Candidates on the Issues: Global Warming

The Associated Press ^ | Wed, Feb 04, 2004

[presidio9]

The Associated Press chooses an issue three times a week and asks the presidential candidates a question about it. Today's question and responses:

GLOBAL WARMING: Should the United States support the Kyoto treaty to limit global warming?

Democrats:

Wesley Clark: "Not only did President Bush (news - web sites) pull out of Kyoto, but he has utterly failed to address the problem of global warming in a serious way at all, choosing instead to deny the science, effectively hiding his head in the sand. We need to re-engage with the international community to address carbon emissions and global warming more broadly. Whether it's rejoining Kyoto or finding other multilateral approaches, we have to address this global problem with global leadership."

Howard Dean: "We must reject the Bush doctrine of isolationism and rejoin the international dialogue on global climate change. A Dean administration will work to re-engage with the international community to deal with the environmental, economic and public health threats of global warming. We must also actively reduce our own emissions and set an example to our neighbors. The technologies for cleaner power plants, factories, and vehicles are present; now we need real accountability — firm and fair standards to level the playing field and give industries the incentives to adopt and improve these technologies."

Sen. John Edwards: "America must be a leader in the world's effort to reduce global warming. While the Kyoto agreement had problems, President Bush made a terrible mistake in simply walking away from Kyoto and our allies. We must work with other nations for an international framework that reduces global warming and maintains America's economic strength at the same time."

Sen. John Kerry: "Some of our most serious environmental challenges — and opportunities — are taking place on an international stage and they require American leadership in the international community. Unlike the Bush administration, I will not abdicate this responsibility and opportunity. I will make sure that the U.S. re-engages in the development of an international climate change strategy to address global warming, and identifies workable responses that provide opportunities for American technology and know-how."

Rep. Dennis Kucinich: "Conserving energy and complying with the Kyoto Protocol (news - web sites) would promote national security and Mideast peace as well as curb global warming. As president, I will sign the Kyoto climate change treaty because we need it for our children and our grandchildren."

Sen. Joe Lieberman: "Yes. I attended and supported the work at the international conferences in Buenos Aires and Kyoto. Recently, Senator John McCain and I introduced groundbreaking legislation to help cut greenhouse gas emissions."

Al Sharpton (news - web sites): No response.

Republican:

President Bush: No response.

[RightWingAtheist]

And what exactly are the sources you are citing for your "facts"? Please list them here so the rest of us can verify their legitimacy.

[boris]

You might begin your education with the facts I have laid before you here.

[ancient_geezer]

Sen. Joe Lieberman: "Yes. I attended and supported the work at the international conferences in Buenos Aires and Kyoto. Recently, Senator John McCain and I introduced groundbreaking legislation to help cut greenhouse gas emissions."

But it is much more effective, and less costly, to remove the root cause of global warming.

At the rate of reduction in radiative forcing due to political hot air, "Global Warming" is being cancelled out and is actually in the process of reversal.

Kyoto Protocol: "A useless appendage to an irrelevant treaty"
Patrick J. Michaels, Professor of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, and Senior Fellow in Environmental Studies at Cato Institute

The primary equation by which radiative forcing for a doubling of CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere has fallen to <85% of the value assigned to it by the UN/IPCC in 1990.

• 4.37 wm^-2 = 6.3 ln(C/C0), Shine et al. in IPPC Climate Change (1990)
• 3.70 wm^-2 = 5.35 ln(C/C₀), Myhre et al., 1998b, in IPCC Climate Change(2001)

That represents a reduction in green house gas warming of 0.68wm^-2 across eight years through the mere expediant of removing a portion of the political hot air, from UN/IPCC's original coefficients for calculating radiative forcing of CO₂.

This is equivalent to a 13% reduction in CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere from 360ppm to 317ppm, the level of CO₂ in the atmosphere in 1960.

8 years of removing hot air from the global warming climate has compensated for 40years of CO₂ accumulation.

Figure 1: Atmospheric CO2 concentrations in parts per million by volume, ppm, at Mauna Loa, Hawaii. These measurements agree well with those at other locations (1). Periodic cycle is caused by seasonal variations in CO2 absorption by plants. Approximate global level of atmospheric CO2 in 1900 and 1940 is also displayed (2).

The UN/IPCC estimates that the industrial age has added a net CO₂ forcing of 1.4wm^-2 up to the year 2000.

The means the root cause of global warming (political hot air) has a half life of 8years, and we can expect hot air forcing to wither away to nothing in just a few decades as the natural balance of common sense returns to the scientific community.