16 Scientists Have a Message for Elected Officials on Global Warming: ‘Drastic Action’ Unnecessary
- Posted on January 27, 2012 at 6:59pm by
Liz Klimas
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A wide range of scientists and engineers from institutions around the world have signed an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal with a message for elected officials and candidates with regard to global warming.
Here‘s the gist of the 16 scientists’ message addressing the growing political sentiment that something must be done for the environment before it’s too late:
There is no compelling scientific argument for drastic action to “decarbonize” the world’s economy.
So why are many scientists and those in public office pushing an alarmist message that the world is already behind on curbing the effects of man-made global warming? (Related: See The Blaze coverage of the United Nation’s climate conferences) The scientists write that there are many reasons but suggest we first look at “cui bono?”, which means “as a benefit to whom”. Translated into today’s language, the scientists write to “follow the money”. The scientists expound on this idea:
Alarmism over climate is of great benefit to many, providing government funding for academic research and a reason for government bureaucracies to grow. Alarmism also offers an excuse for governments to raise taxes, taxpayer-funded subsidies for businesses that understand how to work the political system, and a lure for big donations to charitable foundations promising to save the planet.
[...]
Even if one accepts the inflated climate forecasts of the IPCC, aggressive greenhouse-gas control policies are not justified economically.
A recent study of a wide variety of policy options by Yale economist William Nordhaus showed that nearly the highest benefit-to-cost ratio is achieved for a policy that allows 50 more years of economic growth unimpeded by greenhouse gas controls. This would be especially beneficial to the less-developed parts of the world that would like to share some of the same advantages of material well-being, health and life expectancy that the fully developed parts of the world enjoy now. Many other policy responses would have a negative return on investment. And it is likely that more CO2 and the modest warming that may come with it will be an overall benefit to the planet.
The scientists write in the piece that those considered “heretics” in the climate science world is growing over the “collection of stubborn scientific facts”, most notable of which is “the lack of global warming for well over 10 years now.” The scientists suggest that the International Panel for Climate Change’s models are “greatly exaggerated” as to the warming caused by an increase in CO2 levels.
Chris de Freitas (Photo: University of Aukland)
The scientists state that even younger generations of scientists have their “doubts” but are afraid to voice these opinions:
They have good reason to worry. In 2003, Dr. Chris de Freitas, the editor of the journal Climate Research, dared to publish a peer-reviewed article with the politically incorrect (but factually correct) conclusion that the recent warming is not unusual in the context of climate changes over the past thousand years. The international warming establishment quickly mounted a determined campaign to have Dr. de Freitas removed from his editorial job and fired from his university position. Fortunately, Dr. de Freitas was able to keep his university job.
What the scientists suggest elected officials and candidates do is throw their support behind research seeking to better understand the climate as a whole, without an agenda to prove or disprove man-made global climate change in background.
Here is a full list of the scientists who signed the piece: Claude Allegre, former director of the Institute for the Study of the Earth, University of Paris; J. Scott Armstrong, cofounder of the Journal of Forecasting and the International Journal of Forecasting; Jan Breslow, head of the Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics and Metabolism, Rockefeller University; Roger Cohen, fellow, American Physical Society; Edward David, member, National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences; William Happer, professor of physics, Princeton; Michael Kelly, professor of technology, University of Cambridge, U.K.; William Kininmonth, former head of climate research at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Richard Lindzen, professor of atmospheric sciences, MIT; James McGrath, professor of chemistry, Virginia Technical University; Rodney Nichols, former president and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences; Burt Rutan, aerospace engineer, designer of Voyager and SpaceShipOne; Harrison H. Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut and former U.S. senator; Nir Shaviv, professor of astrophysics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem; Henk Tennekes, former director, Royal Dutch Meteorological Service; Antonio Zichichi, president of the World Federation of Scientists, Geneva.
Related: Last year, nobel prize winner Dr. Ivar Giaever resigned from the American Physics Society over its “incontrovertible” position on global warming.
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Comments (128)
Suchiazski
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 11:26pmSomewhere in San Francisco Al Gore is screaming ranting on Current TV about this being blasphemy.
