Following a skeptical global warming report covered up by the EPA, comes another example of politics trumping science. An article from the UK’s Telegraph titled, “Polar bear expert barred by global warmists,” further reveals how environmentalism has become radicalized and unreliable.
Dr Mitchell Taylor has been researching the status and management of polar bears in Canada and around the Arctic Circle for 30 years, as both an academic and a government employee. More than once since 2006 he has made headlines by insisting that polar bear numbers, far from decreasing, are much higher than they were 30 years ago. Of the 19 different bear populations, almost all are increasing or at optimum levels, only two have for local reasons modestly declined.
The UN is planning a major conference on climate change in Copenhagen next December, but one of the world’s leading experts on polar bears has been told to stay away from this meeting, due to his views not supporting the narrative on climate change.
Dr Taylor agrees that the Arctic has been warming over the last 30 years. But he ascribes this not to rising levels of CO2 - as is dictated by the computer models of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and believed by his PBSG (Polar Bear Specialist Group ) colleagues - but to currents bringing warm water into the Arctic from the Pacific and the effect of winds blowing in from the Bering Sea.
Dr Taylor has also signed the Manhattan Declaration (a statement by 500 scientists that the causes of climate change are natural, such as the sun and ocean currents, and not due to CO2), but this was “inconsistent with the position taken by the PBSG”.
Climate change computer models are unreliable because of the highly arbitrary or subjective variables that go into those models, and the weight those variables are given. One small change in the assumptions can dramatically change the output. While climate computer models may have some use, they certainly should not be used for government policy making.
Dr Taylor was told that his views “counter to human-induced climate change are extremely unhelpful,” and being “unhelpful” to a politically driven agenda means he will not be allowed to attend the conference.
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You should recheck your facts about Taylor’s exclusion. Turns out Christopher Bookers information was wrong. See http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2009/07/christopher_bookers_misinforma.php?utm_source=sbhomepage&utm_medium=link&utm_content=channellink
Thanks for the info, but that article still does not truly answer the question of Dr Taylor’s exclusion from the conference. Also, Lambert’s article has to be taken on faith since he provides no way to verify his email source, which is itself a “second-hand report of an email .” But even if true, it still changes nothing about the conclusion.
It also said:”Dr. Taylor is not a trained climatologist and his perspectives are not relevant to the discussions and intent of this meeting.” I assume this also applies to the other members of the PBSG.
It goes on: “This meeting is about coordinating ongoing and future research and management.” Part of the meeting’s agenda is to make assertions about polar bear populations connected to ‘made-made’ global warming, as they have done numerous other times. In fact, from their own website, the final press release reads in part: “The PBSG renewed the conclusion from previous meetings that the greatest challenge to conservation of polar bears is ecological change in the Arctic resulting from climatic warming.”
The problem with these types of organizations, is that without the constant ‘problem’ of ‘made-made’ global warming, the whole reason for the group’s existence ceases. If that happens, the research money dries up. Will they ever say, “everything is fine with the polar bears, and there is no made-made global warming harming them.”? I doubt they would ever say that.
The whole point of the PBSG and its findings, are to promote the idea that polar bear numbers are decreasing because of global warming, and global warming is all mankind’s fault. Dr Taylor was not asking to be re-appointed to the PBSG, he simply wanted to attend the conference, but was denied because of political reasons. Not because he no longer works for some government agency, as there are other non-government specialists and non-PBSG members who attend these conferences.
These mythological constructions of environmental extremists are just symptomatic of the real problem; ignorance. We accept so much at face value for reasons I cannot fathom. This seems like a pretty solid report on the whole polar bear hoax: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508132549.htm
Control of information and media = fascism, statist at the very least. We are on very dangerous ground and I still don’t think the vast majority of Americans have any clue. Probably gonna take a disaster - like passing the Climate Change Obamanation bill - and then they will probably still find a way to blame Bush for the extra $3000 per year legislation tied to scientific nonsense like this will cost each family. That polar icecap melts and re-forms every year. And the notion of sea levels rising because of it - the ice floats on water there; ever have ice cubes melt in your glass of water? Did the water then spill out of your glass because the level rose? Geez it doesn’t take rudimentary scientific knowledge to see through all this crap.
Until we can get schools to stop pushing these sorry myths we will continue to be in trouble.
I agree. Although I think it goes beyond ignorance to willfully ignoring data that goes contrary to their vision. Their utopianism drives them to ignore and/or suppress evidence that runs counter to their agenda. Most average Americans don’t pay that close of attention to what’s happening; they only go by what they hear in the MSM. If the media continually paints a rosy picture about how government can ’save’ us and the planet, people will believe it, until things get so bad, not even blatant attempts to cover it up will work. Sea levels have been rising since the last ice age ended. Did the earth start warming because of SUVs and mankind’s CO2? Schools are the main culprit to be sure. So long as teachers and professors keep pushing only one side of the debate, we will continue to see people buying the hype and misinformation, and the disastrous government policies that always follow.