Sunday, December 9, 2007
HMMM.....Where is the Global Warming?
Idea for Project 3
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Time Writing
The topic for project 3 is the ever-growing debate of global warming. For project 3 I had to utilize a blog, letters, and a fable. For the blog aspect of the project I had to post my research paper from project 2, Global Warming: A Fabricated Truth. Students were able to comment on the blogs, and then were obligated to do a peer review of one of the letters. The project involved 3 letters. The 3 letters had to be written to organizations that were either against your views or for your views. I chose to write to Al Gore seeing as though he is the leader of the global warming movement. After the letters were completed the next step was the fable.
The fable is supposed to be geared towards 5th-8th graders. The purpose of the fable is to come up with a way to make it fun for the kids to learn about your topic. Considering I have a topic where in most schools the opposing viewpoints are taught, but I know the activity has to be engaging enough for the kids to forget about what they are taught for the time being. I am not trying to change the kids mind, but I would like them to see the opposing side to the debate.
The first portion of the blog did not have that much planning. The research paper had to be posted, so there was no real thought process on this aspect. As for the letters, I thought it would be ignorant to write to all organizations that held my views. That is why I chose to write one of my letters to Al Gore. Gore has been the driving force behind the global warming movement, so I felt it would be great to go in that direction. The construction of the letters was simple. In the letter to Gore I was not writing the letters to argue. My goal was to enlighten him about the opposing views. I wanted him to think about the points I made and refute the evidence I brought forward. The other two letters were to organizations that shared my views. I simply asked for answers and opinions on certain questions I had.
I thought the project was effective. I took a different approach to the topic. The purpose was to make people aware of the opposing views. I had not intentions to persuade. I think project 2 and 3 were both successful in allowing me to make my points.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
OISM Letter
Dr. Arthur Robinson,
I understand this is a general mailbox, but I am hoping this e-mail can be forwarded on to Dr. Robinson.
My name is Griffin Benson, and I am a junior at
It is disheartening to see the endless media specials on the damage the public is doing to our environment. The public is being told everyday that we are destroying the environment with the carbon emissions that are created. Research shows that man-made emissions account for only 1-2% of carbon emission. The other 98% are created by natural causes. The public will never see this because of the liberal propaganda that is force-fed through the media. I agree that the Kyoto Protocol is costly and unneeded. The truth needs to be heard, and I think OISM is taking the necessary footsteps in the right direction.
As a part of the assignment we need to have a response from the individual we are sending the letter to. I did not ask any specific questions in this letter, but I am simply asking for some personal insight. If you could give me some information, or opinions that can not be found on the OISM site it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Griffin Benson
SEPP Letter
Dr. S. Fred Singer,
My name is Griffin Benson, and I am a junior at
I do not feel as though people need to be persuaded to think as we do, but to at least hear the other side of the debate. It is disheartening to see the endless media specials on the damage the public is doing to our environment. The public is being told everyday that we are destroying the environment with the carbon emissions that are created. Research shows that man-made emissions account for only 1-2% of carbon emission. The other 98% are created by natural causes. The most shocking article I have read in the last several months was that of John Christy, My Nobel Moment. Christy is on the IPCC, and claims that many his colleagues disagree with the idea of global warming being a man-made issue. It makes me wonder if the Nobel Prize was a group effort, or an effort by less than half of the 1000 members on the IPCC. I understand that this information is probably old news to you, but it is this information that people need to hear. I also cited several of your studies in my research paper.
As an expert in global climate change I understand that you have done, and are doing all you can do. As a part of the assignment we need to have a response from the individual we are sending the letter to. I did not ask any specific questions in this letter, but I am simply asking for some personal insight. If you could give me some information, or opinions that can not be found on the SEPP site it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Al Gore Letter
My name is Griffin Benson, and I am a junior at
The documentary and the following you have created are upsetting. The facts that are brought from both sides are both circumstantial, and I think we can both agree with that. The problem is the blaming that is going on. The World public is being looked at as criminals in this supposed phenomenon. The people are being told everyday that we are destroying the environment with the carbon emissions that are created. Research shows that man-made emissions account for only 1-2% of carbon emission. The other 98% are created by natural causes. The most shocking article I have read in the last several months was that of John Christy, My Nobel Moment. Christy was a part of your somewhat controversial Nobel Prize. Christy is on the IPCC, and claims that many his colleagues disagree with the idea of global warming being a man-made issue. It makes me wonder if this Nobel Prize was a group effort, or an effort by less than half of the 1000 members on the IPCC.
