Here’s why Americans are indifferent to global warming

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3:46 PM Monday, July 13, 2009

Letter to the editor

Re “Which is scarier to you: a snake or climate change?” July 5: Nicholas Kristof incorrectly implies that Americans are cavalier about our future. He asserts that the American people are not adept at dealing with 21st century challenges such as, in particular, global warming.

While pundits like Kristof seem to enjoy browbeating us for not being sufficiently alarmed, there is an explanation for Americans’ indifference to the global warming theory. Polls have shown that the more people learn about global warming, the less likely they are to perceive it as fact. This is because the global warming theory is presented as an emotional argument. There are facts, unreported by the media, which diminish the need for urgent action to eliminate supposedly harmful CO2.

A recent Environmental Protection Agency study (which was suppressed before the House vote on cap-and-trade took place) revealed that solar variability could account for up to 68 percent of the increase in Earth’s global temperatures. In fact, global temperatures have been on a downward trend since 1998. In addition, greenhouse gases make up only 2 percent of the total atmosphere; of that 2 percent, only 3.62 percent is actually CO2, and only 3.4 percent of that is caused by human activity.

Finally, at least one prominent scientist estimates that there are more polar bears living now than existed 30 years ago. They are not near extinction, as many like Kristof would have us believe.

Daniel Caudill

Dayton

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drunken orangetree,

You might have misread the reference to the EPA in the above letter to the editor. There was no report ABOUT the EPA that was suppressed---the EPA was responsible for suppressing ITS OWN report that countered the global warming theory. The EPA scientist that compiled the report has been reprimanded, and removed from all further climate studies. His only crime was disagreeing with the hasty manner in which this administration is passing climate legislation.

D. Clay
2:42 PM, 7/14/2009

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Gee - global warming enthusiasts are the only ones that say when the temp goes down its global warming and when it goes up its global warming. Seems some recently discovered ship's logs from the 1730s shows similiar patterns. Having gone through a cycle of global cooling (1940s to late 70s) in which an ice age was predicted, I'm very skeptical of the opposite occurring and the data is beginning to bear out skepticism by all.

TRS
1:24 PM, 7/14/2009

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Maybe Daytonians don't really care much about Global Warming because it's 75 degrees outside in the middle of the afternoon on July 14th. Yup, time to panic.

Rob
12:59 PM, 7/14/2009

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downward trend since 1998. In fact 2005 and 2007 were both warmer:

http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2007/20071210_GISTEMP.pdf

Really, the DDN is irresponsible to publish this garbage.

drunken orangetree
10:57 AM, 7/14/2009

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Actually, Daniel gets a big F. The "suppressed" report supposedly debunking the EPA study is based on wholesale cut and pasting of a notorious denial website, world climate report.

http://deepclimate.org/2009/06/30/s...

Note that the guy that runs this site, Pat Michaels, is in bed with the oil companies:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.ph...

Further, global temperatures have NOT been on a (continued)

drunken orangetree
10:48 AM, 7/14/2009

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