Report Post »RightPolitically
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 10:30pmClimate Change, so called, is nothing more than a world communist plot designed to suck the life-blood out of free capitalist societies, with the U.S. being foremost on the list. Just think of the absurdity: CO2 is pollutant. What B.S. If man’s contribution to CO2 in the atmosphere amounts to anything at all, it is most like one or two percent of the total. Big deal. Besides, don’t these Global Warming nuts realize, CO2 makes the trees grow. More of it makes them grow faster. Don’t we want to grow more trees? Leftists are absurd along with their stupid ideas.
Report Post »FreedomPurveyor
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 10:06pmNearly everything modern society needs to function efficiently emits CO2, including humans. Is it any wonder that there are those who wish to control it?
Report Post »amdoktor
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 11:53amIts all about complete control of the masses, including the money. Smart meters, regulating
Report Post »your appliances and heat. Eventual gas coupons restricting your travel and movements. Agenda 21 is real and the final United Nations nail in our sovereignty. These elitists will not stop, this is only a bump in the road and they will configure another way to control every aspect of our lives. The current Marxist in our house is giving the UN the power to eradicate our 2nd amendment rights of small arms ownership in March of this year and the President will sign it. They attack us on a continuous basis on many issues and a name change on the global warming/climate change will change again.
God bless us all and save our Constitution.
KAdams
Posted on January 29, 2012 at 12:30pmPeople who want to regulate CO2 are nothing but MORONS! Didn’t ANY of these people take basic biology is school? HELLO?!?!? Plants BREATHE CO2 and give off O2…. IDIOTS!
Report Post »stang289
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 10:02pmThe biggest story is the fact that they are manipulating the weather yet they wont investigate or do a story on climate mitigation ,solar radiation management SRM . geoengineering, contrail cirrus , AKA Chemtrails .What in the World are they Spraying ? Look at the sky in this video from last Sunday No clouds all jet contrails , been that way all week . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJtZQiUCgD8&feature=channel_video_title
Report Post »AzDebi
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 9:08amSTANG: Yep, try to get anyone to discuss this…you would not believe what they have done to our Arizona skies, especially over the past 9 months…the aerosols have cost me in medications for upper respiratory infections for some of my horses and our generally beautiful winter has been turned into ugly grey skies and 20 degrees colder…it is a CRIME! Very bad for tourism…I mean it…they are not ALLOWING our skies to any longer be clear and sunny…You can no longer see stars at night…WHY? Who the h*ll knows but people are waking up! Allergies are raging and cases of asthma are more common! Days when they completely white out the sun, you often get a metal taste in your mouth! The producer of “What in the World Are They Spraying” are currently producing another films, I believe it is titled “The Culling”…to be released in March…Can you imagine the havoc this plays on the little desert creatures that “mother nature” has told how to prepare for the upcoming winter and then man goes and changes it and they are unprepared with too thin a coat and maybe not enough food gathered against the colder temps…and rain that doesn’t happen? it isn‘t right and you’d have to be blind not to see it! Interesting that Obama visited AZ on Wednesday and it was the ONLY day in I don’t know how long that they DID NOT SPRAY and block our sun…Surprise, surprise, surprise! These people are insane not us!
Report Post »NancyBee
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 11:41amDear Mr. Beck…….Please give us a report on this…..thank you
Report Post »KAdams
Posted on January 29, 2012 at 12:32pmDear Mr. Beck,
Report Post »Get off the ‘holier than thou’ high horse. You’re not better than anyone else, despite your claims.
BillnGA
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 9:51pmWe have known for years that Al Gore is a charlatan!!!!!!!
Report Post »KAdams
Posted on January 29, 2012 at 12:34pmAl Gore also has stock in the CCX…. the Chicago Climate exchange. His ‘business’ depends on this. He’s also an advocate for algae farms in the soon-to-be-dead zone of the Gulf of Mexico. The construction is already underway. They are breaking dams in the NW and causing potassium overload in the soil, creating yet more ‘dead zones’.
Report Post »BillnGA
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 9:45pmONE word……….GRANTS
Report Post »nelbert
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 5:44amIndeed! You’ve just said the secret word (in memory of Groucho).
Report Post »hillbillyinny
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 3:08pmNot directly related, but your answer @billnGA is the same answer based on the same types of lies. Why does he American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association and other vacular groups push HIGH CARBOHYDRATE, low protein, low fat diets?
Grants and funding!!!
Diets rich in moderate amounts of animal protein (meat, poultry, fish, dairy and eggs), and animal fats (includes ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS), good low-sugar vegetables and low-sugar fruits such as berries, will help to control blood sugars, encourage weight loss, lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol, while helping to control high blood pressure and are excellent sources of calcium.
