Is Today's Climate Optimal?

Omigosh! This is a day of computer work and online research. Having already posted two new items here on CARE’s Blog, an effort was being made to hold a couple of items for another day—then the following arrived in CARE’s “inbox.” Since one of the items being held was the transcript of Michael Griffin’s interview on NPR, and this piece is fresh, we could resist no longer. Here’s one more item for today—from one of our favorite sources The Business and Media Institute. A link to the edited transcript is included so you can check it out yourself. Better yet, follow the link to listen to the complete interview. It will give you a much clearer idea of Griffin’s actual comments—in context.

ABC Attacks NASA Skeptic with 'Incensed' Scientists
Offer any skepticism of global warming and the media quickly line up experts to discredit you.

That’s exactly what happened on “World News with Charles Gibson” on May 31. Correspondent Bill Blakemore’s report was about a “controversy” over recent skeptical remarks made on NPR by NASA administrator Dr. Michael Griffin.

“I have no doubt that a trend of global warming exists. I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with,” Griffin told NPR.

Blakemore called Griffin’s remarks “startling,” before summarizing Griffin’s main point: that is “arrogant to assume today’s climate is the best climate for humans.”

“World News” then quoted two “incensed” scientists to attack Griffin’s opinion, including “NASA’s top climate scientist” James Hansen.

“I was shocked,” said Hansen in an interview. “I almost fell off my chair because it is a statement of which indicates and ignorance of what has been learned over the last few decades, primarily from NASA observations.”

Hansen has been referred to by the media as the “leading research on global warming,” but his liberal politics is not always included.

He openly supported George W. Bush’s previous two Democratic opponents. Hansen says he voted for Kerry "because he recognized global warming problem" and he also stated that he had great respect for former Vice President Al Gore, noting that he met with Gore in January 2006 and ended up consulting for Gore on his climate change slide show presentations.

Blakemore also quoted a second upset scientist.

“I think the administrator ought to resign,” said Michael Oppenheimer, professor of geosciences and international affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. “I don’t see how he can be an effective leader of a science agency if he doesn’t understand the threat.”

Oppenheimer is hardly the voice of reason when it comes to sound environmental policy. In an article published in Science on March 23, Oppenheimer co-authored an article that favored the implementation of a cap-and-trade system of carbon credits. Oppenheimer suggested in the article “a market-based system with a economy-wide cap on emissions and trading of emissions allowance would do the same. The article favored this policy over carbon taxes or the use of carbon subsidies to stimulation innovation, but didn’t rule them out.

Blakemore neglected to include anyone who would support Griffin’s claim, saying there are only a “tiny” number of scientists who agree with him. However, Fox News Channel’s Hannity & Colmes was recently able to produce a list of scientist critical of the global warming hysteria.

Blakemore, himself, is a vocal proponent of the notion global warming is a manmade phenomenon, having attacked companies about the issue earlier this year.

Jeff Poor, Business and Media Institute