By Victoria Guay
While a large number of people, including some scientists, believe that we are in an unprecedented period of global warming caused primarily by humans, Dr. James Koermer, a meteorology professor at Plymouth State University, would beg to differ.
During a presentation at the university on Wednesday, Koermer explained why there are a growing number scientists, such as himself, who don’t subscribe to the popular theory on global warming.
Koermer said the Earth’s climate has always changed and has experienced alternate warming and cooling trends long before the dawn of man.
Koermer said most research suggests that at the beginning of the last millennium, there was a global warming period that ended around 1600, when a significant cooling trend — which he called a mini ice age — lasted for approximately 100 years.
The most recent global warming trend picked up during the 1700s, which coincides with the start of the Industrial Age, Koermer said.
Going back millions of years, some research suggests the Earth has had much more extreme climate changes than are occurring today.
“Over millions of years there have been periods when we have been hotter than we are today,” Koermer said.
He added that while humans do have an impact on the climate, it is minimal compared to natural phenomena. He also said that humans are not the biggest producers of carbon dioxide and that the gas is not the most abundant green house gas in the atmosphere. That title goes to water vapor, which is produced by the world’s oceans.
Koermer said that water vapor is responsible for 95 percent of the green house gas effect in a given year while another 4.72 percent is caused by a mix of other greenhouse gases, including methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide, which are naturally produced.
Humans are only responsible for .28 percent of all greenhouse gases produced during a year, he said.
Koermer said just because he doesn’t think man-made carbon dioxide is contributing significantly to climate change, it does not mean he is opposed to the increased use of renewable fuel sources. He said that fossil fuels are a limited resource, so finding alternatives is necessary.
Koermer said scientists are not yet sure what has caused climate change in the past, but factors may include shifts in the Earth’s axis as well as changes in the orbit of the Earth around the sun. Over time, Koermer said, the Earth’s yearly path around the Sun changes from circular to more elliptical before changing back.
Sunspots and solar flares may also effect the Earth’s climate. Koermer said solar flares and spots seem to increase and decrease on an 11-year cycle. He noted that there was a marked decrease in solar flares during the mini ice age of the 1600s.
Read the rest of this story at The Citizen.
Then why did that goober Al Gore get a Nobel Prize? It wasn’t intended to go to idiots that lie through their teeth to get what they want in life… It wasn’t intended for that.
Tim: He won the NPP because it has become a political prize. In fact I move to rename it the Nobel Political Prize!
Anyway, I predict you will see more of this in the future as the planet cools. Nevermind that everything this professor said, has been said by people like Dr. Lindzen and Dr. Ball et al. Check out Freinds of Science. This is exactly what they have been saying for 20 years!
The UN IPCC co2-rruption breeds more “sustainable” starvation and terrorist cells as mandated food for fuel crowds out food production. Rather than wasting billions on carbon taxes and costly alternate energy production projects focus should be on mass food production and storage with the threat of a possible new ice age around the corner. Lack of available food as millions starve is the breeding ground of future wars. A way for the growing number of “unbelievers” in the new religion that C02 is poison to express themselves would be to display a white ribbon. Millions of white ribbons displayed around the world would get the attention of media and governments pushing dismantle civilization agenda. Now radical priest of this new religion is beginning to say that democracy is not sustainable.
You guys are a bunch of idiots. So you are saying 80% of the world is wrong and the smartest people on the planet are wrong. I’m sorry but when ice sheets the size of Rhode Island disappears I think it is a little to hot. In Greenland ice and snow is disappearing faster than it is coming back the water level has risen 3 inches. You guys need to start looking at some facts instead of pulling crap out of your butts.
How can it be that catastrophic melting (contemplating that combination of words give me a headache) is occurring when we have been “enjoying†one of the coldest winters in decades? Global average temperatures have been declining.
When is the melting happening? Do you have any idea how much ice Minnesota has lost in the past decade? Millions, perhaps billions of tons. An ice sheet the size of Rhode Island doesn’t hold a candle to our annual melt and we aren’t alarmed.
I’m always amazed by people who think an ice shelf breaking off somewhere signals some catastrophe. Even mountains don’t last forever, and they’re made of sturdier stuff than water. Less susceptible to the gentle warming rays of the sun, too.
The smartest people on the planet aren’t wrong, but Al “I invented the internet” Gore and the more vocal members of the IPCC aren’t the smartest people on the planet (I hope). 80%? No. Belief in anthropogenic global warming theory is now a minority position.