”’Author’s note: This is adapted from a much longer https://50thstar.blogspot.com post that can be read at https://tinyurl.com/bsbnb”’
I have some comments on the June 28, 2005, commentary in ”’Hawaii Reporter”’ by Todd Shelly entitled “More Climate Change Bashing”.
Shelly writes, “With one quick jab, Mr. [Paul] Driessen states
that there is little evidence that supports global warming. However,
in a recent issue of the journal ‘Science,’ a researcher from the
University of San Diego [sic; this researcher is with the University
of California *AT* San Diego –S.H.] reports that a literature search
with the keywords ‘global climate change’ uncovered 928 research
articles, none of which presented data counter to the consensus view
that anthropogenic [i.e., human-caused] global warming was real.
Apparently, Mr. Driessen considers 928 articles to be insufficient
evidence.”
Shelly’s letter does not take into account evidence that
contradicts his presumption that the Kyoto Treaty to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions must be ratified at all costs.
Actually, the University of California at San Diego researcher
examined 928 papers published on the subject since the early 1990s,
and concluded that 75 percent of them backed what some call the
“consensus view” on global climate change, while none directly
contradicted it.
But when Dr. Benny Peiser of Liverpool John Moores University
looked at the same 928 papers the UCSD researcher did, he found that
33 percent supported the “consensus view,” while only one percent
explicitly and emphatically supported it.
When he submitted his findings to be published as a letter in
“Science” for January 2005, “Science” told him to re-edit the letter.
Then the letter was rejected completely. The explanation “Science”
wrote to Peiser was, “After realizing that the basic points of your
letter have already been widely dispersed over the internet, we have
reluctantly decided that we cannot publish your letter. We appreciate
your taking the time to revise it.” Note neither inaccuracy or
inadequate methodology were cited as primary reasons for the
rejection.
You can se the drafts of Peiser’s letter and the letters
“Science” wrote to him at https://tinyurl.com/bzjqu
Shelly also says, “Driessen argues that there is no consensus
among scientists on global warming, citing the petition signed by
18,000 scientists that claims a lack of convincing evidence on global
climate change. However, as is well known, that petition was started
by bogus climate scientists at a bogus scientific institute and
verification of the signers’ authenticity and credentials was
haphazard at best. As reported by the website Disinfopedia,
pro-environment groups had no trouble adding nonsensical names (Dr.
Red Wine) and TV names (B.J. Honeycutt, from MASH) to the petition. So much for the credibility of this petition.”
We can probably expect Shelly to dismiss everything I say here,
as his letters have shown a tendency to dismiss any viewpoint that
conflicts with fashionable presumptions about climate change.
However, there is more to the story than his letters let on.
Shelly neglected to mention that https://www.Disinfopedia.com – which has changed its name to https://www.SourceWatch.Org – primarily exists for the purpose of arguing against free-market economics and other non-“Progressive”
viewpoints by denouncing free-market advocates as paid corporate
shills, as opposed to actually discussing the logical merits of their
case. Also note that Disinfopedia.com, being in “Wiki” format,
publishes just about any smear by any *ANONYMOUS* person on the World
Wide Web, provided that the contribution conforms to the leftwing
party line.
Likewise, Shelly uses the label of “bogus scientists” to describe
the co-authors of the paper accompanying the petition about climate
change (see https://www.oism.org/pproject/s33p36.htm ) that Driessen
cited. Two of Shelly’s “bogus scientists” are Dr. Sallie Baliunas and
Dr. Wilie Soon. They are actually legitimate scientists in the Solar,
Stellar, & Planetary(!) Sciences Division ( see
https://cfa-www.harvard.edu/ssp/ ) of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center
for Astrophysics (see https://tinyurl.com/cx4me ).
Given their
research on solar activity (which does significantly affect climate)
and on the measurement of earth’s atmospheric temperatures from
weather satellites, Drs. Baliunas and Soon do have something valuable
to say in the debate on global climate change.
One may respectfully say that Baliunas and Soon are wrong, as
many scientists in support of the Kyoto Accord have said. But it is
quite another matter to denigrate these two upstanding professionals
as “bogus scientists.”
And what about Shelly’s repeated claim that the name “”B. J.
Honeycutt” appears on the petition? You can look at the petition
yourself at https://tinyurl.com/azog8
If you look at the section of signers whose last names begin with
“H,” at https://tinyurl.com/997yq you can observe that there is no “B.
J. Honeycutt” or “B. J. Hunnicut” or “B. J. Hunnicutt” there, though
there is a “Baxter D. Honeycutt” and a “John Honeycutt.” The names
“Baxter D.” and “John” start with “B” and “J,” but the “B. J.
Honeycutt” Shelly spoke of remains elusive.
If one is going to accuse a petition of having the alias “B. J.
Honeycutt” on it, couldn’t one at least take a quick look at the
petition to see if that fake name is actually present on it?
Incidentally, if “B. J. Honeycutt” was once on the list but
later removed, wouldn’t that demonstrate that those who have
maintained the petition’s website actually have bothered to do some
screening of the names?
Interestingly, now one of three vice chairmen (
https://tinyurl.com/avxdm ) of the United Nations’s Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change — the organization well-known for pushing the
Kyoto Accord — says, “There is no proven link between human activity
and global warming.” https://tinyurl.com/925uu We can probably
expect this vice-chairman to be smeared for this.
A more detailed discussion about the accuracy of what has been
said about global warming in ”’Hawaii Reporter”’ can be seen at https://tinyurl.com/bsbnb
”’Stuart K. Hayashi is a former employee of the Hawaii state government and is currently an assistant editor at the nationally known https://www.moorelies.com , whose founder and editor-in-chief is a New York Times best-selling author. Mr. Hayashi’s previously published columns can be seen at: https://reason_club.tripod.com/stuart_editorials.html and https://tinyurl.com/6me4u and he runs “The 50th Star,” a political-economic Web log for college students in Hawaii at https://50thstar.blogspot.com He can be reached at radical_individualist@hotmail.com”’
”’HawaiiReporter.com reports the real news, and prints all editorials submitted, even if they do not represent the viewpoint of the editors, as long as they are written clearly. Send editorials to mailto:Malia@HawaiiReporter.com”’