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Climate Change: Statement of Dr. William Happer before the US Senate
Paths To Knowledge (Blog) ^ | February 25, 2009 | William Happer

Posted on 02/26/2009 1:53:41 PM PST by sourcery

Excerpt:

The earth's climate really is strongly affected by the greenhouse effect, although the physics is not the same as that which makes real, glassed-in greenhouses work. Without greenhouse warming, the earth would be much too cold to sustain its current abundance of life. However, at least 90% of greenhouse warming is due to water vapor and clouds. Carbon dioxide is a bit player. There is little argument in the scientific community that a direct effect of doubling the CO2 concentration will be a small increase of the earth's temperature—on the order of one degree. Additional increments of CO2 will cause relatively less direct warming because we already have so much CO2 in the atmosphere that it has blocked most of the infrared radiation that it can. It is like putting an additional ski hat on your head when you already have a nice warm one below it, but your are only wearing a windbreaker. To really get warmer, you need to add a warmer jacket. The IPCC thinks that this extra jacket is water vapor and clouds.

Since most of the greenhouse effect for the earth is due to water vapor and clouds, added CO2 must substantially increase water's contribution to lead to the frightening scenarios that are bandied about. The buzz word here is that there is "positive feedback." With each passing year, experimental observations further undermine the claim of a large positive feedback from water. In fact, observations suggest that the feedback is close to zero and may even be negative. That is, water vapor and clouds may actually diminish the already small global warming expected from CO2, not amplify it. ...

(Excerpt) Read more at pathstoknowledge.wordpress.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Science
KEYWORDS: globalwarming
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1 posted on 02/26/2009 1:53:41 PM PST by sourcery
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To: xcamel

For your ping list...


2 posted on 02/26/2009 1:55:05 PM PST by sourcery (Beware The Obama-nable Snow-job Man)
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To: sourcery

Someone tell me what the ‘correct value’ of atmospheric CO2 is? Is it now too high, or is it too low? And how would we know?


3 posted on 02/26/2009 1:56:37 PM PST by Tarpon (ItÂ’s a common fact, one canÂ’t be liberal and rational at the same time.)
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To: Tarpon

We face two risks: Too much warming or too much cooling. The consequences of the latter are far worse than the former. So the conclusion is inevitable: It would be wiser to err on the side of too much warming, rather than too much cooling.


4 posted on 02/26/2009 2:00:19 PM PST by sourcery (Beware The Obama-nable Snow-job Man)
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To: Tarpon
Someone tell me what the ‘correct value’ of atmospheric CO2 is? Is it now too high, or is it too low?

It is too high, by the exact amount caused by Americans driving SUVs.

And how would we know?

Nobel Prize/Oscar winner Al Gore says so.

5 posted on 02/26/2009 2:02:21 PM PST by Always Right (Obama: more arrogant than Bill Clinton, more naive than Jimmy Carter, and more liberal than LBJ.)
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To: sourcery

It is the height of arrogance to think we can have any effect either way.


6 posted on 02/26/2009 2:06:03 PM PST by America_Right (The best thing about the Obama Presidency: McCain isn't the President!)
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To: sourcery
However, at least 90% of greenhouse warming is due to water vapor and clouds.

Hey Bambi, ask your climate czar to regulate water and clouds immediately, before it's too late!

7 posted on 02/26/2009 2:17:06 PM PST by rfp1234 (Phodopus campbelli: household ruler since July 2007.)
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To: Always Right

There was once a “Normal” setting for the Earth’s thermostat.

And only Al Gore knows what it is......


8 posted on 02/26/2009 2:31:51 PM PST by Dixiekraut (Rommel......you magnificent bastard....I READ YOUR BOOK !!!!)
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To: Tarpon

CO2 levels of up to 2500 PPM are not considered hazardous to life. The earth has had levels this high in its history. Of course zero CO2 would cause all plant life to die, and that would eventually kill everything. I’d say as long as the level is around 200 PPM, plants can adapt. So my answer is somewhere between 200 and 2500 PPM.

Now if a final figure warms the planet from a baseline a few degrees, then I think most life will adapt. Hey if we discovered a planet that had an average temperature 5 degrees warmer than the earth presently is, we’d all want to move there, even if there weren’t any polar caps and polar bears, especially if the real estate was cheap and there weren’t any taxes.


9 posted on 02/26/2009 3:04:00 PM PST by JeanLM
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To: WL-law; Genesis defender; proud_yank; FrPR; enough_idiocy; Desdemona; rdl6989; Little Bill; ...
 


Beam me to Planet Gore !

10 posted on 02/26/2009 4:37:46 PM PST by steelyourfaith (How many face lifts were required before the Speaker began speaking from her anal orifice?)
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To: Tarpon
It's too low.


11 posted on 02/26/2009 4:42:14 PM PST by I got the rope
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To: Tarpon
It's too low.


12 posted on 02/26/2009 4:42:15 PM PST by I got the rope
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To: I got the rope

Where did that come from? Is it real? I ask a serious rhetorical question and get real data ... can’t be.


13 posted on 02/26/2009 4:43:55 PM PST by Tarpon (ItÂ’s a common fact, one canÂ’t be liberal and rational at the same time.)
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To: Tarpon

I got it from Dr. Soon.


14 posted on 02/26/2009 4:46:56 PM PST by I got the rope
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To: I got the rope

OK, can you give a link, I would be really interested in reading this.


15 posted on 02/26/2009 4:50:50 PM PST by Tarpon (ItÂ’s a common fact, one canÂ’t be liberal and rational at the same time.)
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To: Tarpon

You have freepmail.


16 posted on 02/26/2009 5:08:33 PM PST by I got the rope
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To: Tarpon
Environmental effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide
17 posted on 02/26/2009 5:58:30 PM PST by steelyourfaith (How many face lifts were required before the Speaker began speaking from her anal orifice?)
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To: steelyourfaith

Cool! Thanks!!!


18 posted on 02/26/2009 6:26:37 PM PST by I got the rope
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To: Tarpon

He will be speaking here:

http://www.heartland.org/events/NewYork09/newyork09.html


19 posted on 02/26/2009 6:28:11 PM PST by I got the rope
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To: Tarpon

Go here to listen or watch video of last years presentations.

http://www.heartland.org/NewYork08/proceedings.html


20 posted on 02/26/2009 6:32:07 PM PST by I got the rope
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