A Public Cooling to Global Warming

I found a great video series on the environment featuring author of the Index of Leading Environmental Indicators, Steven F. Hayward. Today was the fourth installment of a five part series from National Review's Uncommon Knowledge. They're only about six or seven minutes long so I'd recommend watching them all.

But if you don't have time, here are a few interesting nuggets I pulled out of the series:

Environmental conditions improve as countries grow more prosperous
The U.S. doesn't have a single city in the top 50 list of the world's worst for pollution
Environmentalists bear much of the blame for our current greenhouse gas emissions for opposing nuclear power plants in the 70s
Sea ice is shrinking but nobody knows what it means because measurements only go back 30 years
In 20-30 years we'll look back on the global warming "crisis" and realize we way over estimated it's extent like we did with the population bomb scare

Hayward believes the public is growing more and more wary of environmentalists. He cites recent polling data showing it's decline as an issue and talks about how the green issues of magazines were the worst sellers of the year last April. Maybe that's why global warming alarmist like James Hansen and Al Gore are saying things like, "We have only 10 years left to do something about it!"

It reminds me of an old legal aphorism, "If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts. If you have the law on your side, pound the law. If you have neither on your side, pound the table."

And telling us we only have 10 years left before an environmental apocalypse is definitely what I would call table-pounding.

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

1. Joanna said the following at 9:14 AM on May 15:

"Environmental conditions improve as countries grow more prosperous"
The problem with this statement is that while our immediate environment may get better as we get more prosperous, part of the reason for that is we can outsource more of our production (and therefore pollution and other environmental damage) to china and other developing countries.

"Environmentalists bear much of the blame for our current greenhouse gas emissions for opposing nuclear power plants in the 70s"
I'm not sure if this is something that there should be "blame" thrown around for because nuclear has its problems too. While nuclear power plants aren't as damaging greenhouse wise, they can be environmentally damaging in other ways (long lasting nuclear waste ect.)

2. Stacy said the following at 10:27 AM on May 15:

Global warming is definitely more hype than reality. The scary thing is we are indoctrinated in fear from our entire culture and school and media to beleive it. You can also check out www.discerningtoday.org and they've done some incredible videos that get to the REAL science, not the Al Gore bogus mess. If you can get the masses to beleive the world is in jeopordy, it's amazing what people will be willing to give up. I believed in the "problem of Global Warming" until 3 months ago, and now, whatever global crisis is happening, whether it's financial, terrorist threat, environmental, swine flu bogusness, it's all created by people plotting to take over the world. We are in our U.S. bubble, we don't realize what's going on. But these schemes were prophecied in Psalm 2, 3,000 years ago! God's Word is so amazing. If you click on the global warming, emerging science and understanding video, it will explain the real science going on. You can watch sample clips on their site if you'd like. The environment is in a lot more danger from our chemtrails than human life being born. Don't get me wrong, pollution is a problem, toxic waste is a problem, and we do have a responsibility to take care of the earth God created. We also have to be WISE and not deceived. Christians, we have such good intentions to save the world, in a wholistic way, offering Christ's salvation and releiving poverty and pain and suffering, and it's great, God calls us to do these things, the Gospel should be our very lives, ... there really are people living with ENTIRELY different world views out there, that are led astray by the devil into all kinds of evils, that will do whatever they can to gain control of the world. Please, please, please, be wise. These are very interesting times we live in, our freedoms and liberties are already in grave danger, and... just be careful. If you can get the book "Seduction of the Saints" by Charles Chrismier, it just came out, and I'm about to order it myself. But pray for our country, pray for our world, pray for serious revival because if the church remains complacent to sin, well, "if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Psalm 11:3.
Isaiah 6, read that chaper, read the whole book, and understand there is coming a time, I think so much sooner than we ever imagined, God has had enough of humanity's sins, and He is ready to pour out His wrath on our country and the world. It doesn't take rocket science to see the sinfulness corrupting our society and world. Be ready, please, put on God's armor, and be ready for whatever comes our way.
I mean, why would there be Uncommon Knowledge in the first place? Who's keeping what from the American people, and why?

3. Jessi C. said the following at 10:41 AM on May 15:

i'm glad that truth does not change based on public opinion.

Actually, we have sea ice measurements going back to the year 1818.

I never opposed nuclear power plants in the 1970s...I don't appreciate being lumped in with an entire group of people I don't even know.

Finally, I'm going to look up that list of polluted cities. iwould be interested in seeing how pollution in defined in this list (i.e., what types of pollution are covered) and also how measurements were made in order to compare different cities.
It's like looking at a list of the best and worst cities to live and deciding where you're going to move based on the list. The information may be helpful or completely unrelated.

4. Megan said the following at 12:26 PM on May 15:

This past week, I heard Andrew Wilkow, Sean Hannity, etc., talk about how it's now considered taboo by the liberals to call it "global warming"; now it's called "climate change" because the phrase reminds people of shaggy-haired hippies.

Whoa.

5. CT said the following at 12:45 PM on May 15:

What is it with evangelical opposition to climate change concerns? This is rather disturbing. Rather than being the light of the world, one gets the sense that American churches are very effective in keeping the light out.

6. Anne said the following at 12:59 PM on May 15:

Question: How expensive are some of Al Gore and companies proposals and are their more economical (and yet still environmentally friendly) alternatives.

I think we should be good stewards, but are wind and solar power really the only acceptable renewable energy options? (See the current "cap and trade" legislation)

7. BDB said the following at 1:38 PM on May 15:

Interestingly, Sea Ice Maximum was higher this year, according to those who monitor it.

I don't think the public is pro-pollution. However, they are pro-jobs. The "evil" coal produces half the electricity in the U.S. It also produces a lot of jobs among recently blue states like Indiana and West Virginia. The Democratic party is in control at this time. But several of their key constituencies are being targeted by the "climate change" folks. It will cost jobs among the United Mineworkers, United Steelworkers, United Autoworkers...no matter how much people care about the environment, they're not going to support politicians that outsource their carbon-emitting jobs to China.

8. Samantha said the following at 11:20 AM on May 16:

CT (#5) actually, one gets the feeling that one wishes to see some concrete evidence before one jumps on the next "This will destroy the world!" bandwagon.

9. Cathy T. in NOLA said the following at 10:57 PM on May 16:

Regarding Wind Turbines as a possible source of power. This, too, has been hyped beyond all reason. Consider reading the article at the following link exposing the hype behind the "science." It's about how wind energy is being tested in Europe and how it's not going well. Here's the link.

10. Murthen said the following at 2:53 AM on May 18:

Interesting article. I have 2 points:
First. I'm no scientist - but there are many scientists who do agree that climate change / global warming has been accelerated by human's behaviour.
Secondly. It's true that some environmental indicators improve as prosperity increases, but these tend only to be localised pollutants (air quality, water pollution etc). Not sure if the evidence holds for the greenhouse gases.

11. Loris said the following at 7:46 AM on May 18:

All I know is it's 50 degrees in Charleston this morning. Brr!