Consensus or senseless con?

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=64734

Thursday, May 22, 2008

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HEAT OF THE MOMENT
WorldNetDaily Exclusive
31,000 scientists reject 'global warming' agenda
'Mr. Gore's movie has claims no informed expert endorses'

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Posted: May 19, 2008
8:51 pm Eastern



By Bob Unruh



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WorldNetDaily




More than 31,000 scientists across the U.S. ? including more than 9,000
Ph.D.s in fields such as atmospheric science, climatology, Earth science,
environment and dozens of other specialties ? have signed a petition
rejecting "global warming," the assumption that the human production of
greenhouse gases is damaging Earth's climate.

"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," the petition states. "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."

The Petition Project actually was launched nearly 10 years ago, when the
first few thousand signatures were assembled. Then, between 1999 and 2007,
the list of signatures grew gradually without any special effort or campaign.

But now, a new effort has been conducted because of an "escalation of the
claims of 'consensus,' release of the movie 'An Inconvenient Truth' by Mr. Al
Gore, and related events," according to officials with the project.

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"Mr. Gore's movie, asserting a 'consensus' and 'settled science' in agreement
about human-caused global warming, conveyed the claims about human-caused
global warming to ordinary movie goers and to public school children, to whom
the film was widely distributed. Unfortunately, Mr. Gore's movie contains
many very serious incorrect claims which no informed, honest scientist could
endorse," said project spokesman and founder Art Robinson.

WND submitted a request to Gore's office for comment but did not get a
response.

Robinson said the dire warnings about "global warming" have gone far beyond
semantics or scientific discussion now to the point they are actually
endangering people.

"The campaign to severely ration hydrocarbon energy technology has now been
markedly expanded," he said. "In the course of this campaign, many
scientifically invalid claims about impending climate emergencies are being
made. Simultaneously, proposed political actions to severely reduce
hydrocarbon use now threaten the prosperity of Americans and the very
existence of hundreds of millions of people in poorer countries," he said.

In just the past few weeks, there have been various allegations that both
shark attacks and typhoons have been sparked by "global warming."

The late Professor Frederick Seitz, the past president of the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences and winner of the National Medal of Science, wrote in a
letter promoting the petition, "The United States is very close to adopting
an international agreement that would ration the use of energy and of
technologies that depend upon coal, oil, and natural gas and some other
organic compounds."

"This treaty is, in our opinion, based upon flawed ideas. Research data on
climate change do not show that human use of hydrocarbons is harmful. To the
contrary, there is good evidence that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is
environmentally helpful," he wrote.

Accompanying the letter sent to scientists was a 12-page summary and review
of research on "global warming," officials said.

"The proposed agreement would have very negative effects upon the technology
of nations throughout the world, especially those that are currently
attempting to lift from poverty and provide opportunities to the over 4
billion people in technologically underdeveloped countries," Seitz wrote.

Robinson said the project targets scientists because, "It is especially
important for America to hear from its citizens who have the training
necessary to evaluate the relevant data and offer sound advice."

He said the "global warming agreement," written in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, and
other plans "would harm the environment, hinder the advance of science and
technology, and damage the health and welfare of mankind."

"Yet," he said, "the United Nations and other vocal political interests say
the U.S. must enact new laws that will sharply reduce domestic energy
production and raise energy prices even higher.

"The inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
include the right of access to life-giving and life-enhancing technology.
This is especially true of access to the most basic of all technologies:
energy. These human rights have been extensively and wrongly abridged," he
continued. "During the past two generations in the U.S., a system of high
taxation, extensive regulation, and ubiquitous litigation has arisen that
prevents the accumulation of sufficient capital and the exercise of
sufficient freedom to build and preserve needed modern technology.

"These unfavorable political trends have severely damaged our energy
production, where lack of industrial progress has left our country dependent
upon foreign sources for 30 percent of the energy required to maintain our
current level of prosperity," he said. "Moreover, the transfer of other U.S.
industries abroad as a result of these same trends has left U.S. citizens
with too few goods and services to trade for the energy that they do not
produce. A huge and unsustainable trade deficit and rapidly rising energy
prices have been the result.

"The necessary hydrocarbon and nuclear energy production technologies have
been available to U.S. engineers for many decades. We can develop these
resources without harm to people or the environment. There is absolutely no
technical, resource, or environmental reason for the U.S. to be a net
importer of energy. The U.S. should, in fact, be a net exporter of energy,"
he said.

He told WND he believes the issue has nothing to do with energy itself, but
everything to do with power, control and money, which the United Nations is
seeking. He accused the U.N. of violating human rights in its campaign to ban
much energy research, exploration and development.

"In order to alleviate the current energy emergency and prevent future
emergencies, we need to remove the governmental restrictions that have caused
this problem. Fundamental human rights require that U.S. citizens and their
industries be free to produce and use the low cost, abundant energy that they
need. As the 31,000 signatories of this petition emphasize, environmental
science supports this freedom," he said.

The Petition Project website today said there are 31,072 scientists who have
signed up, and Robinson said more names continue to come in.

In terms of Ph.D. scientists alone, it already has 15 times more scientists
than are seriously involved in the U.N.'s campaign to "vilify hydrocarbons,"
officials told WND.

"The very large number of petition signers demonstrates that, if there is a
consensus among American scientists, it is in opposition to the human-caused
global warming hypothesis rather than in favor of it," the organization
noted.

The project was set up by a team of physicists and physical chemists who do
research at several American institutions and collects signatures when
donations provide the resources to mail out more letters.

"In a group of more than 30,000 people, there are many individuals with names
similar or identical to other signatories, or to non-signatories ? real or
fictional. Opponents of the petition project sometimes use this statistical
fact in efforts to discredit the project. For examples, Perry Mason and
Michael Fox are scientists who have signed the petition ? who happen also to
have names identical to fictional or real non-scientists," the website said.

The petition is needed, supporters said, simply because Gore and others "have
claimed that the 'science is settled' ? that an overwhelming 'consensus' of
scientists agrees with the hypothesis of human-caused global warming, with
only a handful of skeptical scientists in disagreement."

The list of scientists includes 9,021 Ph.D.s, 6,961 at the master's level,
2,240 medical doctors and 12,850 carrying a bachelor of science or equivalent
academic degree.

The Petition Project's website includes both a list of scientists by name as
well as a list of scientists by state.
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