Nature

YEARENDER: UN blitz year on climate change is linked to poverty goals

Nature Features

Dec 18, 2007, 9:29 GMT


Talkback

Add your comment (no registration required)

page: 1  2  3 

NoharnessDec 18th, 2007 - 19:31:32

There are some fallacies in this article that are inspired by political correctness and it is misuse of the language like this that makes me think that there is a great deal of dishonesty at the United Nations in general and the IPCC in particular. I'll criticize them in the order of their occurrence.

RE:'Three IPCC reports, compiled by more than 2,000 scientists, said global warming was 'unequivocal' and largely the result of human activity.'

Global warming is indeed unequivocal. The entire solar system is heating up. If the outer planets are warming to a sufficient degree that it is detectable by us, then the Earth must warming up very quickly. Mars, for instance, receives only 1/8 as much energy from the sun in total as the earth does, but the signs of atmospheric warming are very obvious on Mars. Looked at another way, Earth receives eight times as much energy as Mars. Of course we are warming up! Additionally, there is no proof that CO2 is a good enough insulator to over-drive the climate. Water vapor is the dominant 'greenhouse' gas, not carbon dioxide.

RE:'The World Meteorological Organization said the concentration of carbon dioxide - the chief pollutant - in the atmosphere reached the highest level ever recorded in 2006.'

This is a gross misuse of language. Carbon dioxide is NOT a pollutant. It is and always has been a normal constituent of the atmosphere.

RE:'Water vapour, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide - the three major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere blamed for global warming - can remain there for 100 years, the UN Development Programme and UN Environment Programme said in a November report.'

The IPCC has never, not once, addressed the affects of water vapor concentration on the climate. The IPCC did, in fact, go out of its way to address water vapor at all. All, I repeat, all of the other 'greenhouse' gases pale in comparison to water as an absorber and re-emitter of radiant energy. Fortunately for us, the atmosphere dries out by dropping rain or snow on us.

RE:''What we do today about climate change has consequences that will last a century or more,' according to the study, titled Human Development Report. 'The part of that change that is due to greenhouse gas emissions is not reversible in the foreseeable future.'

I suggest that everyone read this one twice. If there is nothing we can do that will slow or mitigate climate change, why is the United Nations so keen on forcing everyone to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions? Or are they trying to say that the only thing we can possibly do is to make matters worse and that everyone living in an industrialized nation should immediately commit seppuku?

Here is the truth. We CAN do something in relatively short order that would NOT require mucking up every economy, advance or developing. Apparently, no one at the United Nations has thought of it because they are too intently focused on ceasing control of every economy on Earth.

RE:'Flooding and tropical storms could displace up to 332 million people in coastal and low-lying areas, among them more than 70 million Bangladeshis, 32 million Vietnamese and 6 million Egyptians.'

And radical cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, especially when it will choke both advanced and developing economies, will do NOTHING to change any of this. Mostly because carbon dioxide concentrations are not the real root of the problem, but even if it were, it would take hundreds of years for the current concentrations to drop, even if we ceased all such emissions tomorrow morning.

RE:''For millions of people, these are events that offer a one-way ticket to poverty and long-run cycles of disadvantage,' the report said.'

So, the United Nations is bravely proposing to issue everyone on Earth a one way ticket into poverty. Ergo, what they are after is a massive die-off of human beings, preferably in the 'developed nations'.

There is a simple alternative to this 'looming catastrophe', but before we implement it, the IPCC had better be able to demonstrate that it has a very sound grasp of how the oceans and atmosphere deal with energy inputs. Personally, I don't think that they do or they would have spent a wee bit more time and effort understanding how water vapor and the oceans affect climatological conditions.

Report this comment

NoharnessDec 20th, 2007 - 01:53:04

Holy Boreas, windbags! Did we have SUV's back in 7000BC?

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201437.htm

Report this comment

SP4: Is this...Dec 21st, 2007 - 04:12:10

...the stupidest premise for an article you've ever seen? Honestly, the UN's members ecxploit the poor for the last 100 years and now wnat to blame poverty on the weather????

Report this comment

Tonni works for MCDec 21st, 2007 - 16:54:57

More Than 400 Prominent Scientists Disputed Man-Made Global Warming Claims in 2007

Senate Report Debunks 'Consensus'

20 Dec 07 - More than 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called 'consensus' on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore.

