Manbearpig on the Run
 

Longtime WCCO-TV meteorologist Mike Fairbourne says that the environmental movement is practicing "squishy science" when it ties human activity to global warming.

Fairbourne's assessment Monday came on the same day that the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine appeared before the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and announced that it has the signatures of more than 31,000 scientists -- including Fairbourne's -- who agree that the human impact on global warming is overblown.

Fairbourne, who jointed WCCO in 1977 and has been a meteorologist for 40 years, said that while there is no doubt that "there has been some warming" of global temperatures in recent years ... there is still a pretty big question mark" about how much of that warming is from human activity.

"Do we need to be wise stewards [of the Earth]? Absolutely," Fairbourne said. "Do we have to pin everything that happens on global warming? No, we need to have cooler heads."

Fairbourne said he signed the institute's petition about five years ago. The group said that hundreds of meteorologists are among the signees.

The petition says:

"We urge the United States government to reject the global warming agreement that was written in Kyoto ... and any other similar proposals. The proposed limits on greenhouse gases would harm the environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage the health and welfare of mankind.

"There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate.

"Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth."
Fairbourne said he has talked "to a number of meteorologists who have similar opinions," adding that he is concerned about "the extremism that is attached to the global warming."

He noted that in the 1970s "we were screaming about global cooling. It makes me nervous when we pin a few warm years on squishy science."

As for the melting polar ice caps, Fairbourne said there are "other things going on -- ocean currents, changes in salinity -- other things not related to carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere."

Asked why there has been so much momentum toward connecting human activity and global warming, Fairbourne said, "They're doing it for a lot of reasons; some may be scientific, but most of them are political. We need to be calm and look at scientific evidence and evaluate it."

>Asked why there has been so much momentum toward connecting human activity and global warming, Fairbourne said, "They're doing it for a lot of reasons; some may be scientific, but most of them are political. We need to be calm and look at scientific evidence and evaluate it."

I don't see the political leverage. Apart from "socialist conspiracy" or some other Rush-ism, what is the political angle on this?

- A weekend TV meteorologist is not a scientist in climatology.

- Nice official sounding organization. :p


Mule, you're my favorite internet personality since the banning of Fastpat, but your "sources" of "information" are sh!it. Still, I hope we can keep Manbearpig on the run, or we'll all die!!! :D

They need to make a movie with power point presentations so I can believe it.

I'm surprised you don't see this Thom.

To politicians, it means an excuse to regulate and control even more of our lives. To bureaucrats, it means an excuse for even more budget dollars. For the UN and other external political bodies, it means an excuse to regulate and control the output of the U.S. economy.

SmileWavy

He might get some TV award, dunno what they call 'em. Now, if this TV weatherman makes a movie and some viewgraphs, he has an outside chance of a Nobel. :)

And an Oscar?

Felix, Oscar, he can have them all!

I was hoping for a study from the Mule Institute of Science, Technology And Knowledge Education

ROFL! Thanks Todd, now my co-workers know I'm not doing any real work.

Don't be surprised, he is being disingenuous

Even though I think global warming is 10% science and 90% other, that's pretty damn funny.:D

Is that where Algore got his training?

Like Rocky went to the Seataupants Flying Academy? I think Rocky got better training.

well, it is located in TN...

SSHHHHH! He doesnt know that!

If that's the case, the place needs to be shut down.

Here's info on the 400 prominent scientists, many of them current and former members of the UN's IPCC, who dispute the "consensus" claim of many folks:

http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_ id=f80a6386-802a-23ad-40c8-3c63dc2d02cb

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Of the 31,000 or so scientists that Mule referred to, over 9,000 have Ph.Ds:

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/05/are_32000_scientists_enough_to.html

It appears obvious (to me at least!) that there is no consensus on man made global warming.

Earthlings should still take better care of the planet and continue efforts to develop and use cleaner energy forms, but without all the hysterical, politically motivated silliness.

of course they're all in art history and philosophy SmileWavy

Totally agree there is no consensus. We should decrease our footprint wherever possible and conserve rather than consume gluttonously. Warming, cooling, doesn't really matter. Spewing crap into the environment is a bad idea...

+1