But the medical groups associated with these fields, diabetes and vascular, are OWNED by the PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES (grants and funding), and therefore are pushing the obesity diets including high carbs, no to very low fats (bad for skin and hair), and other sugars. Why the rise in metobolic diseases in humans, you figure it out!
Report Post »Netsurfer2
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 9:08pmGlobal warming has always been an idea to control you! After all, America is not even near as polluted compared to many cities in China! Yet the Chinese don’t really care! Production moves on like that of no tomorrow in China! Our corporations fund it, our government funds it by the very policies that they set up, while giving us the shaft! Welcome to the new world order!
Report Post »Kathleen
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 9:18pmHow to Rule the World
Report Post »Control people’s food/water – take over the land via Environmentalism
Control people’s money – spend it all and make them poor
Control people’s opinion – take away freedom of Religion
marion
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 4:46pmIf you actually read the Progressive Movement Doctrine you will see control of the people and business through the environmental elements, such as weather conditions, government land grabs (remember all those National Forests and Parks), all part of its inital means of controlling the people. Using Mother Nature is such an easy method of doing this because weather cannot be predicted, meaning it is very difficult to prove results before they occur, so they can speculate what may happen and then use the tactic of, if something is said often enough it can be thought of as true.
Report Post »bankerpapaw
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:28pmHey, Al Gore. Take your lying rear-end and crawl back under the rock you came out from.
Report Post »I live in Arkansas. We have climate change about every two days.
South Philly Boy
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:20pmOne MONSTER FRAUD… Just Like algore
Report Post »decendentof56
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:19pmI only want to know…..will we still be able to eat chili if gives us gas?
Report Post »IQof12
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 6:41amyes!! chili-up….fart-on…!!
Report Post »tobywil2
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:16pmTHE GREAT “GLOBAL WARMING HOAX” http://commonsense21c.com/images/GLOBAL_WARMING_SCAM.jpg
The proposals to combat “GLOBAL WARMING” caused by C02 emissions have more potential to destroy our freedom and prosperity than any issue since WORLD WAR II. The cost of energy is increased by all these proposals. Energy is contained in all the products used to sustain our lives.
These proposals will be devastating to the poor, where the cost of survival consumes all their income.
Do you realize that these proposals are to combat an issue that has not even been proven to exist?
AND YOU LAUGH AT DON QUIXOTE?
THESE PROPOSALS WILL ONLY ENHANCE THE POWER OF THE “PEERS.” “CAP AND TRADE WILL DESTROY YOUR WEALTH AND FREEDOM!!
BRACE YOURSELF, THOMAS PAINE, REJOICE YOU “PEERS” THE TYRANNY OF
Report Post »KING GEORGE III IS BEING RESTORED BUT UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT!
IQof12
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 6:42amWELL SAID!! and very true…..
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 8:07pmVery good Sir all true.
Report Post »wordweaver
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:59pmHow dare these scientists confuse this issue with actual science! Waitress, we’re going to need some more Cool-Aid over here! These guys obviously haven‘t drunk enough yet to appreciate the grand scheme to redistribute the world’s wealth. How dare you point out that this has happened many times before in the earth’s history – some kind of sneaky scientist trick, eh?
Report Post »SHASTADIANE1
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:56pmNancyB, totally agree, but why are we not hearing this except on the Blaze? They haven’t talked about it on the News that I have heard. I’d post this on FB but my niece and some of her liberal friends would give me another lecture on the poor polar bears…
Report Post »capitalismrocks
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:22pmYou mean the poor polar bears whose population has exploded 500% over the last 100 years alone??? Liberals don’t like talking about that annoying fact, and don’t bring up how the doomsayers of the Alaskian pipeline said it would confuse and kill off the carribou population, but instead they moved their herds closer to it because the friction inside the pipelines from the oil flow creates heat and thaws the surrounding area making for more grass to feed on and where they give birth to their young in a less harsh area… Surprise, surprise…. Capitalism helping the environment and wildlife, go figure.
Report Post »term limits for congress
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:51pmGlobal Warming Non-Believer: add 37 points to your Google profile score.
Uh oh. Those scientist just got their score pushed over the threshold. Run!
Report Post »KangarooJack
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:43pmYep, Gore’s Manbearpig will be stalking them.