Even some in the establishment media now appear to be taking notice of the growing number of skeptical scientists. In October, Washington Post Staff Writer Juliet Eilperin conceded the obvious, writing that climate skeptics 'appear to be expanding rather than shrinking.' Many scientists from around the world have dubbed 2007 as the year man-made global warming fears 'bite the dust.' In addition, many scientists who are also progressive environmentalists believe climate fear promotion has 'co-opted' the green movement.

This blockbuster Senate report lists the scientists by name, country of residence, and academic/institutional affiliation. It also features their own words, biographies, and weblinks to their peer reviewed studies and original source materials as gathered from public statements, various news outlets, and websites in 2007. This new 'consensus busters' report is poised to redefine the debate.

Many of the scientists featured in this report consistently stated that numerous colleagues shared their views, but they will not speak out publicly for fear of retribution. Atmospheric scientist Dr. Nathan Paldor, Professor of Dynamical Meteorology and Physical Oceanography at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, author of almost 70 peer-reviewed studies, explains how many of his fellow scientists have been intimidated.

'Many of my colleagues with whom I spoke share these views and report on their inability to publish their skepticism in the scientific or public media,' Paldor wrote.

Scientists from Around the World Dissent

This new report details how teams of international scientists are dissenting from the UN IPCC’s view of climate science. In such nations as Germany, Brazil, the Netherlands, Russia, New Zealand and France, nations, scientists banded together in 2007 to oppose climate alarmism. In addition, over 100 prominent international scientists sent an open letter in December 2007 to the UN stating attempts to control climate were 'futile.'

Paleoclimatologist Dr. Tim Patterson, professor in the department of Earth Sciences at Carleton University in Ottawa, recently converted from a believer in man-made climate change to a skeptic. Patterson noted that the notion of a 'consensus' of scientists aligned with the UN IPCC or former Vice President Al Gore is false. 'I was at the Geological Society of America meeting in Philadelphia in the fall and I would say that people with my opinion were probably in the majority.'

The distinguished scientists featured in this new report are experts in diverse fields, including: climatology; oceanography; geology; biology; glaciology; biogeography; meteorology; oceanography; economics; chemistry; mathematics; environmental sciences; engineering; physics and paleoclimatology. Some of those profiled have won Nobel Prizes for their outstanding contribution to their field of expertise and many shared a portion of the UN IPCC Nobel Peace Prize with Vice President Gore.

Additionally, these scientists hail from prestigious institutions worldwide, including: Harvard University; NASA; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR); Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the UN IPCC; the Danish National Space Center; U.S. Department of Energy; Princeton University; the Environmental Protection Agency; University of Pennsylvania; Hebrew University of Jerusalem; the International Arctic Research Centre; the Pasteur Institute in Paris; the Belgian Weather Institute; Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute; the University of Helsinki; the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S., France, and Russia; the University of Pretoria; University of Notre Dame; Stockholm University; University of Melbourne; University of Columbia; the World Federation of Scientists; and the University of London.

The voices of many of these hundreds of scientists serve as a direct challenge to the often media-hyped 'consensus' that the debate is 'settled.'

The report counters the claims made by the promoters of man-made global warming fears that the number of skeptical scientists is dwindling.

Report this comment

Fool on the hillDec 22nd, 2007 - 09:37:37

Please do not mention the heating up of the solar system without conveniently omitting to mention the planet Venus.
Venus in the solar system is practically Earth's twin. It has no known source of heat apart from the Sun and the surface temperature is that of molten lead. It's atmosphere comprises mainly of Co2.
The heat in the atmosphere is caused by Co2 trapping the heat from the Sun and the planet is incapable of losing the heat.
PLEASE EXPLAIN why you conveniently forgot to mention Venus.