This letter was not meant to be an attack on your views, but simply to ask for a response. I have found that trying to persuade those to change their views is a dead-end road. All that is being asked from you is to give some answers. I would like to receive, if possible, a response to my letter as it is a part of the assignment. I understand you are one of the busiest men alive, but if you do have a chance to write a response it would be greatly appreciated. Vice President Gore, your time has been greatly appreciated, and I look forward to the chance of receiving a response to my letter.
Regards,
Monday, November 26, 2007
Global Warming Organizations
Al Gore's Website
www.climatecrisis.net
Atmospheric Physicist and Global Warming Skeptic Fred Singer's Page
www.SEPP.org
Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine
www.OISM.org - Global Warming Links on Left Tab
Take A Look and See What You Think.
Monday, November 19, 2007
A Fabricated Truth
The debate on global warming usually starts with a statement about the cyclical nature of global warming. The debate then becomes dead because no one comes with any facts except for what they think might have been said on CNN. A new book, Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Years, by physicist Fred Singer and economist Dennis Avery explores the idea of global warming as a cyclical event. According to Drudge (2006), “most of the earth’s recent warming occurred before 1940, and thus before much human-emitted CO2. Moreover, physical evidence shows 600 moderate warmings in the earth’s last million years” (Singer & Avery qtd. in Drudge Report). The evidence that Singer and Avery bring forward would show that the world is in a moderate warming stage. The scientists who bring forward opposing views disagree that worldwide warming is present. On the Schnitt Show, a news talk radio show, John Coleman, the founder of the Weather Channel and expert in meteorology stated, the Southern Hemisphere has had the coldest winter in history this past year (J. Coleman, personal communication, November 8, 2007). The aforementioned information is hard not too look at, and wonder if global warming is prevalent, or man-made global warming for that matter. The receding ice cover all over the world has been the center of attention or the global warming movement.
The picture of the world’s icecaps and Mount Kilimanjaro have become the glue that hold together the somewhat paper thin case for global warming. The viewing public is constantly shown pictures of the Arctic and Antarctic icecaps melting way, or the receding snow caps on top of Mount Kilimanjaro. All of the action going on at the ice caps, and on top of Mount Kilimanjaro must be a result of global warming, right? Scientific information would choose to disagree with the notion. John Christy the director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama and a member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is one of Al Gore’s biggest critics. Keep in mind, the IPCC is the panel who shared the Nobel Prize with Al Gore. Christy brought forward information in a Wall Street Journal article about the Antarctic sea ice. In the article Christy (2007) stated:
The recent CNN report "Planet in Peril," for instance, spent considerable time discussing shrinking Arctic sea ice cover. CNN did not note that winter sea ice around Antarctica last month set a record maximum (yes, maximum) for coverage since aerial measurements started. (p. A19)
The information that Christy brought forward is just an example of how media outlets, like CNN, choose to only speak of what they want the people to hear, and even the information about the Arctic is starting to become false. Christopher Monckton, of the Science & Public Policy Institute (SPPI), reported factual information on the Arctic ice caps. Monckton (2007) states, “There was a record amount of snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere in 2001. Several vessels were icebound in the Arctic in the spring of 2007, but few newspapers reported this” (p. 13). Why do the media outlets find it necessary to place the blame on the people? One would think that the people reporting the information would like to show research that sway global warming from supposedly being a man-made issue. The icecaps are only getting larger despite the repeated reports by the major media outlets.
