Thread: Climategate!

Originally Posted by jcd

Funny video...enjoy it..(as if!)

heh, You beat me to it.

"Fatmouth"

It'll all out soon anyhow. U-turn on climate change 'cover up' university says it will publish leaked email data | Mail Online

Unfortunately, the nuances of global warming make it a vexing task to identify the truth so that a non-scientist can understand it.
Even with a degree in environmental chemistry, I find myself having difficulty wading through the mounds of data. And as always, one must consider the source. Special interest agendas only convolute the process of digging down to real causes and real effects.

The scientific community (at least in theory) is generally not a "see, I told you so!" community. We deal with real facts, real reactions and real data.
The enemies of actual science are special interest groups (both on the left and right) and the junk science that is manufactured to throw the general public off the trail of anything meaningful.

In fact some of the loudest opinions come from people who have no interest or background in science. Political pundits are not a reliable source of scientific information. Period.

Personally, in regard to global warming, I think the only thing saving us from feeling the full effects of the warming is a phenomenon called Global Dimming. Essentially, less sunlight is getting to the earth than ever in history because of pollution in the upper atmosphere. Sunlight is reflected back into space off of droplets impregnated with man-made particulates and never reaches the earth to cause a warming effect.
Likewise, as the ice caps melt, their reflective properties (albedo) are largely diminished, which means the light energy will be absorbed by the ocean and converted into heat. If the pollution in the upper atmosphere is ever diminished, we will feel the full effects of global warming on the planet, and there will be nothing to reflect the sun back into space. The climate, at that point, will undergo a dramatic change.

How do we know global dimming is taking place?
We have centuries of data on the evaporative effect the sun has on pans of water which were faithfully set out by desert farmers on a daily basis. They recorded this data. And now, in 2009, water is evaporating at a slower rate than ever. Obviously, other factors contribute to such a phenomenon, but mounting research shows that we as a culture would be best fit to err on the side of caution in regard to global warming.

As I posted yesterday in an unrelated thread, the last line of defense in getting accurate information is independent research. If we are to ever know the truth before its too late, people must take it upon themselves to bypass sources with special interests and go right to the data. Do their own calculating, and determine on their own whether or not global warming is taking place. So I encourage you to dig deep and do your research.

So, we're all agreed? We're all going to stop listening to spin-doctors and pundits and start doing our own research?

Yep. We're screwed.

Thank you ZMKA for your enlightened post. If a person takes the time to look behind the various fringe groups to see who the major financial contributors are, he can see the basis for a lot of the rhetoric. For instance, some (certainly not all) of the criticism of global warming research comes from groups financially supported, often indirectly, by Exxon and the other major oil companies -- just as the cigarette companies for years supported critics of anti-smoking efforts, and auto manufacturers supported groups critical of the push for seatbelts in all cars. For big business, it's all about their bottom line and they manipulate popular opinion through any means available. And, of course, you also have businesses supporting the other side, especially those businesses who hope to capitalize on "going green" -- though they don't yet have nearly the financial clout of the big oil and energy companies. Unfortunately, in our highly charged, politicized society today, honest and constructive dialogue between the opposing sides is very difficult.