the rest of the story on nas's climate change report
Dec. 14, 2001
By Bill Lickert
"Abrupt Climatic Changes Feared by Scientists" - Los Angeles Times (Dec. 12, 2001)
These sensational headlines suggest that global warming - or perhaps the next ice age - is at
hand, ready to wreak havoc on our lives.
The impetus for these media dramatics is a soon-to-be-released report from a panel of 11
scientists at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The newspapers report that the latest
research suggests that the impact of global climate fluctuations could be more intense than
gradual, which had been the conventional wisdom. The report also suggests that industrial
pollution and other man-made causes could trigger these abrupt climate changes.
Not until after the fourth paragraph in each of the news articles do we learn - to paraphrase Paul
Harvey - the rest of the story:
The newspaper headlines focused on only part of the report and thus misread the significance
of the report. Green groups are upset that the Bush administration won't sign the Kyoto
Protocol. Headlines like these add more fuel to the green fire they want to stoke.
Click here to read the official NAS press release on the study
Click here for the National Center for Public Policy Research's discussion on the myths
of climate change
"Drastic Shifts In Climate Are Likely, Experts Warn" - New York Times (Dec. 12, 2001)
"A Warning on Climate Change" - Washington Post (Dec. 12, 2001)
--The report mainly describes abrupt climate changes that occurred eons ago before the
appearance of man.
--Climate change has been a naturally occurring phenomenon for thousands of years.
--The Earth has warmed only one degree in the last hundred years while modern society
has been producing an explosion in manufacturing and industrial innovation.
--The panel does not predict imminent climate changes, and it recommends more
research on the causes of climate shifts.
--Scientists currently have no way to predict how preventive measures may avert the onset
of climate changes.
--The report urges the public to "not be fatalistic about the threats."