Think about it, global warming does not exist

Author: Michael Jou '06

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?

This article is written to incite the reader to question global warming, to not accept science at face value and to become informed. Though data can seem convincing and quite accurate, it can always be manipulated, influenced and biased. For example, South Korean scientist, Hwang Woo-suk, had published a breakthrough study on stem cell research in the scientific journal, "Science." However, he recently admitted that he had fabricated his data - he had never actually succeeded in extracting cloned DNA material from human embryos. He lied.

Though global warming might exist, what happens if it did not? There are a significant number of scientists in the world who do not support this environmental and political movement, but do not speak out for various reasons. Most of them usually protest global warming only after having retired from the scientific community. This sounds funny…

With Middlebury being a school run by a strong, environmentalist mindset, I ask you to think twice now before believing what really is a liberal attitude. Does protecting the environment mean believing this theory?

As a final note, think about the ozone layer. Our precious ozone layer. We have always learned about the gigantic hole developing in our ozone that threatens to give us all skin cancer. However, in a study titled, "Changes in Ozone Layer Offer Hope for Improvement," published in August 2005 by the University of Chicago, scientists present the results of their research demonstrating that the ozone layer is thickening. Though we have always been told that the ozone layer was disappearing, when was the last time that you heard anything in the news about this "problem?" How come we never hear about these positive changes in our environment? Maybe because it doesn't quite fit with global warming… If contradictory facts leaked out into the media, what would happen to this beloved theory?

The next time you hear something about global warming, think twice. You might save the planet.