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Climate of Fear
Wall Street Journal ^ | 4/12/2006 | Richard Lindzen

Posted on 04/12/2006 1:44:46 PM PDT by Paul Ross

There have been repeated claims that this past year's hurricane activity was another sign of human-induced climate change. Everything from the heat wave in Paris to heavy snows in Buffalo has been blamed on people burning gasoline to fuel their cars, and coal and natural gas to heat, cool and electrify their homes. Yet how can a barely discernible, one-degree increase in the recorded global mean temperature since the late 19th century possibly gain public acceptance as the source of recent weather catastrophes? And how can it translate into unlikely claims about future catastrophes?

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: climate; globalwarming; meteorology

1 posted on 04/12/2006 1:44:47 PM PDT by Paul Ross
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To: Paul Ross

PT Barnum once addressed the phenomenon of people who believe hokum like the global warming voodoo: "There's a sucker born every minute."


2 posted on 04/12/2006 1:56:41 PM PDT by PeterFinn (Anita Bryant was right!)
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To: PeterFinn

Ah, but the Earth has been getting warmer lately. Let's just hope it lasts a bit longer.

http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/ice_ages.html

What kind of idiot would prefer to live on Earth in the midst of an ice age?

We are currently about 18,000 years into an interglacial period (they generally last 15,000 to 20,000 years). Interglacial periods alternate with ice ages, which tend to last about 4-5 times as long.

Before the Earth moved into its current series of ice ages, it was a much warmer place, and capable of supporting much more life than it does today. This series of ice ages will likely continue until we again have open ocean over both poles (a very long time indeed).

It is unlikely that manking will ever be able to significantly affect this cycle. To the extent that we might be able to warm the Earth by increasing the greenhouse effect, it would mostly make the Earth a better place to live (weaker storms, more arable land, etc.)


3 posted on 04/12/2006 2:41:56 PM PDT by 3niner
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To: Paul Ross
Key paragraph:

But there is a more sinister side to this feeding frenzy. Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their grant funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves libeled as industry stooges, scientific hacks or worse. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science that supposedly is their basis.

4 posted on 04/12/2006 2:56:11 PM PDT by CedarDave
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To: Paul Ross

My deep respect to Richard Lindzen, Michsel Crichton, and all the others who have stood up for real science in the face of organized mass hysteria.


5 posted on 04/12/2006 2:57:59 PM PDT by lfod1776
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To: Paul Ross

At the risk of offending some people, the true believers of global warming have a pedigree in the Western world. The idea of the "end of the world" occurring through the accumulation of human sin and turning away from God has a strong pull in our culture, including those who profess a lack of belief. True, many environmentalists don't believe in God or accept Jesus as their savior, but they do come out of a culture that has Christianity as its foundation, and that includes the concept of Armaggedon. Global warming is just another horseman. The idea has resonnance, in the same way that nuclear warfare had 40 years ago. For that reason, you're never going to convince the true believers that there is any doubt in the reality and the upcoming horror of global warming - it is based in faith, a faith that says human beings are sinners (polluters) and that our sin is in the process of ruining God's creation (global warming).

True believers make some pretty scary policy decisions once they get in power, too. That's what I'm scared of.


6 posted on 04/12/2006 3:02:06 PM PDT by redpoll (redpoll)
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To: redpoll
Wow, you pegged that absolutely right on the mark. This is simply a new religion for the true believers in eco-world. And just like conventional religions, there are many sects like Greenpeace, Friends of Earth, World Wildlife Fund, PETA, etc.
7 posted on 04/12/2006 4:10:57 PM PDT by Aussiebabe
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To: redpoll
Thank you for one of the most literate and incisive explanations for the "global warming cult" that we're likely ever to see.
8 posted on 04/12/2006 4:24:39 PM PDT by okie01 (The Mainstream Media: IGNORANCE ON PARADE)
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To: redpoll
Amen!..
and DITTO.
9 posted on 04/12/2006 4:46:23 PM PDT by evad
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I broke the dam.

10 posted on 04/12/2006 4:49:24 PM PDT by RMDupree (HHD: Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/)
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To: Paul Ross

Excellent post.


11 posted on 04/12/2006 8:38:58 PM PDT by CAWats (And I will make no distinction between terrorists and the democrats.)
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To: redpoll
Re Post #6

C'mon, you're over reaching a bit with your conjecture.
Global Warming is primarily being pushed by socialists who want to tax those that perform, and transfer wealth to those that don't (through the conduit of enlightened few at the United Nations).
Trying to lay this on the doorstep of Christianity is a crock. Mankind in general is subject to fears (unless they are truly resting on the Rock of Jesus) and these chicken-little socialists are just playing into these fears. When you have Jesus you don't care about 'Global Warming' or 'Global Cooling'. You know who is in charge and you know your mission.

12 posted on 04/12/2006 8:47:09 PM PDT by El Cid
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To: El Cid
Global Warming is primarily being pushed by socialists who want to tax those that perform, and transfer wealth to those that don't (through the conduit of enlightened few at the United Nations)

Interesting take on it. The debate is largely over in the scientific community about this and most industrialized nations have signed the Kyota Treaty at the urging of their scientists, not politicians. This is not a political issue, but people stalling on it tend to lump it as such in order to keep their ears closed to all of the evidence. We (humans) are resourceful and can respond to problems like climate change however we want (ie. with different political ideologies).

When you have Jesus you don't care about 'Global Warming' or 'Global Cooling'. You know who is in charge and you know your mission.

And if it isn't shrouded in political grounds, then it is placed in religious terms as an attempt to justify no action. Your implication is that if we are Christians, then we needn't try to solve any problems. But, we were given brains and free will, and we accomplish things by responding to problems. There isn't anything about Global Warming that makes it different from the host of other problems that resourceful people have faced and overcome over the years. If we threw up our hands and said it was out of our power everytime we had faced a problem, then we wouldn't have gotten very far by now.

13 posted on 04/15/2006 10:55:50 AM PDT by ditto5
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alas...

Climate of Fear
WSJ Online | 12 Apr 06 | Richard Lindzen
Posted on 04/12/2006 4:07:19 PM EDT by rellimpank
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1613956/posts


14 posted on 05/14/2006 4:55:03 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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