This Nov. 16 announcement from our National Academies is a great example of propaganda promoting fear of catastrophic global warming from burning fossil fuels. Just in time for Congress in this lame-duck session to be influenced to pass bills supporting these allegations such as the wind production tax credit (TPC).
It would take years to respond to all this material taking normal weather events occurring the past 50 years when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have steadily risen 25 percent and show the same events happened when carbon dioxide levels were not increasing. Past history shows very little, if any, linking of atmospheric carbon dioxide changes to weather, or climate, events.
One of their papers discusses changes in Arctic sea ice from 1979 to present measured by satellites. September 16 we had the smallest Arctic sea ice area measured over the 33-year period of satellite measurements. They will not mention as of November 14, Arctic sea ice has recovered more than 2 million square miles of ice since the low of 860,000 square miles September 16. This is the fastest recovery of sea ice from summer lows recorded by satellite measurements.
In addition, for 2012 Antarctic sea ice levels are at record highs. This is verified by going to the University of Illinois website showing all satellite sea ice measurements. Past records by mariners show Arctic sea ice in late summers a century or more ago was probably smaller than the 2012 low.
The National Academies like to stir up angst over sea ice melting by conjuring up images of low level cities like New York or Miami being submerged from oceans rising. Members preparing these reports are not observant enough to notice ice melting in martinis do not increase drink sizes.
This type of activity by the National Academies is very damaging to the country. It is part of this monstrous waste of tax dollars and economy destroying efforts promoting the global warming scare and futile attempts at mitigation using impractical, unreliable, and uneconomical renewable energy sources–solar, wind, battery-powered cars, ethanol from corn, other biofuels, biomass, etc.
Furthur damages are the waste of time of potential scientific talent who could be doing research to promote the welfare of society. Perhaps an even greater damage to the country is the National Academies efforts at supplying this material to teachers around the country so they can add more propaganda to their teaching. I have often asked what is more important to students– studying climate science that we may never comprehend and is of interest to only a few individuals or rigorously studying the Periodic Table?
Many in the country are concerned that graduates from our high schools have poor skills in mathematics, reading, science, and communications. I add to this list a lack of inquisitiveness or questioning events surrounding them. Wasting students time over propaganda has to be a major factor in these deficiencies. The National Academies should exercise better judgment.
James H. Rust is a policy advisor for The Heartland Institute, a retired professor of nuclear engineering, and an outspoken critic of unnecessary alarmism over man-made global warming. He funds several scholarships for students majoring in chemical engineering at Purdue University. He currently is delivering a talk titled “America's Failed Energy Policies and The Reason Why.”