Experts slam climate change is a myth claims

Dec 6 2009 by Amy Hunt, Sunday Sun

WITH world leaders set to gather in Copenhagen this week for a key summit on ways of halting climate change, an e-mail row in the UK has mired the issue in controversy. Amy Hunt looks at the arguments for and against global warming . . .

Mr Bellamy, of Hamsterley Forest, said: “This has dealt a blow to science and the CRU should be closed down.

“Climate change has been going on since the dawn of time and there have been many times in Earth’s history when there has been much more CO² in the atmosphere than today yet we are still here.

“In evidence from ice cores you find that the temperature goes up and then CO² goes up, so it cannot be a driver of this.

“Computer models are not real science. If you measure the temperatures you’ll find that it’s actually been going down not up. The real reason why we have seen climate change is because of sun activity and not CO².

“If you put rubbish into a computer then you will get rubbish out.”

But Mr Hilton countered his claims, saying: “It is true that carbon dioxide levels were very high about 55 million years ago. However, this does not contradict the evidence for human activity contributing to climate change. It is consistent with the science that shows CO² emissions are influencing the climate.

“The Earth was very different back then. Levels of carbon dioxide have not gone above a fraction of those levels over the last 650,000 years - until much more recently. The recent changes are unequivocally down to human activities.

“Changing temperatures during the ice age were related to numerous factors including carbon dioxide, and this is also fully consistent with current understanding of the warming effect of carbon dioxide.

“Computer models are used in many fields of science, not only climate research. What is important is to check modelled projections against the real world.

“Measurements taken of global temperature clearly indicate that they are going up, not down; sea levels are rising, not falling, ice is melting and weather patterns are changing. There is no convincing evidence that the sun’s activity is causing current climate change.

“Whatever may underlie climate change, we need to adapt to the changes we are already experiencing. As recent events have clearly shown, we are vulnerable to existing extreme weather events, fluctuations in energy prices and increasing reliance on other nations for our energy needs. Work on addressing these issues forms a fundamental element of tackling climate change, and are valid regardless of the human contribution to global warming.

“It is important that challenge by those who are sceptical that climate change is caused by humans, climate modelling or climate change science in general is not suppressed, but answered.

“It will be through this process of challenge and response that we end up with robust science, to the benefit of all.”

The head of the CRU, Dr Phil Jones, has said his e-mails were taken out of context.

The row comes as world leaders are preparing to meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, to discuss cutting CO² emissions at the UN Climate Change conference.