2008 Woodie Awards
Think about it, global warming does not exist
Michael Jou '06
Issue date: 3/2/06 Section: Opinions
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Environmental scientists are off their rockers.
In the novel, State of Fear, author Michael Crichton leads the reader through a fictional story involving environmental terrorists who threaten to take over the world. However, unlike his other best-selling novels such as Jurassic Park and Rising Sun, this book will never turn into a Hollywood blockbuster. Why?
Simply because Crichton negates and denies this popular theory widely accepted by the general population.
Though for years mass media and environmental goodwill have told us that global warming lies behind our desire to protect the environment, what would happen if this theory (which is what it is - a theory) really were just a hoax? A conspiracy, maybe? Just think about these facts cited in State of Fear :
-Ice sheets in Greenland have not receded since 1940. (Climatic Change)
-Global temperatures dropped by 0.27 degrees Fahrenheit between 1940 and 1972. (NASA, Gobbard Institute for Space Studies)
-Punta Arenas, the city closest to Antarctica, has experienced a decrease of 1.0 degree Fahrenheit since 1888. (NASA, Gobbard Institute for Space Studies)
-The temperature in the interior of Antarctica has slightly decreased with an increase of sea ice. (It is also interesting to note that Antarctica has actually been melting for the past 6,000 years.) (Science)
-Sea levels are rising, but at the same rate that they have been rising for the past 6,000 years. (Center for Space Research: The University of Texas at Austin)
-The number of hurricanes in the United States peaked at 23 from 1940-1949, whereas the number of hurricanes per decade from 1970-1999 rested at about 14. (National Hurricane Center)
Though many critics and scientists have discredited the scientific reliability or analysis of Crichton's novel, one must start to question the legitimacy of global warming.
After the creation of the theory of global warming in 1988, the Kyoto Treaty was signed. Designed to limit the output of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, this accord aimed at reducing global temperature increase by 0.72 degrees Fahrenheit before 2100. However, temperatures in various cities across the globe have decreased, even though many countries have not met their emission quotas. Kind of suspicious, huh?
In the novel, State of Fear, author Michael Crichton leads the reader through a fictional story involving environmental terrorists who threaten to take over the world. However, unlike his other best-selling novels such as Jurassic Park and Rising Sun, this book will never turn into a Hollywood blockbuster. Why?
Simply because Crichton negates and denies this popular theory widely accepted by the general population.
Though for years mass media and environmental goodwill have told us that global warming lies behind our desire to protect the environment, what would happen if this theory (which is what it is - a theory) really were just a hoax? A conspiracy, maybe? Just think about these facts cited in State of Fear :
-Ice sheets in Greenland have not receded since 1940. (Climatic Change)
-Global temperatures dropped by 0.27 degrees Fahrenheit between 1940 and 1972. (NASA, Gobbard Institute for Space Studies)
-Punta Arenas, the city closest to Antarctica, has experienced a decrease of 1.0 degree Fahrenheit since 1888. (NASA, Gobbard Institute for Space Studies)
-The temperature in the interior of Antarctica has slightly decreased with an increase of sea ice. (It is also interesting to note that Antarctica has actually been melting for the past 6,000 years.) (Science)
-Sea levels are rising, but at the same rate that they have been rising for the past 6,000 years. (Center for Space Research: The University of Texas at Austin)
-The number of hurricanes in the United States peaked at 23 from 1940-1949, whereas the number of hurricanes per decade from 1970-1999 rested at about 14. (National Hurricane Center)
Though many critics and scientists have discredited the scientific reliability or analysis of Crichton's novel, one must start to question the legitimacy of global warming.
After the creation of the theory of global warming in 1988, the Kyoto Treaty was signed. Designed to limit the output of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, this accord aimed at reducing global temperature increase by 0.72 degrees Fahrenheit before 2100. However, temperatures in various cities across the globe have decreased, even though many countries have not met their emission quotas. Kind of suspicious, huh?