Britain's Independent reports today (front page, top story, big headlines) on a new, high-profile climate study to be released tomorrow. Under the headline "Countdown to Catastrophe," you can read about why we have ten years, at most, to avoid climate calamity. Since US Republican Senator Olympia Snowe was a co-chair of the commission that produced the report, perhaps even the Bush gang will take notice.

Meanwhile, however, Al-Jazeera recently highlighted the benefits of global warming to the oil and gas industry. More global warming makes possible more fossil fuel production which causes ... you get the idea.

The press release from the British Institute for Public Policy Research includes research and taskforce members and their top ten recommendations. Seems like Spring 05 is shapping up to have a number of events that might put this on the US caring screen.

Posted by: Will Duggan on January 24, 2005 10:52 AM

What absolute drivel !

It seems nothing more than a press release to grab attention ahead of a London conference of GW dissenters and a forthcoming conference run by the UK's CRU.

What's wrong with the statement?

For starters the level of carbon dioxide millions of years ago was about five times higher than what we have now. Guess what? There was no "run-away" warming then and so the chances of it now are zilch.

Secondly, if carbon dioxide causes all the warming then why is it that temperatures since 1998 have not reached the peak in that year even while carbon dioxide continues to increase?

The supposedly expert scientists I've spoken to say that they can't find another explanation for the warming so therefore it MUST be carbon dioxide. It's just like saying it is that someone is the only suspect they can see so therefore they must be guilty.

Try looking a little harder people!

cheers

John McLean

Posted by: John McLean on January 25, 2005 3:43 AM

John is wrong.

1) The biosphere is different than it was millions of years ago. Then is not an analog of now.

2) There is variation in the climate from year to year. While the average global temperature varies from year to year, it continues to increase. See this graph

These two points probably won't satisfy John, but if you really want to learn more read the IPPC report on the science of climate change. It synthesizes and summarizes the state of the science. It explains what is and isn't known about climate change.

If you really want to argue about the science of climate change, go to RealClimate.org where you will be able to argue with actual climate scientists.

Posted by: Garry Peterson on January 25, 2005 4:36 AM

The full taskforce report is available in .pdf format The International Climate Change Taskforce report

Posted by: Will Duggan on January 25, 2005 6:00 AM