The climate change movement has gained such unstoppable momentum in the past decade that it comes as a surprise when anyone prominent has the guts to stand up against it. It is even more surprising when that someone is the co-founder of the Weather Channel.
John Coleman, though, has decided that the theory of man-made global warming is no longer scientifically viable. Having closely studied the topic of climate change for years, Coleman insists that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has it all wrong. “There is no significant man-made global warming at this time, there has been none in the past, and there is no reason to fear any in the future.”
Coleman’s breadth of contrary evidence comes largely from the NIPCC, a collection of scientists unaffiliated with world governments, who aim to offer a “second opinion of the evidence” in contradiction to the findings of the IPCC. Though Coleman acknowledges that some evidence points to rising global temperatures, he contends that it can be easily explained by natural phenomena rather than carbon dioxide and man-made pollutants.
Coleman’s credentials do not include a degree in meteorology, but he has been invested in the TV weather business for more than 60 years. This is certainly not the first time he’s spoken out against what he calls “the greatest scam in history.” He penned a long, detailed column in 2009 called The Amazing Story Behind the Global Warming Scam. In it, he detailed the history of climate change science, claiming that a quest for funding led unscrupulous scientists, government bureaucrats, and environmental activists to perpetuate an unproven hoax for more than half a century.
Polarized Beyond Repair
I’ve long called for more rationality when it comes to this debate over global warming. Both sides of the debate have lost all measurable perspective. It has become a wholly political issue when it should, in fact, have nothing at all to do with politics. Unfortunately, the left has hijacked the science, leaving conservatives with no other choice but to oppose them. Very few conservatives I know categorize themselves as “global warming deniers.” Almost every liberal I know, however, thinks that we’re going to be struggling through some kind of ice age in the next fifty years.
Why has it become so polarized? Is it a “scam,” as claimed by John Coleman? Is it the greatest threat to our planet, as claimed by Democrats? Or is the truth, as it usually happens, somewhere in the middle? Neither side wants to admit to this possibility. Those who worship at the altar of global warming think that anyone who questions man’s influence on climate change is a crackpot. Those who think it’s a hoax cannot be swayed by all the scientific evidence in the world.
Fortunately, our political leaders are not quite as entrenched in their positions as those in the blogosphere. I can’t say I agree with the amount of emphasis Obama’s administration has put on the subject, but Republicans, CEOs, and many responsible politicians on both sides of the aisle have made strides to reduce our environmental impact in a way that doesn’t kill the economy. Through his Healthy Forests and Clear Skies initiatives, President George W. Bush was able to move our environmental policies forward without indulging extremists. That’s exactly the kind of leadership we need when it comes to these issues. Less hype, more substance.
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