Warming science load of hot air

Over and over the public has been bombarded with the disaster that is global warming. We are told that unless immediate action is taken, the "global economy" could shrink by 20 percent and millions will be killed by rising seas, droughts, floods and water shortages. Yet those who challenge the science behind climate change are tagged as "climate change deniers," a not so subtle reference to the holocaust kind. Open debate is not wanted, because global warming is increasingly driven by fear, ignorance and bad science.

The science has become hopelessly politicized. Now climate change is a cover for anti-corporate and anti-development policies, and the billions of dollars that go into climate change research and green technology have created determined advocates (the billions given to global warmers and green technology dwarfs the funding for global warming skeptics). Science that contradicts global warming is neither heard nor wanted.

A classic example is the Mann hockey stick, a revolutionary development for warming fundamentalists. It purported to show temperatures as actually having been relatively flat over the last thousand years, before suddenly spiking in the 20th Century. It was featured prominently by Al Gore in his Oscar winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth." Despite its numerous flaws, it was accepted immediately as gospel until finally it was totally disproved by fellow scientists within a few years. Yet almost no mention of this can be found in the media.

Mt. Kilimanjaro's disappearing snow cap is another commonly referenced event in the media concerning global warming. But research by Nature's Betsy Mason and climatologist John Daly, points to deforestation being the likely culprit. Satellites have recorded no measurable atmospheric warming since 1979 in the free troposphere between 1,000 and 8,000 meters.

Despite alarmists wanting to portray the scientific community as having moved past debate, dissenters are still speaking out. Dr. William Gray, the respected hurricane forecaster and professor of atmospheric science, slammed Gore as a fraud and accused his movie of "brainwashing children."

The response to these critics has been blistering. They have been accused of being lackeys for "Big Oil" (whatever that means), hacks and liars. Several warming zealots have called for "deniers" to face criminal charges for spreading lies. Ellen Goodman of The Boston Globe came out and said global warming deniers are "now on a par with holocaust deniers."

An insightful book by Bjørn Lomborg called "Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalists Guide to Global Warming," attempted to step back from the hysteria. He argues that even if global warming is true, that does not mean it is the only priority of governments. Lomborg pointed out there are far better ways to spend taxpayers' money, such as HIV/AIDS research, preventing malnutrition and ensuring Third World drinking water standards. The message of keeping global warming in perspective is the book's most valuable contribution. Instead of a climate of fear and ignorance, we should encourage one of open and informed debate.

Jack Millman is a sophomore in political science and economics. He can be reached at millman.5@osu.edu.