Tuesday 8 April 2008

Climate change balance




I just saw on newsnight a debate between climate change skeptic Nigel Lawson (Thatchers chancellor, and Nigellas dad) and Prof. Chris Rapley CBE from the Science Museum. Despite Nasa's top climate scientist saying today that the world has already reached dangerous levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, Lord Lawson claims that we've all been duped into taking climate change too seriously. Naturally the clueless lord couldn't counter the arguments about science, but he was given lots of air time to advertise his new book.

But the question to me is if we have scientific consensus, why give equal balance to skeptics? When they discuss biology or astronomy does the media give equal time to the Christians against evolution or the flat earth society? The amount of climate skepticism in the media has helped the public be skeptical also.

Unfortunately rather than leading on this issue most politicians are using it for their own ends. Labour pretend to be acting to reduce emissions, while allowing business as usual to continue. People are convinced that green taxes are just more stealth taxes as there is no reduction in emissions. The Tories are under Cameron following the Blair/Brown Line, but there are many skeptical tory bloggers, see below. The Lib Dems are also pretending to be green, while wanting to build roads and expand airports. There is only one Green Party.

Skeptical Tory Bloggets
John Redwood; www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/04/07/is-this-what-global-warming-is-like
He says 'I look out of my window to see my garden frozen solid, covered in frost and snow. It is April 7th, and I have just turned the heating up.'

www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/04/04/does-the-governemnt-really-believe-in-climate-change
“The world’s climatologists are agreed” that we “prepare for the next ice age” (Science Digest Feb 1973). Cutting edge and pointless quotation. 'They would also be unlikely to commission new coal fired power stations without carbon capture and storage'

www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/04/03/heathrow-and-co2
'Electric trains are especially fuel inefficient, as there is a large primary fuel loss during the electricity generation phase, and a further energy loss when the electric energy is turned into mechanical energy by the engine.'
'The average bus is old and fuel inefficient, and has few passengers.'

One of the most read bloggers, Ian Dale, http://iaindale.blogspot.com/
BBC Caves in to Climate Change Activist?
'Anyone who expresses a remote scepticism about climate change is instantly branded a "denier"
'I suspect that it is no accident that it is in Europe that eco-fundamentalism in general and global warming absolutism in particular has found its most fertile soil'
No Global Warming for the Last Decade?
'We've had rammed down our throats over the past few years that global temperatures are relentlessly on the increase. Now we're told that they haven't risen for a decade!' Displaying ignorance of science.

http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/04/10/uk-human-co2-output-represents-0.0025-of-greenhouse-gases.
Al Gore and The BBC climate change propoganda machine tell us the science of climate change is settled - all sensible scientists believe in global warming, and think the major cause is human produced CO2.

UPDATE:
Another jem below
www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/04/12/we-need-our-land-to-grow-food-more-than-to-grow-fuel/
and from UKIP
www.ukip.org/ukip/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=552&Itemid=68
Climate: what they don't want you to hear

5 comments:

Joanna said...

I saw that too, and found myself reflecting that whenever people start talking about the economic costs of taking action over global warming, they invariably go on to say everything's all right, there's no problem.

Joanna

DOppenheimer said...

This blog entry just makes my point on this whole green stuff - look hard enough and you will find the answer that suits you!

I happend to have watched this same program and came away with a completly different view!

Adrian Windisch said...

I think if you look hard enough you will see through the rubbish from the other parties and skeptics, see how serious the problem is and do something about it.

Lawson and other Tories are very keen on things like nuclear power, and against wind power. Is it just big money talking?

DOppenheimer said...

So let me get this right – if you don’t allow yourself to be inculcated with the “green” theories you are in the pocket of big money?

Adrian Windisch said...

That isnt what I said, are you trying to spin? I mentioned some tories that represent the nuclear industyy, do you dispute this?

One example, Sir Bernard Ingham, former Thatcher press spokesman, former consultant to British Nuclear Fuels. He has boasted that he personally is responsible for stopping 66% of wind farm planning applications!