'Climategate' Raises Questions About Money in Science
Russ Harding, senior environmental analyst for the Mackinac Center, is cited in Reporting Michigan on the recent revelation that e-mails regarding research on "man-made global warming" may contain information that shows scientists massaged data to downplay evidence contrary to their views.
Harding said the reason people may have done this is money. "Climate change has become a huge business for researchers. They are not going to get funded if they come back and say there is no evidence of man-caused global warming."
The most recent issue of MichiganScience includes a book review of "Climate Change Reconsidered," which examines the overall issue and critiques the methods used by those arguing in favor of anthropogenic global warming.
Harding also recently wrote about some of the problems surrounding data that has been used in formulating global warming claims.
Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited. Permission to reprint any comments below is granted only for those comments written by Mackinac Center policy staff.
Hacked emails cannot deny reality of climate change
It's a shame to see so many people trying to turn out-of-context phrases from illegally hacked emails into "evidence" that climate change is not happening. What is so convincing about the data on climate change is that scientists are trained skeptics who continually test and retest hypotheses to see whether or not they hold up--and in this case, they continue to hold up. Carbon dioxide levels are rising and the planet is getting warmer. The last time carbon levels were this high, there were no humans on earth.
Furthermore, the scientific community has already responded to many of the highly publicized phrases--not to deny their existence, but to explain the context, which all points back to the reality of anthropogenic climate change. You can read a decent summary of the very open, straightforward scientists' response here:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/11/the-cru-hack/
And whether or not climate change is your main concern, it only makes sense to cut emissions and invest in clean energy. Energy tech is the next big thing in terms of international competition; we're already buying our wind turbines and solar panels from overseas when Michigan's skilled workforce could be manufacturing those products and exporting them to other countries. The clean energy bill in Congress is expected to help create millions of new jobs across the country, according to research by the University of Massachusetts. Michigan could really use those jobs right now, and no other industry stands a chance at creating the kind of growth and prosperity that clean energy could create.
Cutting carbon would also improve air quality, cut our foreign oil imports from anti-American nations, and improve America's national security. In short, we can't afford *not* to cut carbon, and we need Senators Stabenow and Levin's support for the clean energy bill. Or should we let a few conspiracy-theorist email hackers determine the fate of America's economy?