Well, not really…
Editors note: This piece is the second in a series of articles on climate change by our old codger in the canyon Walt Mow.
Climate Change is not the debate, but whether man is exacerbating an increase in GreenHouse Gases (GHGs), thereby speeding Climate Change. Conflicting reports and studies do nothing to make the issue either understandable for the layperson, nor does it convey a sense of consensus.
The statement that consensus has been reached and the “Science is Settled” does not correctly convey the reality as there are numerous scientists and weather specialists who disagree.
“Those who speak of the incompatibility of science and religion either make science say that which it never said or make religion say that which it never taught.”
Pope Pius XI
I think it appropriate that we examine the statement closely. The term “Settled Science” is obviously an oxymoron as science is an ongoing endeavor where dissent is an essential part of the overall scientific conversation.
“Settled” for instance: according to Webster’s; Settle, Settled, Settling, as a “transitive verb” has 13 variations of usage; as an “intransitive verb”, there are 8 additional variations of usage. Yes, I am aware that some of the variations may be eliminated, but confusion arises as to which ones when it comes to correctly stating the issue?
“Science”: according to Webster’s; Science, a noun, has 7 variations of usage; again of these variations, which most closely and correctly define the issue of so-called “Climate Change”.
Putting aside the obvious disparity of consensus with regards wordage, and to help put this issue into context the layperson can understand, we need only consult history where we will find numerous exhibits of unusual variations in the weather. For instance, during the 14th Century there was a general cool-down of the northern hemisphere that was to decimate the Viking colonization of Greenland; in the 17th century cereal grains in Europe failed during what is called “The Little Ice Age”; coming to more recent history we find the destructive drought east of the Rocky Mountains in 1964 & 1965; the drought in France in 1976.
History also gives us numerous examples of “Settled Science” being rejected, only to be supplanted by new scientific evidence that replaced the original doctrine. One prime example was to consume 40+ years before the scientific community accepted the findings of Dr. J. Harlen Bretz as he explained the “Spokane Floods”, a series of catastrophic floods during the Pleistocene epoch.
“Science is simply common sense at its best – that is, rigidly accurate in observation, and merciless to fallacy in logic.”
Thomas H. Huxley
I was able to converse with a group of Marshall Islanders that were relocated from their island homeland. They confirmed that rising sea levels had forced relocation on them, but we must remember that sea levels are constantly changing. Factor in the geologic history of these islands; a series of hot spots similar to those that feed the Hawaiian volcanoes formed the original islands 70 million years ago. The hot spots went extinct 40 million years ago and the disintegration began as they sank into the sea under their own weight. Subsidence of the land may well be an ongoing event in geologic time, just as we have recently seen in the far western end of the Hawaiian chain.
During the Pleistocene epoch sea levels fluctuated from 300 feet below today’s levels to 150 feet above today’s levels. Just as the Cordilleran Ice Sheet advanced and retreated alternately leaving large areas above sea level and flooding at the other end of the scale aiding the natural erosion of Islands and sea shores alike.
We are an adaptable species, but we do not accept change readily. Those who challenge or otherwise disagree with the statement of “Settled Science” are called “Deniers” when in truth they simply are asking to be heard as they have a different point of view. I do not call these people “Deniers” but rather “Doubters” as they see data that draws them to a different conclusion.
“Great is the power of steady misrepresentation; the history of science shows that fortunately this power does not long endure.”
Charles Darwin
The men quoted in this piece did not accept the notion that science is an unassailable thing, but rather that as knowledge changed, so did their perspective, and that is it should be; but these same men would be labeled “Deniers” based on the standards of today. I take umbrage at the term “Denier” but readily accept the title of “Doubter” as it is most descriptive of how I view the issue of “Climate Change”.
To be clear, I do not challenge the fact that the climate is changing, only the conclusion that man is destroying the planet. How do they explain the surge in the growth of ice in the Arctic? Simple, overlook the data. When you look at the conflicting opinions and data that does not support their hypothesis of manmade GHGs as the source of “Climate Change” or “Global Warming”, it (pardon the pun) “Does Not Hold Water”.
Author’s Note: Although the major part of this series was written six years ago, much of the argument for man’s contribution to GreenHouse Gases has remained the same. We have seen a change of administrations that has done much to correct the bizarre and sometimes despotic rules that were such a large part of the previous administration. Now we are under another administration that fully supports the myth that man made pollution is causing and driving Climate Change.
Walt Mow Fall 2015