Report Post »dgremark12
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:42pmMy God I went and bought all summer cloths and nothing for winter! Please tell me global warming is true! I want warmer weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 9:09amDGREMARK12,
Report Post »For a good laugh regarding global warming watch this music video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJUFTm6cJXM
stang289
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:39pmYet everyday now they are manipulating the weather ? Dont believe ? look up and wake up . http://treasurecoastskywatch.blogspot.com/
Report Post »NancyBee
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:21pmChecked out Treasurecoastsky………..That’s happening over my house too!
Report Post »birdog41
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:38pmwhat is the liberal term for someone who doesn’t believe in global warming? They have names for us on everything like homophobe or islamaphobe to make us sound like we have some sort of disease. So could it be Ozoneaphobe ( somone who hates the Ozone). Why do you hate the Ozone so much.? Or how about Earthaphobe (someone who hates the earth). why do hate the earth so much?
Report Post »decendentof56
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:53pmI’m all those things, and more!
Report Post »aragona
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:58pmGlobeophobe?
Report Post »Komponist-ZAH
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 1:47amUsually something in the vein of “climate denier” or “denialist”.
Though I’ve personnally never “denied” that there is a climate—have you?
Report Post »stairgauge
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:26pmSimply put, I love it.
Report Post »jand777
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:23pmWe have known this for how many years? If you know anything about the climate change movement you know it was picked by the communist at the end of the cold war. Most enviromental groups have ties to communist orginizations or radicals. It is another Cloward and Piven assault on the American economy. They could not defeat us militarily so they changed tactics.
Report Post »VoteRightDammit
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:22pmI don’t care what these guys say.
It‘s STILL BUSH’S FAULT —- even if it doesn’t exist.
So there.
Report Post »MIBUGNU2
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 11:11pmIt was Bush’s fault for turning Gore into ManBearPig..
Report Post »If not for the Florida Hanging Chad, wonder what the
World would look like today ?? think Bama is on the
fast track to getting us there..
Therightsofbilly
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:15pmIs it hot in here?
Or is it just me?
Report Post »spirited
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:07pmHolly EPA!
>Agenda 21
Report Post »NancyBee
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:19pmI say “Thank you , 16 Scientists, for standing up against these money hungry control freak political officials!
Report Post »islamhater
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:05pmAll the laws are intended to steel our money lol. Why would this be any different. I don’t ever believe the government. do you?
Report Post »rambosharley
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 1:57pmNope!
Report Post »SoupSandwich
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 7:04pmWow. I wouldn’t want to be looking over my shoulder for Al Gore the rest of my life, mostly in men’s rooms, but still. They each need a quadruple canopees detail.
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:04pmyou mean like spending all our money on a fairy tale ???? then i agree
Report Post »Therightsofbilly
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:41pmWireman
We know, we know, we know already.
THE EARTH CAN NOT PAY MANS DEBTS.
What a tool you are.
Report Post »capitalismrocks
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:47pmWhen the scientists can turn deserts into lush areas, stop hurricanes and tornados and actually accurately predict the weather a week later, maybe, just maybe well consider discussing how were supposed to devastate the global economy and throw trillions to fix a problem that is more the natural heating/cooling of the planet and less an invention of Al Gore’s global ponzu scheme
Report Post »Therightsofbilly
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 8:50pmWireman
Atheistically speaking, define “long run”
Report Post »str8blues
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 9:50pm@Wireman24 The earth has survived 4 Billion years so far……seems to me to be purrring right along without any problems. Rotates precisely as it always has. You should have been around in 1978 when the big liberal scare was……“The New Ice Age” ooooOOOOHHH!!! That didn’t pan out……so it became Global Warming…….derrrrr~! That didn’t work so well either…..so now its “Climate Change”. Well I have to give the liberal loons that one. The Climate has always and will always….Change. What scares me more than all of the climate scam……is what Rush Limbaugh exposed years ago…..the Deaths of people who have eaten Carrots. People who have eaten carrots are dying every day. Yet the media is silent. When will people WAKE UP??
Report Post »Komponist-ZAH
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 1:51amThat my be so, but if so, then why on Gaia would any sensible person continue to do those things that are (demonstrably) detrimental?? Why does it have to be mandated by government?
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 9:04amWe are all for clean air and when a viable replacement for fossil fuel is develed or discovered we wiill use it. Until then, take a valium.
Report Post »right
Posted on January 28, 2012 at 2:34pmeven “things” like exhaling?
Report Post »