Science is science.
Consensus is politics.
Bryson is a scientist.
Reid Bryson, known as the father of scientific climatology, considers global warming a bunch of hooey.
The UW-Madison professor emeritus, who stands against the scientific consensus on this issue, is referred to as a global warming skeptic. But he is not skeptical that global warming exists, he is just doubtful that humans are the cause of it.
There is no question the earth has been warming. It is coming out of the “Little Ice Age,” he said in an interview this week.
“However, there is no credible evidence that it is due to mankind and carbon dioxide. We’ve been coming out of a Little Ice Age for 300 years. We have not been making very much carbon dioxide for 300 years. It’s been warming up for a long time,” Bryson said.
Scientists can say one thing or another but they have to back up their statements with peer reviewed research and observations that back up their theories.
In the case of Bryson’s theory that volcanoes (or a lack thereof) is driving global warming, it’s oversimplifying things to say global warming is due to volcanoes (or lack thereof). The main driving factor, particularly over the early 20th century, was the increase in solar activity which steadily rose from 1900 to 1950. Temperatures closely followed solar activity so that when solar levels steadied in the 50’s, so did global temperatures. While a lack of volcano activity may have played some part in early 20th century warming, it’s had little impact on warming since 1970.
Similarly, the correlation between solar activity and temperature ends in the 70’s when a long term warming trend began for the next 30 years. Over this period, solar levels have remained steady. So the two driving causes of natural climate change over the past few millenia, solar and volcanic activity, have very little to do with the last 30 years of global warming.
Comment by jfoc — 19 June, 2007 @ 20:08