Commentary

Before he cuts funds to global warming research, state senator should check his science

by Michael Noble

March 7, 2011

When the chairman of the Minnesota Senate Environment Committee says "global warming -- I think it's a farce, I think it's a fallacy," I say, "Yikes."

Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, used that reason to eliminate funding proposals that had been agreed to by the Legislative and Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, which advises the Legislature on spending proceeds from the Minnesota State Lottery. He targeted any funding into research on the Minnesota impacts of a warming climate, options for reducing fossil fuel use and ways to adapt to the climate change impacts that are already unavoidable.

I don't know where Ingebrigtsen gets his science, but 18 different American scientific societies agree that climate change is occurring and that human activity consuming fossil fuels is the primary cause.

Consider this passage from a 2009 letter to Congress, organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science:

"For the United States, climate change impacts include sea level rise for coastal states, greater threats of extreme weather events, and increased risk of regional water scarcity, urban heat waves, western wild fires, and the disturbance of biological systems throughout the country. The severity of climate change impacts is expected to increase substantially in the coming decades. If we are to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change, emissions of greenhouse gases must be dramatically reduced."

Among the signers of this letter are the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America. I think the constituents from Sen. Ingebrigtsen's agricultural district should let him know that their livelihoods are at risk too.

It's as if the chair of the Senate Health Committee had said, "Smoking is bad for you? I don't buy into that stuff. I think it's a farce and a fallacy."

----

Michael Noble is executive director of Fresh Energy, which describes itself as "a nonprofit organization leading the transition to a clean, efficient and fair energy system."

Comments (14)

Do the doubters really doubt? Or do they WANT to believe that all is well?

Continuing to pollute the earth is an act of expediency. When the earth responds with melting ice caps and changing weather patterns the doubters claim humans are incapable of such, much as they claim each individual is incapable of evil. It is another attempt in self-righteousness.

Shame be upon they.

Posted by Patrick Cunningham from Twin Lakes, MN | March 7, 2011 11:12 AM

Any 5th grader who can read a graph can see that the recent warming is but a tiny tiny blip in the noise:

http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/noaa_gisp2_icecore_anim_hi-def3.gif

The global warming simulations that we are no able to check shows Hansen's predictions are way off:

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/08/13/is-jim-hansens-global-temperature-skillful/

We have to wait another 10yrs for the recnet simulations to be proven wrong. But the planets temperature trend has been dflat to down for the past ten years:

http://rankexploits.com/musings/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Since2001Temps.jpg

Global warming--I's so scared--NOT!

Posted by Bob B from CA | March 7, 2011 2:01 PM

Mr. Noble, you need to update your science. Around 2000 the theory of AGW due to CO2 looked pretty good. Since then there has been a lot of emperical research that shows that temperature changes follow CO2 changes, the measured feedbacks of CO2 and water vapor are negative, not positive and the evidence is steadily building up that the dominant controller of our climate is the sun through its effects on clouds and oceanic oscillations like the AMO and PDO. Even the original equations of radiative transfer based on the Stefan-Boltzmann constant are being revisited. It is still considered true that CO2 can absorb heat energy but the sensitivity appears to be more like .2 to .5 degree C per doubling of CO2, not the 3 Degrees+/- 1.5 used by the IPCC. In fact many experienced climate scientists are concerned about a return to the colder times similar to the beginning of the 19th century as solar cycle 24 continues to be very quiet. One American professional society that dissents with the AGW idea is the Association of State Climatologists and there is considerable dissent in many other professional scientific societies. More power to our elected representatives that are asking for a review of "science of AGW". The voices of paleoclimatologists, solar scientists, atmospheric chemists, meterologists, geologists and oceanographers that deal with real world data need to be heard over the roar of those who believe in unvalidated climate models.

Posted by Suzanne Morstad from Basin, WY | March 7, 2011 3:32 PM

Obama didn't even mention the climate change crisis in his State of the Union Address to the nation and IPCC funding has been pulled by the Republican voted majority and carbon markets have collapsed and the world is walking away from the scientists warnings of the deadly effects of climate change.
So why are the scientists not marching in the streets for this crisis?
Should we still keep telling our children that CO2 is going to cause unstoppable warming for them or their children?
Why is the world not treating this CO2 climate crisis like the emergency the UN says it is?

