Posted on 08/22/2002 3:12:59 AM PDT by prisoner6
Pictures released by Greenpeace claiming to show how man-made global warming has caused Arctic glaciers to retreat are at best misleading and only illustrate a natural phenomenon, says a leading glaciologist.
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The picture series, which compared the size of a glacier on Svalbard in 1918 with its size in 2002, was published across the world alongside a Greenpeace warning that global warming caused by man-made greenhouse gases was causing Arctic glaciers to melt.
"The blame can be put squarely on human activity," Greenpeace said. "Our addiction to fossil fuels releases millions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and this is what is causing temperatures to rise and our future to melt before our eyes."
But Prof Ole Humlum, a leading glaciologist in Svalbard, 500 miles north of Norway, said yesterday: "That glacier had already disappeared in the early 1920s as a result of a perfectly natural rise in temperature that had nothing to do with man-made global warming."
Prof Humlum is employed by several universities to research glacial developments in Svalbard and the Arctic in general. He said the picture series was at best misleading. "They should have asked the specialists on Svalbard first."
Then again the folks in Svalbard ARE a bit ...ummm...different.
prisoner6
Top Customer Reviews Rating: 4 (out of 5) Summary: A review from a different perspective. . . Comment: I'd like to submit a different sort of review for this book. As a homeschooling parent, I am extremely concerned about making sure that my children have access to the best, most accurate information available. This includes, of course, controversial information. As such, "The Skeptical Environmentalist" should be considered a 'must-have' in the library of every high-school age homeschooling family.
The premise set forth by Dr. Lomborg, namely that he read some controversial information and decided to refute that information in a scholarly, academic fashion is precisely the sort of determination and drive for academic honesty which homeschooling parents are trying to instill. In Dr. Lomborg's case, he found that the 'controversial information' was largely (but not completely) accurate. Thus, he was forced to modify his own views -- again, an honest, academic response.
The actual subject matter in this book would also be of value to the home classroom. Dr. Lomborg tackles most of the significant environmental problems encountered in the world today, and addresses them in a fashion which is straight-forward. While I do not find myself in complete agreement with Dr. Lomborg, I find that his clarity of thought and presentation, as well as his copious references, an aid to forming intelligent and defensible positions.
Finally, the observant homeschooler will note the tenor of the opinions attacking Dr. Lomborg. These attacks tend to be ad hominim in character, politically divisive, and largely devoid of any cogent dissent or scientific merit. I have seen little -- even by scientific journals -- which challenge Dr. Lomborg strictly on the facts and information presented. Unfortunately, such tends to be the response of one who would dare to tread on a sacred cow of political correctness.
Overall, I would give this book a 3.5 for content, a 4 for presentation and documentation, and a 5 for its usefulness in a high-school homeschool setting.
In any case here's the url:
http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml
prisoner6
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