And it’s totally not a religions
(Business Insider) On a recent 14.5-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, I had time to read the columnist Charles Krauthammer’s collection of essays, Things that Matter. It made for a disturbing flight.
I have enjoyed Krauthammer’s writing over the years, but there was something in his book that I found deeply troubling: his description of himself as an “agnostic†on climate change. He “believes instinctively that it can’t be very good to pump lots of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,†and yet he “is equally convinced that those who presume to know exactly where that leads are talking through their hats.â€
The word that I found most galling was “agnostic†– not only because Krauthammer is a trained scientist, but also because the word was used repeatedly by former Australian Prime Minister John Howard when he addressed a group of climate-change deniers in London in late 2103. “Part of the problem with this debate,†Howard told the assembled skeptics, “is that to some of the zealots involved their cause has become a substitute religion.â€
As Howard and Krauthammer should know, the subject of climate change is not a matter of religion, but of science. According to a 2013 survey of peer-reviewed publications on the subject, some 97% of scientists endorse the position that humans are causing global warming. Anyone familiar with the scientific process is aware that researchers are trained to disagree, to contest one another’s hypotheses and conclusions. A consensus of such magnitude is as close as we ever get to a recognized scientific fact.
First, using a completely debunked study to prop up your argument, a study refuted by even those whose papers where cited, is the work of a zealot.
Second, citing consensus is not science. In this case, it’s politics.
Third, it should be no surprise that much of the rest of the opinion piece focuses on more Big Government solutions.
Teach can you name any world government that does not believe in AGW? AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES
Statement on climate change from 18 scientific associations
“Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver.” (2009)2
AAAS emblem
American Association for the Advancement of Science
“The scientific evidence is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society.” (2006)3
ACS emblem
American Chemical Society
“Comprehensive scientific assessments of our current and potential future climates clearly indicate that climate change is real, largely attributable to emissions from human activities, and potentially a very serious problem.” (2004)4
AGU emblem
American Geophysical Union
“Humanâ€induced climate change requires urgent action. Humanity is the major influence on the global climate change observed over the past 50 years. Rapid societal responses can significantly lessen negative outcomes.” (Adopted 2003, revised and reaffirmed 2007, 2012, 2013)5
AMA emblem
American Medical Association
“Our AMA … supports the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s fourth assessment report and concurs with the scientific consensus that the Earth is undergoing adverse global climate change and that anthropogenic contributions are significant.” (2013)6
AMS emblem
American Meteorological Society
“It is clear from extensive scientific evidence that the dominant cause of the rapid change in climate of the past half century is human-induced increases in the amount of atmospheric greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), chlorofluorocarbons, methane, and nitrous oxide.” (2012)7
APS emblem
American Physical Society
“The evidence is incontrovertible: Global warming is occurring. If no mitigating actions are taken, significant disruptions in the Earth’s physical and ecological systems, social systems, security and human health are likely to occur. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases beginning now.” (2007)8
GSA emblem
The Geological Society of America
“The Geological Society of America (GSA) concurs with assessments by the National Academies of Science (2005), the National Research Council (2006), and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) that global climate has warmed and that human activities (mainly greenhouseâ€gas emissions) account for most of the warming since the middle 1900s.” (2006; revised 2010)9
SCIENCE ACADEMIES
International academies: Joint statement
“Climate change is real. There will always be uncertainty in understanding a system as complex as the world’s climate. However there is now strong evidence that significant global warming is occurring. The evidence comes from direct measurements of rising surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures and from phenomena such as increases in average global sea levels, retreating glaciers, and changes to many physical and biological systems. It is likely that most of the warming in recent decades can be attributed to human activities (IPCC 2001).” (2005, 11 international science academies)10
UNSAS emblem
U.S. National Academy of Sciences
“The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify taking steps to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” (2005)11
U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
USGCRP emblem
U.S. Global Change Research Program
“The global warming of the past 50 years is due primarily to human-induced increases in heat-trapping gases. Human ‘fingerprints’ also have been identified in many other aspects of the climate system, including changes in ocean heat content, precipitation, atmospheric moisture, and Arctic sea ice.” (2009, 13 U.S. government departments and agencies)12
INTERGOVERNMENTAL BODIES
IPCC emblem
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level.â€13
“Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely* due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations.â€14
*IPCC defines ‘very likely’ as greater than 90 percent probability of occurrence.
OTHER RESOURCES
List of worldwide scientific organizations
The following page lists the nearly 200 worldwide scientific organizations that hold the position that climate change has been caused by human action.
http://opr.ca.gov/s_listoforganizations.php
U.S. agencies
The following page contains information on what federal agencies are doing to adapt to climate change.
http://www.c2es.org/docUploads/federal-agencies-adaptation.pdf
No Teach sorry about that but the 97% has NOT be “debunked”
J. Cook, et al, “Quantifying the consensus on a
What the neck does “totes” mean?
John you do realize that there are an estimated 1.5 million scientists around the world and those that you quoted account for about 1 percent of those right?
You do realize that 97 percent figure is the consensus of the 1 percent.
But lets put all that aside. So end fossil fuel use today.
Its imperative that we end it today. No more cars, buses, trains, planes, tractors, trailers, motorcycles, armies, navies, industry, air conditioning.
According to the gurus we are all going to drown in 15-30 years. So we have to stop TODAY.
WE have one last desperate hope of saving mankind and that is the complete turn off of the fossil fuels spicket.
However according to jeffery he wants to phase in a tax on fossil fuels to continue to make it so expensive that alternatives become attractive.
So Jeffery doesnt seem to think we are all going to drown in the next few years.
His is a long term project that will not save us nor prevent us from drowning If Hansen and John are right.
So the question I have for Jeffery and John is which of you are right?
You both seem to want the same end you just arrive there about a 100 years apart……
And thats exactly why us Deniers think you all are nothing but hysterical children with an axe to grind against capitalism.
97%! It must be true!!!
*sigh*