So I learned something the other day. For the last several decades (more so in the 1980’s than in the last 16 years), we have heard warnings and cautions from scientists and environmental groups about global warming and the affects humans have on the environment. The other day, however, I read several articles. The most pointed being this one. This is a testimony from an Emeritus Professor who has quite a resume for evaluating climactic changes. Here’s an except:
Satellite data show no appreciable warming of the global atmosphere since 1979. In fact, if one ignores the unusual El Nino year of 1998, one sees a cooling trend.
I must have been in a bubble lately, because I had just accepted global warming as a fact. I never really worried about it, but I just assumed it was something that we would/should deal with at a later time when it became more of an issue. Little did I realize that this issue was already thrown out as a unproven (and more likely, disproved) theory.
So here’s my real question… why didn’t the media tell us that global warming wasn’t really an issue and had basically been disproved? They were up in arms letting us all know about it. We heard about it for years; the hole in the Ozone layer, the rise is sea levels, the greenhouse affect, yada yada, the sky is falling. All junk. But then when they were proven false, the media didn’t come out and say, “Hey, this is now a false assumtion and the scientific community has realized that it is wrong.”
Perhaps they did say it, but they didn’t do it with the trumpets that they used in pushing their original agenda. I just find it interesting how once again, the media shows how they like to control American thought.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Dan Wilson is a self described computer geek with an opinion on too many things. Regardless of whether the topic is politics, computers, gadgets or social engineering, you can bet he's got an opinion and tends to share. He's currently employed as a software engineer and excels at web development using open-source technologies. 
Dan, that’s because it’s not a disproven theory.
The testimony of an emeritus professor of engineering that you cite as compelling was in fact purchased by money funded by a think tank underwritten by Jack Abramoff’s extortion:
http://indian.senate.gov/2005hrgs/062205hrg/ridenour.pdf
Singer is a paid lobbyist, not a researcher, and buying his lone voice against the tide of scientific evidence is naive.
Wikipedia :: Science and Environmental Policy Project
Please dig a little deeper and don’t simply take cheery-picked evidence just because it fits your political biases.
Craig,
The problem is that it’s not just one organization. It’s not a tide of scientific evidence. The evidence goes both ways in many instances. There’s been controversy over this issue from the very beginning.
You really think I would just take into one account? I looked at several sources. That was one that I found rather interesting with some interesting data points.
Sure, I lean toward my political agenda. Doesn’t everyone?
My point was not that Global Warming isn’t happening… sure, I worded it as if they have disproved it, which I probably shouldn’t have. But my main point was that the media has never indicated (at least not with the same vigor) that there is an opposing view from the scientific community.
Fair enough. I didn’t mean to insinuate that this was the only evidence you reviewed. I guess my point is that this evidence is not published evidence from a scientific journal but rather from a lobbying group. Findings that aren’t peer-reviewed aren’t scientific, because that’s how the scientific process works. So, I’m not sure that this can be counted as “from the scientific community”.
In many ways, it’s like how the creation scientists aren’t by and large part of the “scientific community”. They don’t publish in established peer-reviewed journals and their writings don’t stand up to scrutiny, and yet, they want to call themselves scientists on the basis of their credentials. It’s not credentials that give a scientist credibility, but rather the reproducibility and co-verification of his findings as they fit into established science. Science isn’t made in the popular press, nor in press releases, as we both know.
And, no, when it comes to science, I try not to lean toward my political agenda. If peer-reviewed articles in established climatology journals cast doubt on global warming, then I would be interested in the findings – and frankly, I’d be relieved.
ABSOLUTELY TRUE! A VERY RESPECTED GEOLOGY PROFESSOR AT BYU USED DETAILED GRAPHS TO PROVE THIS. NICE HEADS UP DAN!
WHEN ARE WE GOING GOLFING?
ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ON! A WELL-RESPECTED GEOLOGY PROFESSOR AT BYU SOLIDIFIES THIS THEORY WITH DETAILED GRAPHS. THE COOLING IS ACTUALLY A NATURAL TREND FROM A CONSISTENT GEOLOGICAL PATTERN. NICE HEADS UP!
WHEN ARE WE GOING GOLFING?
Craig,
My mother always used to say (when speaking of scientific evindence), “If you look hard enough and long enough, you can always find some idiot to agree with you.” She also used to say, “figures don’t ly, but liars figure.” That’s only remotely related, but points out that people can skew results of scientific studies if they really want to.
So peer-reviewing scientific findings, although the best method we have in the scientific community, is still flawed in that people can be easily be swayed if the evidence is remotely close (or if they will substantially gain from it).
Even scientist have their agenda. Whether that is political or not doesn’t matter. It’s very difficult to separate your own opinions when trying to prove or disprove something when you already have any type of feelings on it.
I’m sure there are many (including myself) that try to be open-minded when approaching these types of studies, but let’s face it… we all lean toward an agenda.
I’m sorry, Dan, I’m just not that cynical nor that distrusting of the scientific community.
However, I can say almost without question that if anything has perhaps begun to erode the openness and integrity of the scientific process, it’s the recent influx of pseudoscientific hacks promoting creationism and equivalent claptrap, who demand equal time for their unsubstantiated and indefensible views.
I don’t think it’s a matter of being cynical. It’s reality. Look at all the pharmaceutical law suites recently. That’s scientist altering results and smuging numbers because they have financial gain on the line. And is there no peer-review in FDA testing?
Also, how many times do we see some scientific “fact” change. Within years they disprove a theory that someone was portraying as fact.
Just because it’s science and it goes through the scientific process, doesn’t mean it’s free from flaws and opinions of the individuals doing the research and/or peer-reviews. It’s naive to think otherwise.
I’m in no way saying that all science it corrupt, I’m just saying that it’s no where near free from the influences of political lobbying.