For example, the report discusses the role of solar fluctuations on climate. For some reason, the authors chose to reference a blog (http://www.jennifermarohasy.com/blog/archives/002586.html) instead of the original paper (http://www.fel.duke.edu/~scafetta/pdf/2007JD008437.pdf). That original paper does not say anything about CO2 and climate. The conclusion of the paper is that solar fluctuations effect climate and that computer models could be improved by incorporating solar data. Somehow in the telephone game from the original paper to the blog posting to the Senate report, the scientific claims changed dramatically. I do not care if this was done intentionally or was an honest mistake; either way, it is poor research and does a disservice to those who rely on the Senate to be honest in its dealings.

The Senate report also seems to be all over the map on what it considers to be a “skeptic” — ranging from those who believe climate change is not happening to those who believe the climate is changing naturally to those who believe climate change is man-made but disagree with the rate Al Gore used in An Inconvenient Truth. I am not sure that it is accurate to label someone a “skeptic” because they disagree with Al Gore on subtle details of climate change. I disagree with Al Gore on some things, but I do not consider myself to be a climate-change skeptic.

I do think that the Senate should take an honest look at the state of climate change research, including where there is strong consensus and where scientists are still fuzzy about the details. I don’t think this report fits the bill.

Beck’s book was #1 for a week before surrendering the position back to Stephen Colbert’s I Am America (and so Can You). Just thought you might want to get the little stuff in order before you try to tackle the big stuff.

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

Just so we are on the same page here, a scientist would not say that gravity is a fact. Facts are things that can be observed, measured, and verified. A fact is something like there are 12 inches of snow on my deck. I can measure that. Someone else can come to my deck and perform their own measurements. You can’t really measure gravity. Instead, you measure things like how fast things fall and how much they weigh to start to understand this idea that is gravity.

As I said in a previous post, scientists take all of these measurements and start to ask questions about them. For example, does the size of something effect how fast it falls? They then set up experiments to test these ideas. In lots of cases, the original hypothesis is wrong. The scientists go back and try to figure out an alternative explanation for both the original data and the new data. Eventually, the hypothesis gets strong enough that you can use it to predict the outcome of future experiments. When you get to this point, you have a theory. You may think you don’t care about the theory of gravity, but if you have ever flown in an airplane, you should be thankful that the engineers didn’t just guess at how strong gravity is on Earth.

When it comes to the theory of climate change, it is important to remember that it has undergone the same rigorous process. Einstein made his name explaining problems in Newton’s explanation of gravity. A young scientist could make his/her career off of a similar refutation of man-made climate change. But instead of that refutation, scientists have been finding more support for the idea that humans are causing climate change. They do this by finding that alternative explanations can’t explain the changes we are seeing. Scientists have also used the theory of man-made climate change to construct elaborate models. These models have failed in one way: they have been overly conservative. Global climate is changing in the way scientists expect, it is just happening faster.

This is not to say that science can explain everything, and it certainly cannot explain God. Science answers the question of how; religion answers the question of why. To wrap this back to my original explanation of the scientific method, how would you measure an infinite God? How would you set up an experiment that allowed you to test an omnipotent God? These are just absurd questions.

Perhaps it is my Jesuit-influenced background, but I have no problem understanding how God can use something like evolution to create and mold a finch. But that knowledge doesn’t stop me from admiring the beauty and majesty of His creation. If anything, it enhances that admiration.

I hate to bring religion into this but it is like telling me there is no god. Science says it is evolution and big bangs. Fine and dandy…but NOTHING can just be there….NOTHING. They seem to know it all but when you bring that up there is no explanation. The fact is THEY DO NOT KNOW! They can’t possibly know ever. The science world has made leaps and bounds and done some great things for mankind, but I still believe it is all speculation.

The climate changes have been shifting and changing long before we ever came about. This earth has burned and frozen and shook and blown up for hundreds of millions of years. Can you fathom that time? I know I can’t and a drilled hole in the ground and test tubes and microscopes will never convince me. We can’t even explore an eighth of the ocean, or cure cancer or aids with all this great science and you are going to tell me that these guys know for sure that we are the cause of global warming? Sorry, not going to happen. It is ALL SPIN. Not to say that there are not people that are really trying to figure it out. Kudos to them for trying.

Here is another analogy….It is like a scientist drawing my blood and urine, taking dna and hair and skin samples. Then doing tons and tons of tests. Those tests will for surely turn up facts about me, hard facts that cannot be argued with. And then telling me based on those facts, who I am as a person, what I believe and think and act and WHY I am and do those things. Um….no, they will never be able to do that. This earth has a soul, a heartbeat, and they will never be able to tame it or figure her out. It is impossible.