The glacier at the Mount Kilimanjaro summit, with the ice caps, has been a photo of the effects global warming is having on the world. Georg Kaser, a world renowned glaciologist, climbs to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro twice a year to study the glacier. Doughton (2007) stated, “On Kilimanjaro, ice loss seems to be driven by two factors: a lack of snowfall and sublimation, the same process that causes freezer burn by sucking moisture out of leftovers” (Kaser qtd. in The Seattle Times). Kaser also made another comment about the receding ice mass on Kilimanjaro. According to Doughton (2007), the temperature at the summit of Kilimanjaro never rises above freezing making it difficult for the ice mass to be deteriorating because of global warming. Amazingly enough, information like that of Kaser’s and the other scientists who study Kilimanjaro never seem to hit the media which has proven to be the end all source of information. The glacier atop Kilimanjaro is receding, but the recession is due to natural causes not global warming.
Al Gore, who has become the spokesman for global warming has given large quantities of falsified information on global warming. Gore has managed to win an Academy award and a Nobel Prize with his undying passion for the global warming issue. The easy way to critique Al Gore would be to look at the total hypocrisy of his lifestyle towards his supposed environmental views, but that would be too easy. The reader will be given the real truth beyond Gore’s, “inconvenient truths”. The documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, was filled with fabricated truths that the viewers were hoaxed into believing were true. The aforementioned report done by Christopher Monckton of SPPI is titled, 35 Inconvenient Truths: The errors in Al Gore’s movie, and he goes onto talk about all of the false facts Gore used in his documentary. Several of the errors found my Monckton will be further discussed. The most outlandish claim of the movie needs to be addressed first. The claim is that Hurricane Katrina was a man-made power storm. Monckton (2007) refutes, global warming did not cause the devastation in New Orleans. The problem was neglect. The state and national government knew for 30-years the levees could not handle the direct hit of hurricane. Katrina hit the levees as a category 3. If the levees had been reinforced New Orleans would not have been under water like it was (Monckton, 2007, p.8). Lastly, Monckton researched the over embellished concept of wide spread West Nile Virus. Gore believes that West Nile Virus has spread rapidly because of the warming temperatures in the Unites States. Gore once again misinformed is proven incorrectly by factual information. According to Monckton (2007), “The climate in the US ranges from some of the world’s hottest deserts to some of its iciest tundra. West Nile virus flourishes in any climate” (p.19). The information that was provided in Gore’s documentary was false. Gore’s movie which has won him awards has proved to be a lie, but it seems to go unnoticed by the public eye. People around the world have seemed to concede to the fact that global warming is a pressing issue.
The numbers of people who believe that man-made effects are the cause of global warming clearly outnumber those who believe otherwise. The majority think global warming is caused by our greedy habits. In the world today the people strive to have the best cars and biggest houses. As opposed to a hybrid which lowers carbon emissions. The large house seen use up an obscene amount of electricity which then leads to a large carbon footprint. Al Gore makes an extremely powerful statement in the documentary. Al Gore (2006) states, “Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, What were our parents thinking? Why didn't they wake up when they had a chance? We have to hear that question from them, now” (An Inconvenient Truth). Questions needed to be asked and answered, so the next generation is not facing a deteriorated environment because of the capitalistic driven generations that preceded them. Global warming has become an issue that needs to be addressed, and the world could benefit from a cohesive, worldwide movement.
Global warming has become a staple for world media, but the media has neglected to expose the possibilities of cyclical changes, the over-exaggerated issue with the world ice caps and Mount Kilimanjaro, or the fallacies littered throughout former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. The liberal media chooses what the people are going to see. As long as the information is the fabricated truth that is put out everyday there will always be the major gap between opposing sides. The public was never given a chance to see both sides of the spectrum. The public will, for the time being, think we are the root cause of the global warming phenomenon. John Christy (2007) said it best with this statement:
It is my turn to cringe when I hear overstated-confidence from those who describe the projected evolution of global weather patterns over the next 100 years, especially when I consider how difficult it is to accurately predict that system's behavior over the next five days. (p. A19)
Christy’s statement proves the circumstantialities of the truths behind global warming. The circumstantialities of global warming are the real inconvenient truths needed to be confronted by Al Gore and the media.