Posted by Meme Mine from Detroit, MI | March 7, 2011 4:23 PM

Ladies and Gentlemen! Its time for the main event - let's give a big welcome to America's greatest spin doctor, self promoter, political gyrationist and environmental alarmist: Mr. Al Gore! Let's all give a huge round of applause for what Mr. Gore, PhD/Nobelist, has done for America's economic future by using voodoo science, hollywood antics and smoke and mirrors to create a whole new scientific plight and uneconomic renewable industry that is rushing non-fossil fuel technologies to the main stream energy markets way before their time; that has resulted in skyrocketing electric power production costs and huge taxpayer subsidies America cannot aford that lead the American people to believe is worth it when in reality the "juice is NOT worth the squeeze". And folks, just ignore that Mr. Gore has scared the living crap out of your children who believe they are destined to burn in hell-on-earth as the planet turns into an incinerator!! What? no applause? Harsh Reality then: there is NO silver bullet to an economic alternative to world-wide fossil fuel consumption and; we live in a global economy and; China is agressively buying up oil reserves across the globe and; picking on CO2 from energy consumption/production as the main contributor is like singling out the "Big Mac" as the main contributor to obesity! Fact: There is AS MUCH or MORE science behind the refuting of man-made (Anthropogenic) global warming climate change. Figures Don't Lie but Liars sure Figure!!

Posted by Curtis Jundt from Bismarck, ND | March 8, 2011 3:30 PM

The late outdoors writer and spokesman, Tony Dean, was a daily drinker of the AGW coolaid...claiming that the heavy snowmelt from the Rockies into the Missouri River system was proof of Global warming. Two words from a hydrologic engineer and scientist...very laughable!

Posted by Lynn Bergman from Bismarck, ND | March 8, 2011 4:55 PM

Watching legislators and the commentators here stick their collective heads in the sand would be amusing if the subject weren't so serious. Because failure to adapt to and plan for climate change will end very poorly for us.

Obviously if you don't believe the overwhelming evidence/science showing that the coming decades will be an environmental roller coster ride from hell, nothing I say here will change your mind.

But by obstructing adaption, all the climate change deniers, doubters, and "skeptics" are directly jeopardizing America's peace, safety, and prosperity for generations to come.

This is irresponsible and unacceptable.

While the rest of the world adapts to the new circumstances they look on in wonder as the U.S. digs it's own grave.

So to all you "skeptics". To all you gravediggers.

Just stop.

Posted by Oliver Dykstra from Minneapolis, MN | March 9, 2011 1:50 AM

Mr. Minneapolis O.D.: Post number 5 and 6 are from two sicence and engineering professionals with each 30 years or more watching, reading, listening to the Liberal's make a position from greenhouse gases to global cooling to global warming. Get a grip man! You are following the "herd" based on data from a friggin blink in time! Recall the last ice age where the planet was covered in a one mile thick sheet of ice. You and I weren't even thought of yet and there was no Al Gore spewing tons of his own CO2 into the atmoshere either. So what say you on why on God's green earth the Ice Age ended and the thick sheet of ice receded toward the pole? It is a huge fault of man to think they have ALL the answers, especially the agnostic, dislexic insomniacs! (a joke BTW). Mother Nature has had many cycles as evidence by geologic data gathered from drilling thousands of feet below the current earths surface. CO2 is NOT pollution as people are led to believe. Natural cycles going in and out of ice ages will continue and be self propagating even in the total absence of man. Nevertheless, lay off the condemnation of the energy industry YOU so heavily rely to run EVERY aspect of your life and look at the population growth of the planet going under 1 billion in 1900 to over 6.5 billion today. You and I spew CO2 or methane from our orifices not to mention the billions of farm animals doing the same it now takes every year that keeps humans alive and producing gas spewing waste daily

Posted by Curtis Jundt from Bismarck, ND | March 9, 2011 10:24 AM

Mr. Jundt:

Of course we weren't affecting climate at the end of the last glacial period as we are today. But you act like we don't understand anything about natural climate cycles. Climate is complex, but we understand the the tilt of the earth, as well as the orbit of the earth around the sun changes on predictable periods, which cause the cyclic nature of climate. And of course climate cycles will continue, and even all the CO2 man is putting up there right now will matter little for climate on geologic scales. Still we don't live on geological time scales, our children and our children's children will be affected if we treat CO2 as 'not a pollutant'.

