HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-09-25, Page 6THE EDITOR,I feel compelled to respondto the woefully under-researched claims about the
non-existence of man-made
global warming made by Mr.
Joslin in last week’s paper. I
aim to call attention to the
myopic nature of the study
and hopefully offer him and
his followers an opportunity
to reconsider their
disturbingly narrow
assessments.
Mr. Joslin makes repeated
references to the 400+
skeptical scientists who
presented before the IPCC at
the UN. The presentation Mr.
Joslin speaks of was the
“Inhofe 400”, a group
compiled by Oklahoma
Senator James Inhofe, who
made their presentation in
2007. Unfortunately what Mr.
Joslin fails to mention is that
of the Inhofe 400, fewer than
20 were actually
climatologists. The only
requisite for inclusion in the
group was the possession of a
PhD, regardless of discipline.
The Inhofe 400 was made
up of computer programmers,
engineers, economists, social
scientists, and a vast host of
other fields. The mere
possession of a PhD does not
qualify its bearer as an expert
on climate change,
particularly when their field
of study is wholly unrelated
as many of these are.
Additionally, there have
now been a number of the
group's named members who
have launched civil actions to
have their names removed
from Inhofe's list, saying that
they were never informed of
their inclusion on the list in
the first place. A close look at
the list itself also reveals that
a number of the names are
actually repeated.
Inhofe’s report itself has
been roundly criticized in the
international media, for its
lack of serious peer review.
Mr. Joslin makes a great
deal out of how these 400‘scientists’ far outnumberedthe scientists sitting on theUN’s panel. This assertion is
meaningless. The UN panel is
merely the group assembled
to hear the presentations that
will shape their
recommendations for
international policy on
climate change. The scale of
consensus held by scientists
about the realities of global
warming is actually in the
hundreds of thousands. The
American Geophysical Union
alone, entirely made of Earth
Science PhDs, boasts over
50,000 members and clearly
articulates in their mission
statement that “Humanactivities are increasinglyaltering the Earth’s climate”.Further, in 2004 a joint
statement was made by The
National Academy of
Sciences (USA), the Chinese
Academy of Sciences, the
Royal Society (U. K.), the
Russian Academy of
Sciences, Academia
Brasiliera de Ciências, the
Royal Society of Canada, the
Academié des Sciences
(France), Deutsche Akademie
der Naturforscher (Germany),
the Indian National Science
Academy, Accademia dei
Lincei (Italy), and the Science
Council of Japan, stating
unequivocally that humansare causing climate change.These are the most prestigiousscientific bodies in the world.
In defending his position,
Mr. Joslin cites the work of
Dr.Tim Patterson of Carleton
University. What Joslin fails
to acknowledge is that
Patterson is a well-known
member of a group that calls
itself “The Friends of
Science”. On Aug. 12, 2006,
The Globe and Mail revealed
that “The Friends of Science”
received enormous donations
from the oil industry.
After these revelations, the
University of Calgary, which
had previously been
supporting the group,
conducted a series of internal
audits about the group’s
methodologies and practices.
The 2007 audit concluded the
oil industry funds directed
toward the Friends “had been
used to support a partisan
viewpoint on climate
change”. A later audit, in the
spring of 2008 revealed that
the chair of the Friends had
also approved payments of
over $170,000 to APCO
Worldwide, the same law firm
that defended and advised thetobacco giants in the 1980s.Due to a host of otherimproprieties by the group,
including involvement in
Election tampering, the
Friends of Science are
currently being investigated
by the Canada Revenue
Agency.
The final expert referred to
by Mr. Joslin is Dr. Tom V.
Segalstad, of Oslo University
in Norway. Dr. Segalstad’s
report “Greenhouse Effect
Doom” is actually a treatise
within which he reviews the
papers of other scientists. The
most recent papers he
compiles for his facts are
from 1992. Many of the other
reports he quotes from are
from as early as 1970.
Dr. Segalstad’s science is
way out of date, and his
assessment lacks any
acknowledgment of the
catastrophic deviations that
have occurred over the last 25
years, including the
unpredicted acceleration in
the melting of the polar ice
caps, (well beyond even the
most pessimistic prior
estimations).
Any climate model thatdoes not include the yearsfrom 1992 to today isworthless in any assessment
of the crisis at hand.
Additionally, once again, Dr.
Segalstad is not a
climatologist.
Finally … Mr. Joslin, I
thoroughly empathize with
what you are going through as
a climate change denier. I too
wish this all were not the
case. I wish there was no
global warming. I have two
small children, and every day
I look into their faces and
wish that this wasn’t
happening. I wish that they
wouldn’t have to face what's
coming.
But that doesn't mean we
can pick and choose the
science and reporting that we
follow. Tens of thousands of
climatologists have clearly
demonstrated, in thousands of
diligently peer-reviewed
articles, that this is a reality.
As citizens of this world we
have an obligation to face the
harsh reality before us and to
act.
Sincerely,
Gil Garratt.
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2008.Letter to the editorWriter responds to candidate’s comments
Printer litter
It was e-waste day in Brussels on Saturday
morning and many folks took advantage of the
opportunity to rid their households of old
technology. Everything from televisions to
computers arrived at the site. Seth Nichol
unloads a printer. (Vicky Bremner photo)
THE EDITOR,
Gerry Ritz’s comments
about “cold cuts” and “Wayne
Easter” were tasteless and
inappropriate.
But jokes and insults are
not life threatening to the
country.
The larger context of the
remarks is far more serious.
Regardless of the party, when
Canadians are in jeopardy I
do not want politicians sitting
around the table worrying
about their party first.
Putting one’s political
party ahead of the interests of
Canadians is the cardinal sin
for those wanting to hold
office, and Gerry Ritz has
failed this test on behalf of the
Harper Party.
The lack of action from
Prime Minister Harper makes
the situation worse, not better.
Yours truly,
Stewart Wells,
President,
National Farmers Union of
Canada
Letter
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