Political+science,+Andrew+Kenny,+Business+Day

Business Day, Johannesburg, Letters, 03 November 2006
=Political science=


 * Andrew Kenny**

Among the hysterical nonsense on global warming in Business Day yesterday, the single voice of reason came from Philip Lloyd, Stern: politically inspired hot air (November 1).

Business Day has joined the huge politically vested interest that believes it can overcome our ignorance on the way our climate works by stamping its feet and shouting the idiotic slogan: “There can be no doubt that global warming is a fact!”

Carbon dioxide has risen from about 280 parts per million (ppm) in the 19th century to about 390ppm now, almost certainly because of man’s activities. That’s about all we know. We are now recovering from the Little Ice Age of about 400 years ago, a period of extreme cold, so it is hardly surprising we are experiencing the highest temperatures since then.

Carbon dioxide is a minor greenhouse gas and its only relevant absorption band is already saturated, so adding more has only a small effect. Over the past four centuries, the correlation of temperature with carbon dioxide is poor, whereas the correlation with solar activity is good, suggesting the sun is a much more important determinant of climate.

The Stern report from the UK government and Al Gore’s mendacious propaganda film are examples of political science or abuse of science. The voice of genuine climate scientists tells a different story — 60 of the world’s leading scientists recently handed a petition to the Canadian prime minister urging reason, not ideology, in the climate debate.

It included these words: “‘Climate change is real’ is a meaningless phrase used repeatedly by activists to convince the public that a climate catastrophe is looming and humanity is the cause. Neither of these fears is justified. Global climate changes all the time due to natural causes and the human impact still remains impossible to distinguish from this natural ‘noise’.”

Noordhoek
 * Andrew Kenny**


 * From: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/opinion.aspx?ID=BD4A309127**

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