A few other points: Generally CO2 respirated from living organisms isn't important, unless it the system is out of balance. For example, we eat food (that is created via photosynthesis that removes CO2 from the atmosphere), and then breath out CO2. It's a no sum game - it doesn't change CO2 in the atmosphere. But if we melt tundra and thaw tons of peat, microbes can eat this long stored peat and release it to atmosphere as CO2. CH4 is important because it's a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 - but human don't make enough to really matter. Cows do!

China is getting more and more oil (but still uses much less per capita than the US), but if you want to follow China, they are not the leading producer of photovoltaics too.

Posted by William Eddy from St. Paul, MN | March 14, 2011 3:27 PM

Overall:
If you think the science says climate change is real or you don't, we should talk in terms of science and what's really going on. Attributing climate change to a bunch of liberal conspiracists is really a copout and insults many hardworking people who aren't paid much, who are honest in their pursuit of understand how humans are altering this planet, and who have never met Al Gore or been part of a strategy meeting to push the climate issue.

Posted by William Eddy from St. Paul, MN | March 14, 2011 3:35 PM

PLEASE HELP US TO CONTINUE OUR RESEARCH TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING PROCESS & STOP GLAZER LAYER MELTING PROCESS.
WE ARE DEVELOPING SPECIAL ITEAM TO STOP ABOVE THINGS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. WE ARE DOING THIS RESEARCH WITH LACK OF LAB FACILITY.
ANY PERSON OR ORGANIZATION CAN HELP US TO CONTINUE THIS RESEARCH ,I THINK IT WILL HELP TO ALL HUMAN BEEING WHO LIVE IN THIS PLANET. FURTHER WE HAVE DONE THIS RESEARCH SINCE 10 YEARS.WE HAVE DEDICATED FOR THIS.WE KNOW THAT WE CAN STOP GLOBLE WARM & MELTING GLAZER LAYER.
PLEASE KINDLY CONSIDER & HELP US TO CONTINUE THIS FOR YOUR SON & DAUGHTER. MY EMAIL:- inoka711@yahoo.com
WE LIVE IN SRI LANKA . BUT WE TRY TO HELP IN PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN FAR. THAT IS THE REALITY & THE TRUTH.
FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT US WHO LIKE TO SUPPORT SERIOUSLY .
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
TRULY

U.I.R.P.PERERA &
DR.D.G. NAWAGAMUWA.

KADUWELA
SRI LANKA..

Posted by U.I.R.P. PERERA from sri lanka | May 24, 2011 6:56 AM

Posted by U.I.R.P. PERERA from sri lanka | May 24, 2011 7:03 AM

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
..................WHO LOVE OUR PLANET ??????????????

PLEASE HELP US TO CONTINUE OUR RESEARCH TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING PROCESS & STOP GLAZER LAYER MELTING PROCESS.
WE ARE DEVELOPING SPECIAL ITEAM TO STOP ABOVE THINGS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. WE ARE DOING THIS RESEARCH WITH LACK OF LAB FACILITY.
ANY PERSON OR ORGANIZATION CAN HELP US TO CONTINUE THIS RESEARCH ,I THINK IT WILL HELP TO ALL HUMAN BEEING WHO LIVE IN THIS PLANET. FURTHER WE HAVE DONE THIS RESEARCH SINCE 10 YEARS.WE HAVE DEDICATED FOR THIS.WE KNOW THAT WE CAN STOP GLOBLE WARM & MELTING GLAZER LAYER.
PLEASE KINDLY CONSIDER & HELP US TO CONTINUE THIS FOR YOUR SON & DAUGHTER. MY EMAIL:- inoka711@yahoo.com
WE LIVE IN SRI LANKA . BUT WE TRY TO HELP IN PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN FAR. THAT IS THE REALITY & THE TRUTH.
FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT US WHO LIKE TO SUPPORT SERIOUSLY .
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
TRULY

U.I.R.P.PERERA &
DR.D.G. NAWAGAMUWA.

KADUWELA
SRI LANKA..

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Posted by U.I.R.P. PERERA from sri lanka | May 24, 2011 7:10 AM

Posted by U.I.R.P. PERERA from sri lanka | May 24, 2011 7:15 AM

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Before he cuts funds to global warming research, state senator should check his science

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Before he cuts funds to global warming research, state senator should check his science

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