One Cold Day And They Want You To Drink The Kool-Aid
February 14, 2010
Recent points made by doubters of global warming show just how out of touch they truly are. At best, they are out of touch, more likely they are simply cherry picking situations to suit their own point of view. In other words, they are deliberately trying to mislead. With the winter storms that hit most of the nation in the last two weeks, it is an easy segue to make; the problem is it is not a factual and has nothing to do with the issues that drive global warming.
For the most part, global warming deniers count on a lack of understanding by the general population of global warming as a phenomenon. While, as the name implies, during global warming the world sees an increase in average temperature, it is by no means the only trait of it. Nor is a rise in temperature the most devastating effect, the shift in worldwide weather patterns will drastically change life on a planetary scale. The name has created much of the confusion; while temperature increase does have a role, it does not mean all the earth will have weather like Miami Beach.
I think the real hang-up people has to do with the blame game, whether or not people are the cause of global warming. In the end, the cause does not matter. It is how to best deal with it, if we can at all, that needs to be studied. The question of humanity polluting the earth is one of good stewardship and does not require study at all. We simply should not destroy the only home we have. We owe it to our children to take care of the earth while we are here. Moreover, no one can deny damage has occurred due to mankind, it would be a nice gesture on our part to leave the place better than we found it for a while and give future generations a better home.
Back to the recent events, it is simply amazing that news organizations put up a photo or video clip of a winter storm and claim it disproves global warming. In fairness, they don’t claim it as much as imply it. Truth is it supports the theory as unstable weather is part of it. While some places have snow for the first time in years, like the Deep South, other places that normally have snow are without. Vancouver, for instance, they are trucking in show for the Winter Olympics’ skiing events. All it really proves is weather patterns are changing. Only through the lens of history is this change understandable.
Hemispheric temperatures have not been constant over the earth’s history. We only need to look back to the 1300s for a great example. This was the start of a centuries long weather pattern know as the Little Ice Age (about 1300 – 1700AD). During this period, it is thought the Northern hemisphere cooled rather than warmed, sort of the opposite of what is going on now. What is less well know is before the Little Ice Age, there was a different weather event known as the Medieval Warm Period, during this period (about 800 – 1300AD), it is believed the hemisphere was warmer. In both events, the average change was only about 1°C but still had dramatic results, everything from growing crops in Iceland and Greenland to crop failures in Europe due to extreme cold. The weather patterns changed, then changed again. It is possible we are seeing a similar event now.
Regardless of who is right this time, there is no doubt something is changing with the current long-term weather cycle, the question is what to do about it if anything. Global warming has turned into a referendum on pollution. Supporters of the theory were quick to determine human generated pollution was the cause. As big business is a primary source of pollution, they obviously disagree. Do humans cause global warming? The answer is it does not matter and the question is stupid to ask. Better questions are, can we change global warming and should we try to change it. The question of pollution is much easier to deal with; we simply should not pollute the earth we live on. Look at it at the household level, do you trash your home or clean it up now and then?
Don’t be fooled by news organizations that have an agenda. The weather is changing. It always has and it always will. It is how the earth functions. We are bound to see weather in extremes while this change takes place. Some places will get hotter and some colder. That does not prove or disprove the trend; it is simply part of it. People with political agendas use the smallest of opportunities to gain advantage. The current weather is just such an opportunity. Don’t fall for the hysteria; don’t drink their Kool-Aid.
MHBenton's Blog 
Good research and info, Mike. The more, the better. I will follow up on them, just been really busy. I have a Statistics test and lengthy case to finish in the next 2 days and another test in the morning. I will read them, though. The more info that we have, the better.
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Hi Michael,
You might want to watch this movie. It was very enlightening for me:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5576670191369613647#
Suzie
BTW, we are gettin snow here today…for the 5th time this year! It is pretty.
Suzie,
The program illustrates well the complexity of climate change, though I do think it lends itself to the hysteria from those that deny it, just as Al gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” does for those that support it.
To that end, look behind the curtain at the guy that produced, wrote, and directed it, Martin Durkin. He has a history of taking things out of context and is part of the larger problem of understanding the truth. Here is what Prof. Wunsch of MIT had to say about his interview for the program: “My appearance in the “Global Warming Swindle” is deeply embarrassing, and my professional reputation has been damaged. I was duped.”
Later in a written response he further explains, “Durkin says that I reacted to the way the film portrayed me because of pressure from my colleagues. This is completely false. I did hear almost immediately from colleagues in the UK who saw the film who didn’t berate me. They simply said, “This doesn’t sound like you, this seems to be distorting your views, you better have a look at this”. And having had a look at what they did with my comments in the film out of context and cutting away many of the important things that I thought were important that dealt with the science of it, it was a complete distortion of what I had told Durkin I believed.” I remember Prof. Wunsch from MIT, I did not have the pleasure of attending a one of his classes but those that did, and still do, said he is quite the scientist. It is a shame that his opinion was usurped to serve the desires of someone with an agenda. Prof. Wunsch has published volumes on his views about global warming. My own opinion on the subject is greatly influenced by is work.
In the end, I think the show distorts the issue rather than informs. If you watch it, you feel anyone that believes global warming is a problem is a lunatic. Just like when you watch Gore’s program you feel like anyone that does not believe it is the crazy one. As for me, I’ll stick with scientists like Carl Wunsch.
Prof Wunsch was kind enough to respond to me on this topic. He wished me to add one comment, “for people who equate it to Al Gore’s film, is that Al Gore never pretends to be a scientist, whereas many of the people in the Swindle film are masquerading as experts.”
Rather than answer every inquiry concerning his involvement with the film in detail here, the following links are provided:
http://ocean.mit.edu/~cwunsch
http://www.ofcomswindlecomplaint.net/