Last week in the Eagle Nielle Hawkwood stated “Ideology has nothing to do with efforts to reduce the effects of climate changing burning of fossil fuels.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
The effort to reduce CO2 emissions has everything to do with ideology. The science about how CO2 acts as a greenhouse gas is well known. That science clearly shows that CO2 on its own has very little effect on climate. The theory of anthropogenic greenhouse gas warming acknowledges this and is built around the idea that the small amount of warming due to CO2 is amplified by positive feedback mechanisms largely due to water vapor (a much more effective greenhouse gas).
Unfortunately, decades of observations show that these positive feedbacks do not exist. That is why the actual temperature increase has been far less than even the lowest estimates built from the theory. In short, the theory is wrong. To be blunt, the theory of anthropogenic greenhouse gas warming is the longest running, most expensive scientific fraud in history. Years from now historians will look back at this period and wonder how such a technologically advanced society could be scientifically illiterate enough to believe that a trace element (0.04 per cent, yes you read that correctly, CO2 concentrations are that low), essential for life on the planet, could be the primary driver of climate. Global warming, which morphed in to climate change when the temperatures refuse to co-operate, left the realm of science and entered the realm of political ideology decades ago. No political ideology survives without vocal supporters. Vladimir Lenin had a very accurate, although unflattering, term he used to describe people he could count on to show up and shout down his political opponents. The new Lenins of this political movement masquerading as science were no doubt smiling broadly after reading Nielle’s letter.
Richard Suffron
