Profiting from confusion


Skeptics are accused of profiting from the confusion around global warming, but the other side outclasses the skeptics when it comes to piles of cash
As I was checking my usual haunts last night, I ran across this post on Wren's Nest, which in turn was a link to this news story.

The thing that struck me though was that the headline, "Making Money by Feeding Confusion Over Global Warming," could be applied to either side of the debate.

Of course the assumption in the article was that the only ones who could possibly be profiting over global warming confusion are the skeptics. That was also pretty much the feeling in the responses to the post at Wren's Nest.

I also ran across this article on TCS Daily talking about two Congressional hearings on global warming. Semi-regular reader Wadard would tell you that TCS Daily is (partially) funded by Exxon-Mobil, and therefore not to be trusted. I would say that James Hansen and other scientists are (partially) funded by certain progressive foundations. Yes, the matter of funding and political connections is important, but only in context and only because one side wants to keep their version of the science beyond criticism.

I really want to stress that. The politics and funding become important only because the science has been excluded from the debate.

We can't declare the debate over when there has never been a debate.

I wouldn't care, but the global warming advocates want radical and catastrophic changes in the economy for no reason that can be verified with climate science.

You have to read the fine print, but even the best of the global warming camp admits this. Even if everything they suggest is done starting tomorrow, at best it may reduce the rate of global warming by a few tenths of a degree Celsius over the next century or so. That is using the vaunted computer models, which have yet to predict anything about future weather.

The real question isn't about global warming, but why people can't accept that "their" side also has an agenda and questionable tactics.

I want to see the science. I want the science tested. I want debate. Messy, unorganized, but based on things that we can measure rather than who profits.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Fri - July 28, 2006 at 05:12 AM  Tag


 ◊  ◊   ◊  ◊ 

Random selections from NeoWayland's library


Pagan Vigil "Because LIBERTY demands more than just black or white"
© 2005 - 2009 All Rights Reserved