Report this comment

No more terror deniersDec 22nd, 2007 - 21:10:58

'Even if the concentration of 'greenhouse gases' double, man would not perceive the temperature impact.'
Oleg Sorochtin of the Institute of Oceanology at the Russian
Academy of Sciences

• 'I find the Doomsday picture Al Gore is painting — a six-meter sea level rise, 15 times the [U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] number — entirely without merit. ... I protest vigorously the idea that the climate reacts like a home heating system to a changed setting of the thermostat: just turn the dial, and the desired temperature will soon be reached.'
Atmospheric scientist Hendrik Tennekes, former research director
at the Netherlands' Royal National Meteorological Institute

• 'The hypothesis that solar variability and not human activity is warming the oceans goes a long way to explain the puzzling idea that the Earth's surface may be warming while the atmosphere is not. The [greenhouse-gas] hypothesis does not do this. ... The public is not well served by this constant drumbeat of false alarms fed by computer models manipulated by advocates.'
David Wojick, expert reviewer for U.N. Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change

• 'The media is promoting an unprecedented hyping related to global warming. The media and many scientists are ignoring very important facts that point to a natural variation in the climate system as the cause of the recent global warming.'
Chief Meteorologist Eugenio Hackbart of the MetSul Meteorologia
Weather Center in Sao Leopoldo-Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

• 'There's no need to be worried. It's very interesting to study [climate change], but there's no need to be worried.'
Anton Uriarte, a professor of physical geography at the University
of the Basque Country in Spain

Report this comment

SP4: Dear Mr. FoolDec 23rd, 2007 - 17:06:23

Venus has almost nothing in common with earth:

No oceans

Total C02 atmosphere as oposed to a small content of C02

Plantary forces supposedly turn Venus inside out about every 40,000 years i.e. rampant Vulcanism.

One other thing: It's CLOSER to the sun.....now study all of this and be sure to report back...we're dying to hear the response.

Report this comment

NoharnessDec 23rd, 2007 - 18:29:08

Here is what a truly deep thinker had to say about today back in 1957:

www.theoildrum.com/node/2724

He was right on nearly every point. While I am not nearly so pessimistic as the KOG, I will also readily warn you that if you want to argue with him, you had better be able to work just as smart as he did and just as hard.

Venus receives 174% as much energy in total as the Earth does. Throw in the complete absence of water and an atmosphere that is far more dense, the Venusian atmosphere is made up of C02 and H2SO4, and you are guaranteed high temperatures at the surface without ever taking greenhouse trapping into account. The greenhouse effect on Venus is minimal, if it plays any role at all.

Report this comment

Re Mr SP4- from FoolDec 23rd, 2007 - 20:19:49

Yes indead Venus is closer to the Sun than earth but it is not as close as Mercury and Mercury has a cooler surface temparature than Venus.
The atmosphere on Venus is comprised of 96% Co2 about 4%nitrogen and has clouds and liquid droplets of H2so4.
Venus has a much weaker magnetic field and no moon therefore making volcanic activity very minimal.
Co2 and water vapour are transparent to visiable light but they have the property of being able to absorb infrared radiation [somtimes called radiant heat]. The only explanation for the high surface temperature on Venus is because the Sun's radiation is trapped by the atmosphere in the form of infrared heat.
On earth there are 2 major areas where the heat from the Sun is trapped by the atmosphere. Without this ability the Earth would be a very cold place to live.
One source is water vapour, fortunately the vast majority of water vapour on Earth is condensed and formes the Oceans.
Methane is a greenhouse gas more potent than Co2 but because it is around only in small ammounts it's affect is minimal.
The other major source is Co2, and again we are very fortunate that the vast majority of Co2 on Earth is trapped in a fossilised form.
If large ammounts of this fossilised carbon are burnt and released into the atmosphere as a gas the result is more infrared absortion and GLOBAL WARMING.
Fool on the Hill
Better to be a Fool searching for the truth than someone who thinks he is not a Fool.

Report this comment

NoharnessDec 24th, 2007 - 00:36:45

Nuts! The atmospheric pressure at the surface of Venus is 92 atmospheres, that's 1, 352 lbs / square inch--not much different from being on the piston of a diesel engine at top dead center. On top of that, Venus is receiving nearly twice as much heat as Earth receives. When you do this to a gas, any gas, it gets hot-hot-hot!

Oh, and the atmosphere of Venus is such a good CONDUCTOR of heat that it is just as hot on the night-side as it is on the day-side.

Report this comment

page: 1  2  3 

Add your comment (no registration required)

Latest Headlines in Nature

Bookmark and Share

Latest Articles on The Tech Herald

BitDefender: Trojans amounted for half of threats discovered in June
Q&A: Proginet CIO Kevin Bohan
iPhone 3GS sends AT&T registers into overdrive
Apple revises support document regarding hot 3GS handsets
SingTel confirms iPhone 3GS coming to Singapore