really psychologists who want you to believe that they are climate experts when their real expertise is propaganda. The Oregonian relies on all of the above. The interlocking relationships are highly incestuous, with vast conflicts of interest and/or little scientific expertise.
Among scientists, belief in Global Warming comes down to cold cash. Those who benefit most from government largesse (about $100 billion to date) are typically true believers, while independent scientists easily spot the scam. This creates a split based on age and experience. Young scientists like Juliane Fry of Reed College, who professed her belief in an Oregonian op-ed, are eager for fame, funding and tenure, all of which are more likely if they support Global Warming. Older scientists like Richard Lindzen of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, perhaps the greatest meteorologist alive today, oppose climate hysteria. They built their fame on an approach now considered quaint: the scientific method.
Among Global Warming advocates there is occasional candor about their real goals. Christiana Figueres, the new executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said of the UN climate efforts: “This is the greatest societal and economic transformation that the world has ever seen.”
Global Warming is about politics, not legitimate science. Ms. Figueres calls herself a “global climate change analyst.” Her formal education in climate science consists of Al Gore’s training program to promote An Inconvenient Truth. That should worry everyone!
Gordon J. Fulks, Ph.D. holds a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago, Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research. He is an academic advisor at Cascade Policy Institute in Portland, Oregon and resides in Corbett.
