There is a problem with global warming…it stopped in 1998

For many years now, human-caused climate change has been viewed as a large and urgent problem, says Bob Carter, a geologist at James Cook University. In truth, however, the biggest part of the problem is neither environmental nor scientific, but a self-created political fiasco.

According to Carter:

Based on the official temperature records of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, global average temperature did not increase for the years 1998-2005.

A temperature curve for the last six million years shows a three-million year period when it was several degrees warmer than today; during the last three such warm (interglacial) periods, temperatures at high latitudes were as much as 5 degrees warmer than today's.

Intimidation keeps climate sceptics from speaking out; scientists are under intense pressure to conform to the prevailing paradigm of climate alarmism if they wish to receive funding for their research.

Climate changes naturally occur all the time, partly in predictable cycles and partly in unpredictable shorter rhythms and rapid episodic shifts, some of the causes of which remain unknown, says Carter. We are fortunate that our modern societies have developed during the last 10,000 years of benignly warm, interglacial climate. The reality of the climate record is that a sudden natural cooling is far more to be feared, and will do infinitely more social and economic damage, than the late 20th century phase of gentle warming.

Source: Bob Carter, There Is a Problem With Global Warming...It Stopped in 1998, Opinion Telegraph, April 9, 2006.

For text: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/04/09/do0907.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/04/09/ixworld.html

For more on Global Warming: http://eteam.ncpa.org/issues/?c=science

FMF Policy Bulletin/ 02 May 2006