Top 10 Myths About Global Warming

In this period of mass hysteria about global warming and the nomination of Al Gore for the Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental awareness campaign, it seems appropriate to provide here the top 10 prevailing myths about global warming, as compiled by Christopher Horner, author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism," and featured on HumanEvents.com. So here they are, the top 10 global warming myths, with some of my own observations and insights.

Myth Number 10: The U.S. is going it alone on Kyoto and global warming.

Fact: This is simply untrue. The United States rejects certain provisions of the protocol, as do more than 150 other countries. According to Horner, Kyoto is a European treaty with one dozen others, none of which are reducing European emissions. And the problem in the United States is not just President Bush. The treaty was sent to the Senate in 1998 and has not even been voted on. Additionally, Horner says, since Kyoto was agree upon by European nations, CO2 emissions in Europe have been rising at twice the rate as in the United States. It doesn't really sound like it's working all that well, does it?

Myth Number 9: Global warming proposals are about the environment.

Fact: According to Horner, even if we were to accept every assumption about global warming, no one will come out and say that Kyoto will make a detectable difference. Additionally, Horner quotes a former European environmental commissioner as saying that Kyoto is "about leveling the playing field for big businesses worldwide." Does that sound like environmental concerns are the primary motivation?

Myth Number 8: Climate change is the greatest threat to the world's poor.

Fact: Horner is correct in saying that the real threat is not climate, but weather. The best way to counter the effects of adverse weather is wealth and technology. As Horner says, "One would rather face a similar storm in Florida than Bangladesh."

Myth Number 7: Global warming means more frequent, more severe storms.

Fact: The reality is that scientists have demonstrated repeatedly that severe storms come in cycles. There is no definite pattern that can be attributed to global warming. This was most recently reaffirmed during Hurricane Katrina when scientist after scientist reminded us that storms like Katrina occurred every forty to sixty years.

Myth Number 6: Global warming has doomed the polar bears!

Fact: Much ado has been made about the polar bears having less ice to live on and having to swim farther from ice mass to ice mass. In reality, though, ice masses continually change positions and shift around the arctic. Additionally, there is scientific evidence that says parts of the arctic are actually cooling.

Myth Number 5: Climate change is raising sea levels.

Fact: As Horner notes, sea levels rise during interglacial periods. And, it just so happens, we are currently in an interglacial period. Horner also cites the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report which found "no statistically significant change in the rate of increase over the past century of man's greatest influence."

Myth Number 4: The glaciers are melting!

Fact: While it is true that some glaciers are melting, others are increasing in size. If one is indicative of warming, as Horner says, the other must be indicative of cooling. Both cannot be true.

Myth Number 3: Climate was stable until man came along.

Fact: In fact, the climate has been erratic throughout the earth's history. Climate change is part of our planet's life cycle, and that is unlikely to change no matter what precautions we take.

Myth Number 2: The science is settled-CO2 causes global warming.

Fact: Horner points out that to date scientists have agreed on the following: that global average temperature is probably about 0.6 degree Celsius-or 1 degree Fahrenheit-higher than a century ago; that atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide have risen by about 30% over the past 200 years; and that CO2 is one greenhouse gas, some level of an increase of which presumably would warm the earth's atmosphere were all else equal, which it demonstrably is not.

Myth Number 1: It's hot in here!

Fact: This is best refuted by quoting Horner: "The claim that the 1990s were the hottest decade on record specifically targets the intellectually lazy and easily frightened, ignoring numerous obvious factors. 'On record' obviously means a very short period, typically the past 100+ years, or since the end of the Little Ice Age. The National Academies of Science debunked this claim in 2006. Previously rural measuring stations register warmer temps after decades of "sprawl" (growth), cement being warmer than a pasture."