I also don’t believe climate change is real because a bunch of scientists say so. I believe it is real because I try to read scientific studies and understand why the scientists arrived at the conclusions they did. That is how science works. You collect data, you come up with a hypothesis to explain your data, and then you come up with tests to collect even more data. All along the way, you refine your hypothesis until you can explain the data you are collecting. Once your hypothesis is strong enough, you arrive at a theory you can apply to future experiments. For example, gravity is a theory, but engineers use that theory everyday whether they are designing office buildings or space craft.

Man-made climate change has thousands of studies to support it. These studies have been used to construct detailed models of how climate change will proceed. If there is a flaw in these models, it appears that they are not aggressive enough. Climate change is happening the way scientists have predicted it will; it is just happening faster.

On the other hand, I cannot find credible data to support the alternative. I read the NASA study that changed the “hottest year in history.” In the end, it was largely a math error. My recollection is that the 10 hottest years remained the same with the exception of a couple that swapped places. The overall trend still held.

I have also read the hypothesis that climate change is all due to fluctuations in solar activity, but when I dig into these studies I find that the hypothesis only holds for the pre-industrial era. Once people started emitting large quantities of greenhouse gases, the correlation between solar fluctuations and global temperatures largely fell off.

If you know of climate change skeptics who have solid data backing their claims, I would love to read their studies. In the meantime, I have to believe the theory that is supported by more than politicians shouting at one another.

I would also not presume to know what anyone believes or does not believe about particular policies without talking to him/her. For the record, I do not like the current trend of “carbon credits”. The way the systems are implemented, they are a way for non-polluters to make money from polluters who get to continue polluting. For carbon credits to work, there would need to be a cap that reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by everyone. Until then, we will just shuffle money around and feel better because we are “changing” the world.

This is all THEORY. First they said that (not sure the actual year but) 1992 was the hottest year ever, then they said oops 1932 was the hottest year. Mother earth has been here for hundreds of millions of years. That is hundreds of millions of years that we haven’t been here, or kept records, or done any kind of science. Scientists are just people too. They make mistakes all the time and are quite aware that most of their findings are all based on theory.

There is no way anyone can possibly know in the very short amount of time we have lived on this earth that we are the cause of global warming. The entire human race is a pimple on the butt of this earth. Just thinking in logic should make since that if we are any kind of cause of warming it is so small compared to the sheer size and power of mother earth. Does that mean that we should just not care? Of course not. But trying to alarm the world that we are all going to die unless we do what they say, is just ridicules.

If we ignored science then these guys wouldn’t have jobs, or grants, or anything to do at all. They have to come up with things to justify the spending and the continuation of free grants and large salaries. This is all just common sense. If I want to drive a gas guzzling SUV then I should be able to. I do not want someone to EVER tell me I can’t because they say. Al Gores whole carbon offset thing is a joke.

How can it possibly help to pay a place to “offset” your footprint? That is saying go ahead and keep doing what you are doing and just pay me so you THINK that you are doing better. How can money offset your footprint? WE as individuals are the only ones that can truly offset our so called carbon footprints. That means really doing “green” things. NEVER Driving a car, using aluminum, plastic, gas, coal, smoking, farting, eating meat, buying clothes, buying a house made of wood, burning a fire, using a computer, going to starbucks, breathing…….

You see it really doesn’t matter because whatever we do we are going to create a footprint. Did you know that over 30 jets flew in for the so called “global warming” conference? Do have any idea how much fuel it took to do that? Did you know that Al “I am a total hippocrate” Gore lives in a 10,000 square foot home? Do you have any idea what it costs to heat a place like that? He also has his own private jet. Do you think for one second that he owns a Prius? Is his place solar? um….no. Do you think for one second he is going to give up ANY luxuries he is used to? Hell no.

At least Leonardo Dicrapio walks the walk for the most part, or at least he tries. I just don’t understand how so many people can just think that these politicians really care about us. Don’t all of you see that they are in their own world in D.C.? Not to say there isn’t some that care but for the most part it is all about money and power. The all mighty VOTE. That is why nobody will put a secure fence on BOTH borders. It would be political suicide.

God forbid you lose all those minority votes, which by the way here real soon if you are white you will be the minority. I am not trying to fire a race debate up…I am far from racist. I am not right or left winged either, but I am a thinker and I am far from stupid. Why would you ever just fall in line with what is portrayed to be true? This is all a game of power…who has it, who can get it and keep it.

The media blows it all out of proportion, spins it, makes it glamorous. God I am sorry for such a novel…I am just so sick of all of this crap. Always question authority. Always ask questions, think for yourself, get all sides before jumping on the bandwagon. If we all just do what we know is right then all would be well.