Global-warming theories take a hit

A new column by George Will pokes another hole in the balloon of the global-warming crowd. He starts by quoting a New York Times story, which says "global temperatures have been relatively stable for a decade and may even drop in the next few years." That phrase "few years" later on in the article turns into "the next decade or so."

What's going on here? We have had an absence of significant warming since 1998, and now we're facing the possibility of the least another 10 years without any sign of increased warming. But the newspaper says the years of temperature stability do not indicate global warming is an invalid theory. Cool stretches are “inevitable,” and the growth of Arctic ice will be “temporary.” So, lack of proof of global warming is shrugged off as mere aberrations. As George Will says, “what makes skeptics skeptical is the accumulating evidence that theories predicting catastrophe from man-made climate change are impervious to evidence.”

The goals announced to combat this phantom global warming are scary. The U.S. is on record as attempting to have an 80 percent reduction of carbon emissions by 2050. If so, we would end up with greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to our 1910 level. George Will says this means emissions on a per-capita basis would equal those in 1875. Buggy whips, anyone??

He argues for the creation of a national commission to evaluate the evidence about climate change. He doesn’t believe this will happen because it would destroy the global warming crowd’s carefully crafted myth that no reputable scientist disagrees with their side. Would President Obama support such a commission? No, he is firmly on the side of the alarmists, having declared at a United Nations climate change summit that nations need to act quickly because "time... is running out," to coin a new phrase (is it my imagination, or does the President spend a lot of time using cliches?).

This debate is far from over. Until there is overwhelming proof, let's not jeopardize our nation's economy and its people by making uncalled-for changes.