Climate Alarmism Takes Off in a New Direction

American Thinker ^ | June 09, 2010 | F. Swemson

[neverdem]

NASA has just voiced its concern over the threat that our modern technological society is now facing from "solar storms."

Now it's true of course, that our society has become quite dependent on new technology, such as satellite communications and GPS mapping, that is vulnerable to the effects of major solar storms, but NASA seems to be a bit too worried about how big the threat really is. Fortunately for us, legitimate climate scientists believe the next solar "maximum," which is due in four to five years, is not expected to be anything unusual. In any event, while major solar storms could screw things up pretty well for a while, they're not potentially fatal to mankind, as the AGW alarmists claim that global warming is.

According to my friend Dr. Ed Berry of climatephysics.com, there's a good reason why NASA is making a big deal out of it. It's called "Grantsmanship." If they can convince Congress that this is a serious threat, which they're obviously best-positioned to research and plan for, then there's a chance that they can get Congress to increase their funding. There's a good deal of exaggeration here, of course, as the "super maximum solar flare" that they're talking about, while possible, is no more likely to occur within the next few years than a hundred-year flood.

But it is possible, of course. So it doesn't seem at all unreasonable for them to want more funding so that they can enhance their forecasting capabilities, which have already come a long way, thanks to our existing satellites.

There's another aspect to this story, however, that might be more interesting for us to consider right now, as it may help us to understand how the global warming hoax arose. While NASA is talking about the issue, they're doing so in a relatively calm and reasonable manner. We can see this from the title of their latest release on the subject: 

NASA: "As the Sun Awakens, NASA Keeps a Wary Eye on Space Weather"

Within 48 hours, however, as the media began to report on the story, it quickly began to morph into another pending apocalypse:

Washington Post: "Do Solar Storms Threaten Life as We Know It?"

Gawker.com: "The Newest Threat to All Human Life on Earth: Solar Storms"

It seems that Fox News isn't quite as over-the-top.

Fox News: "Solar Storms Could Be Threat in 2013"

Why does the media do this?

The simple (historical) answer, of course, is that catastrophes sell newspapers. William Randolph Hearst may have given formal birth to "yellow journalism," but he wasn't its only practitioner. I wrote about this back in January in my article "159 Years of Climate Alarmism at The New York Times."

In the last part of the 19^th century, newspapers like The Times were warning us of an imminent new ice age. By 1940, they were worried about excessive warming; however, after the next 35 years of cooling, they were quick to transition to hysteria over another approaching ice age. By the late 1970s, after the earth began warming again, people like Maurice Strong, along with some other blossoming environmental extremists, politicians, and U.N. officials, began to see the huge potential for power and wealth that was built into the issue. This, along with the added fantasy of AGW, brought us to the brink of Cap & Trade and the fraudulent EPA classification of CO₂ as a pollutant.

Of course, the warming stopped in 2002, and we've been cooling steadily since then. Now, as the AGW house of cards begins to crumble, we're already hearing rumblings about another ice age. It could happen, and if it does, we should be worried this time, because while warming was never any kind of threat at all, extreme cooling is. People starve when crops don't grow very well.

The obvious question is: "If they've been wrong each and every time in the past, why on earth would anyone still be listening to them today?"

H.L. Mencken answered it best when he said, "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."

The public has a short memory, to be sure, but rather than blaming the politicians alone for the current AGW hoax, we should be aware of the media's complicity in this sordid affair. They're still not reporting the news honestly. Like Hearst, they're still making it up as they go. Just to sell "newspapers."

[Little Ray]

Actually, this one is real.

There was a nasty little solar incident in the late 19th century; people could see the Aurora well south of the usual latitudes and telegraphs were chattering from currents induced in the wires.

Imagine what that would do to the computers that run everything from power to phones to inventories?

