Friday, 9 March 2007

Global warming swindle?


Anyone see this programme on Channel 4 last night? Interesting, but I'm not sure if the science is really valid. I still need to watch the last half hour, but I was tired last night.

Basically they said that global warming does not work as everyone else says, i.e. due to build up of CO2. Instead they said it's a natural process due to sun spots. All the GW hype is due to politicians with their own agenda, green campaigners who are anti development and scientists who have adopted it as the orthodoxy and have to go with it to get funding.

In any case there are other problems besides CO2, like diminuishing resources and all the other stuff we pump into the air.



7 comments:

  1. I saw some of it, I'm off to buy a Hummer...

    ReplyDelete
  2. A Hummer wouldn't fit on your drive, let alone in your garage ;)

    I'd like to see the counter-arguments to their points. I'm sure there is a lot of politics in the debate, even amongst scientists, but they can't all be in denial if there really is so much evidence against the orthodoxy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This programme was made by Martin Durkin who directed the "Against Nature" series some time ago on Channel 4. The Independent Television Commission, reviewing Against Nature in response to hundreds of complaints, handed down one of the most damning rulings it has ever made. For details see the Monbiot article Far Left or Far Right. I find it hard to believe that Channel 4 gave him another bite at the cherry!

    Whilst it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that the vast majority of climate scientists are part of a huge global conspiracy, it is certainly extremely unlikely. The best web resource I have found which attempts to explain how the current consensus was reached by scientists is Spenser Weart's The Discovery of Global Warming website which accompanies his book of the same title.

    Don't believe anything you see on TV:-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ian, I'll post your link from The Independent here too as it points out that one of the scientists on the programme is considering a formal complaint as he feels his views were misrepresented.

    Channel 4 could find themselves in more trouble over this.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've watched the rest of it and in light of what I've now heard and read you can almost imagine the real questions the scientists were asked to get those answers. Some of them obviously have a chip on their shoulders, e.g Patrick Moore (ex-Greenpeace) and another guy who was dropped from the UN committee.

    Re my previous remark, here's a statement from Carl Wunsch about how his views were twisted to fit the programme maker's agenda.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Marcus Brigstocke had a nice rant about the programme on The Now Show yesterday. A podcast is available.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I discussed the programme yesterday with some people in Bristol and someone referred me to a comprehensive analysis at medialens Pure Propaganda - The Great Global Warming Swindle.

    ReplyDelete