Dave Hill: Alarmist views on climate change hoax

The fact is, climate change is happening. It has from the beginning of creation. Ice ages, ocean level rises and falls, forests turned into deserts, deserts turned into forests; it's all happened many times and will do so in the future.

However, are the increasingly alarmist views, largely predicted by the leftist media, scientists, naive politicians and some commentators, actually going to become reality? 

The truth is, that, despite the tsunami of dire predictions forecast over the last 20 to 30 years, very little has changed. The Arctic ice shelf is still in place and is actually growing despite predictions that it would disappear by 2014. The Maldives are still above water also despite claims to the contrary. 

Remember the alarmist views on climate change were first titled 'Man Made Climate Change' then, as science challenged this theory, we had 'global warming;' now we have 'climate change' because it fits every conceivable weather event; flooding, drought, storms, hurricanes, and anything else that, when analysed, is pretty much a natural occurring event that mother nature throws at us from time to time.

Depending on the data or scientists you listen to, average global temperatures have hardly altered from traditional warming and cooling trends. Greenhouse gases form approximately 3% of our atmosphere by volume; 97% of those are water vapour and clouds with CO2 constituting only about 0.04% of the atmosphere. Some scientists are now saying a small increase in CO2 emissions will actually increase the value of crop production by around $11.7 trillion by 2050.

Distinguished astrophysicist Dr Fred Singer in his new book ' Hot Talk, Cold Science' says that 'the pessimistic, and often alarming, global warming scenarios depicted in the media have no scientific basis'. In fact, he says, if there is a small amount of global warming it would be positive for the world with a longer growing season for food and a reduced need to use fossil fuels. He also says that 'solutions' for global warming like carbon taxes would have severe consequences for economically disadvantaged groups and nations.

To add confusion, a new report by Valentina Zharkova, a scientist at Northumbria University in the UK, claims that, due to a record low level of solar radiation, sunspots and other solar activity we could be heading into a mini ice age during the 2030s. The last mini ice age seen on Earth was in 1645 and lasted until 1715. It was so cold that the Thames froze over in London every winter. If that were to happen this would cause a major crisis, with food production slashed in a rapidly overpopulated world. The signs are already there with Canada experiencing significantly colder and snowier winters over the last four years. Similarly, colder winters are occurring in Europe and elsewhere.

So - is global warming or global cooling, climate change or whatever you want to call it really happening?  Despite the dire predictions, which are always preceded by 'may, might, or could' that climate disaster will occur in the next 30 to 80 years, nothing significant, bar the normal fluctuations, are so far taking place.

Remember when the 'experts' in the 70s and 80s warned that world oil production would peak and decline from the year 2000, and the YK2 bug where at midnight in the New Year of 2000, computers, energy supplies etc, etc would all stop... well, as we know, nothing happened.

So why are some political parties, scientists and other so called 'experts' creating so much hype over 'climate change'?  Could it be that, to minor political parties and individuals, it's a sure fire way to grab a headline and votes from an easily led public.  After all it’s easier headline grabbing than a focus on economics or infrastructure. Could it also be a means to raise major funding for research and certain individual's salaries? We all need to pause, present a balanced view and make informed decisions about our future and our children's.

The alarmist and costly predictions that appear almost daily in our news media, along with every storm, dry spell, or cold snap being blamed on 'climate change' and the naive thought that if we all convert to electric cars, plant trees and stop cows farting we will change the world; ignores the very real  threat to humanity  of over population, especially in countries that can least afford to feed its people and the potential chaos that could be created with mass pollution, war, famine and extinction of  most of our wildlife.

Climate change, yes, but first get the facts and logic right.

Dave Hill is a Wanganui businessman and political commentator, who spent 40 years in the media industry.