[maine-iac7]

Actually, this one is real. There was a nasty little solar incident in the late 19th century; people could see the Aurora well south of the usual latitudes and telegraphs were chattering from currents induced in the wires. Imagine what that would do to the computers that run everything from power to phones to inventories?

Exactly.

Too many people, with little knowledge, historically, on a given subject or situation, and with a penchant for depending on their own judgment of it - rather than doing a bit of research - dismiss things they don't understand out of hand.

No excuse for such ignorance/arrogance in this age of information at our fingertips.

[moovova]

Beans, bullets and band-aids...

[American Constitutionalist]

" And if the sun does happen to develop one of these super sunspots pointed our way, just what are we going to DO about it? "

If the liberals and envirowackos had their way, we would spend billions on Green Sun technology.

[PA Engineer]

Will shutting down the grid and turning off appliances avoid some trouble, if we have forewarning? I'm asking. Or are we doomed to current or voltage overload and fried circuits anyway?

That may offer some benefits, but there would still be many problems. There is some good information at The One Second After website.

Induced currents would cause damage on everything from electric distribution, pipelines, satellites, phone lines, rail systems and even home wiring if not properly protected or isolated. My greatest concern are substation transformers. Distribution transformers will also be affected, but the damaged can be reduced if they are isolated. I don't know how people will react when there power goes out after the power crews have pulled transformer fuses and static wires.

With enough warning even home wiring systems may be hardened simply by pulling the breakers, neutrals and grounds. All critical electronics can also be stored in Faraday cages. These would all help. Parked automobiles in garages would also benefit with shielding at roof level, since bursts generally will be elevated line of sight.

There is a great deal of info on the web about EMP. Much of the information is somewhat overblown or misleading. EMP has three phases. The final longer duration heave signal phase is the one that will do most of the damage to distribution systems.

[green iguana]

the threat that our modern technological society is now facing from "solar storms."

Put a Faraday Cage around the Earth!!!!!

Do it now Barry-Wan, You're our only Hope!!!!!

[airborne]

And if the sun does happen to develop one of these super sunspots pointed our way, just what are we going to DO about it?

Read a book. ;^)

[caww]

Well the EPA is very much a part of this and the enviroweenies have their cheerleaders(activists) to keep the masses engaged....Franky it's ‘Nature Worship’...and many are New Agers, Wiccans, and the like. We saw them in full display at Copenhagen....what a bunch of air headed imbecile's....they would have done far better had everyone of them planted a tree.....but that will never happen...anymore than you don't see their masses in the Gulf helping clean up.....they'd rather dress in costumes I wouldn't dare dress a kid in at Halloween, and parade thru the streets.

The ‘Global Warming’ scam went to ‘Climate Change’ and will not die easily....they will just give it another name......there is far far too much money to loose by killing that beast....it's International scope is simply ‘redistribution of wealth’.......but they will never call it as it is...it is really control and power over monetary networks.

[Lurker]

“The whole aim of practical politics is to menace the citizenry with an endless series of hobgoblins all of them imaginary.” H.L. Mencken.

[Robert A Cook PE]

If you want to REALLY worry about something. worry about Super Gamma Ray Bursts. If a Red Giant star goes Super Nova in some far off place in the Universe, and its axis is aimed at us, we're all cooked. Literally.

In fact it *may* have already happened and those Gamma Rays have been coming right at us at 186,000 miles per second. And they could be here next week. Or next month. Or in two years.

So for all the Chicken Littles, grab your pillow and bury your head.
We're all GONNNA DIE!

So, if we can't figure out if a nearby red giant is going to go supernova, we should rename it Betelguess ? And when they gets here, the rays are obviously Betelguests.

But, if they don't go in our direction, we can name the remnants a Betelmiss?

[buffyt]

Send the president up there to PLUG those flares!

[buffyt]

I have read about 12 books about Glowbull warming! The whole hoax is quite unbelievable! I found a lot of books at amazon and at the local bookstores.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for both, neverdem.

• Rushing to Climate Change Conclusions