At the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change on March 3 in New York, Weather Channel founder John Coleman had some interesting words about man made climate and global warming.  Among his comments he proposed suing those who sell ‘carbon credits’ in order to force an open and honest debate about climate change.

Coleman said, “[I] have a feeling this is the opening.  If the lawyers will take the case – sue the people who sell carbon credits. That includes Al Gore. That lawsuit would get so much publicity, so much media attention. And as the experts went to the witness stand and testified, I feel like that could become the vehicle to finally put some light on the fraud of global warming.”

He went on to talk about the Weather Channel and how he hoped they would return to their original mission of talking about the weather rather than being politically involved.  You can read more in the article here. 

An interesting editorial recently in Investor’s Business Daily addresses concerns among many scientists no about global warming – but global cooling.  These scientists of course don’t receive the press that Al Gore and the “man made climate change” groups do but their voice is starting to be heard.  They don’t necessarily dispute that man can have an effect on the climate but they do dispute the amount of effect and they caution that there may be other, greater forces at work – solar activity for one.   From the article:

“Solar activity fluctuates in an 11-year cycle. But so far in this cycle, the sun has been disturbingly quiet. The lack of increased activity could signal the beginning of what is known as a Maunder Minimum, an event which occurs every couple of centuries and can last as long as a century.

Such an event occurred in the 17th century. The observation of sunspots showed extraordinarily low levels of magnetism on the sun, with little or no 11-year cycle.

This solar hibernation corresponded with a period of bitter cold that began around 1650 and lasted, with intermittent spikes of warming, until 1715. Frigid winters and cold summers during that period led to massive crop failures, famine and death in Northern Europe.

Tapping reports no change in the sun’s magnetic field so far this cycle and warns that if the sun remains quiet for another year or two, it may indicate a repeat of that period of drastic cooling of the Earth, bringing massive snowfall and severe weather to the Northern Hemisphere.”

In doing a critical analysis of some of what these people are saying one can’t help but wonder if they just might be correct.  You also begin to realize that the “consensus” that Al Gore and the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) insist exists just may not be as strong as they would like people to believe.  There is a growing body of dissenters in the scientific community that are raising the flags and saying we may be all wrong.

Critical thinking dictates that these views be taken into account and that these theories be investigated. 

The editorial:  The Sun Also Sets

This latest report continues the warnings by some in the scientific community that the world is heading for dire consequences from climatic change:

“As early as 2020, 75 million to 250 million people in Africa will suffer water shortages, residents of Asia’s megacities will be at great risk of river and coastal flooding, Europeans can expect extensive species loss, and North Americans will experience longer and hotter heat waves and greater competition for water…”

It is interesting to note that there was a great bit of debate within the panel about the wording of the report, just like there has been within the past. The IPCC issues these reports as if they are fact when in reality the conclusions they reach are done so by consensus. That is significant as just because a majority believe something doesn’t necessarily make it true. There are many experts who doubt man’s impact on the global environment although you would never know it as their voices tend to be drowned out. This debate will continue to rage and critical thinking by everyone should be exercised before making any judgments.

• Read more by clicking here.
• Read the report here.