A cool look at global warming

Posted by: donallan on: 2 June 2011

• In: Global Warming | Politics | Science | Social Issues
• 2 Comments

First published The Chronicle Canberra ,Tuesday, 31 May, 2011

Is the science of global warming settled as alleged by the scientists of the IPCCC, or are the sceptics who challenge the science right? Many people who know nothing of the science say the IPCC is right when they experience summer in winter and spring in autumn. Me: I’ve always thought the weather unreliable!      

As s sceptic often I am accused of being uninformed by global warmers, who, like religious fanatics, warn me that planet earth is doomed because of global warming. That said let me now ask: are IPCC members and members of various green groups and Australia’s Commission on Climate Change who are neither global warming experts nor climate change scientists, also uninformed?

Expert or not, members of all the groups allege the earth is doomed unless use fossil fuels that produce both energy and (greenhouse gas) ceases. Another question: how will the world manage without the energy produced by fossil fuels?

My accusers answer with the ‘fantastic’ suggestion that a combination of wind power, giant solar panels and wave barrages can supply all the energy the world needs. This is science fiction not fact.

Let me now give an answer that is not science fiction. Some expert climate change scientists and sceptics think all the world’s energy needs can by nuclear power without producing the CO₂ that allegedly causes global warming.

Unfortunately at this point science is replaced by politics because the IPCC and its support army of left leaning camp followers, anti-growth green groups and some academics, dismiss the nuclear energy. While entitled to their opinion they should be asked why they avoid the question of nuclear fusion and do not rebut claims that global warming caused the recent typhoons, twisters, tsunamis and tornados? Is it because such statements have propaganda value or they don’t want the facts get in the way of a good story!

Despite statements from climate change scientists and sceptics who say global warming and cooling and climate change, have been constants for millenniums, the impression gained by many fossil fuel industry groups is that left wing politicians (and some from the right) plus global warming groups, are engaged in a war of propaganda against them.

Recruits enlisted in their propaganda army are celebrities Kate Blanchett and Michael Caton, plus John Hewson, Malcolm Fraser and Dick Smith who seem affected by the Relevance Deprivation Syndrome.

But propaganda aside, it seems to me that if global warming is as dangerous as that prophesied by the propagandists, instead of regarding nuclear energy as even more dangerous, it’s about time common sense prevailed. Instead of the fossil fuel and environmental industries fighting each other in the media they should sit sat down together and discuss the issue in a spirit of co-operation.

The subject of those discussions should be the accelerated development of nuclear fusion – not fission- acknowledged by scientists from relevant disciplines as a source of safe, clean and limitless power. It is good that some money (not enough unfortunately) is being devoted to making fusion power viable. And while it will take time to achieve that objective, I feel sure the cost of doing so would be less than that of trying to save or restore the earth.

Another thing I’m sure about sure about: proponents of fusion energy would agree, as would most people with common sense, that clean, safe and limitless amounts of fusion energy will do more for the world than all the various trade pacts and treaties ever signed; ever the optimist, I hope all countries will soon co-operate in its development. But soon is not quick enough: co-operation should start immediately.

The benefit of fusion energy will be enormous, and not just for the West. It will help Africa, China, India, developing nations in the Middle East and South America, to grow their economies and improve the standard of living for the poorest in their society without any need of aid from the West.

At the same time, Western countries will be able to grow and sustain their own economies without the need to fight over what it takes to save the earth not only for their children and grandchildren, but for children and grandchildren in the aforementioned countries.

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