Re: [Paddlewise] Water's been warm for this time of year!

While I can understand the "ah-ha" nature of finding that some scientists
have been reluctant to release some data, I can also understand how the
scientists feel. Namely, under attack and under close scrutiny lest they
make a slip that gets publicized out of all proportion. This has happened to
biologists talking about evolution as well. Statements get taken out of
context and become "evidence" for a world-wide cover-up.

However I'm still not convinced of any motive for such a cover-up.
Certainly, not all the evidence can be conspiracy-oriented. Glaciers are
obviously retreating. The ice on the lake I live on becomes frozen solid
later every year and thaws earlier every yet. Ocean temperature data may be
hidden or manipulated but that doesn't acount for the obvious movement of
warmer-water fish into higher latitudes. And while it's certainly possible
that ice thicknesses in Greenland and Antarctica can be hidden or secretly
enhanced, the split of huge ice shelves belies any world-wide coverup of
global cooling instead of warming.

It's like cigarettes. In the 1950s the real hidden evidence and skewed data
was among the corporations that had a monetary stake in the status quo. The
scientists working for those corporations knew - but were forced to keep
secret - the data showing how deadly a lifetime of using tobacco products
could be. Even so, we may not have known just how bad tobacco was for us,
but we certainly knew it wasn't "good" for us. And the first thing most
coaches did was make student athletes quit smoking so they must've known
too. "Obvious" evidence finally prevailed but there were a number of years
where people who objected to having co-workers blow smoke in their face were
derided.

So on the basis of "follow the money" I still think most of the made-up
data, disinformation, and propaganda is coming from companies that stand to
lose money if the world moves to stop human influences on global warming.
Like cigarettes, we may not know exactly what we're doing... but it's pretty
obvious that car exhaust and all the rest can't possibly be "good" for us.
And Exxon just might find that threatening.

So what obvious economic advantage would the scientists have to skew data in
favor of human-caused global warming? Are the solar panel and wind-power
corporations behind it all and using their vast wealth to move us away from
petro-chemicals? Do the huge resources of the electric car industry provide
the money to pay off the scientists?

Fortunately for me, global warming kicked in today and we had 50F temps with
sunshine and instead of the 6-inches of solid ice I would have had 10 years
ago I launched the Mariner II and went for a 4-mile paddle. :)  Couple of
photos on my blog, www.nwkayaking.net.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net

On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 3:19 PM, Mark Sanders <marksanders_at_sandmarks.net>wrote:

> If nothing else, it gives us skeptics a chuckle!
>
>
> http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/24/hiding-evidence-of-global-coo
> ling/<http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/24/hiding-evidence-of-global-coo%0Aling/>
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