When it comes to the Himalayan glaciers, climatologists were making a melting mountain out of a global warming molehill. But now it appears they’re backtracking:
An influential United Nations panel is facing growing criticism about its practices after acknowledging doubts about a 2007 statement that Himalayan glaciers were retreating faster than those anywhere else and would entirely disappear by 2035, if not sooner.
Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, said Monday that the U.N. body was studying how the 2007 report “derived” the information about glacier retreat, according to a spokesman at the Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi, where Dr. Pachauri is the director. Dr. Pachauri said glaciers were melting, but the 2035 date was in question, the spokesman said.
It was unlikely that these revelations about the IPCC report would overturn the scientific consensus on glacial retreat, but they raised questions for the IPCC about how the data on Himalayan glaciers were collected and reviewed.”
Previous claims were based on “speculation.” While this certainly doesn’t refute evidence that melting ice is occurring, it provides another example of questionable research. Although the ominous footage of ice shelves breaking into the ocean looks terrifying, the reality is we’re not headed towards a Manhattan-based shoreline as projected in Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. For instance, the Antarctic summer from October to January of 2008 to 2009 was the smallest recorded in the satellite history. And for claims that man is causing the problem, climatologist Roy Spencer points out, “Many glaciers which have been monitored around the world for a long time have been retreating since the 1800’s, before humans could have been responsible. A few retreating glaciers are even revealing old tree stumps…how did those get there? Planted by skeptics?”
Manmade or not, there are problems associated with climate change, but there are even bigger problems associated with the policies designed to prevent a warmer world – most notably the aggregate GDP losses of $9.4 trillion, the job losses of 2.5 million and the impact of a few tenths of a degree that it will on the earth’s temperature. Climate change speculation can be pretty chilling when it comes with such significant economic costs.
Hey! The HOUSE BOAT INDUSTRY!!! SERIOUSLY!!! INNOVATION!!!! gotta keep up with the times… what fools!
Oh yeah! Where's that data?? Let's compare it to the almanac and see how clever they really aren't?
Listening to Politician Al Gore (not scientist) will not help alleviate anything. If the Earth wants to warm up or cool down, she will and Man can do nothing to stop it. When will Man learn that he is not in control of everything?
May the light of truth shine on the world! Is it not true that the glaciers in the south pole are growing and have been for decades. If there is any kind of "global warming" isn't the south pole part of the globe. Unless the IPCC thinks the heat rises and melts the glaciers on the top of the globe!?
Unfortunately, they will only have jobs/funding for these scientists as long as there is a threat. That gives them too much of an incentive to assume there is a threat, rather than examining things objectively. I don't like thinking about scientists that way, but it's not like this is the first time.
Any scientist that aligns themselves with the UN are in effect attending clown school. Never to attain any level of credibility in the world of science Though there certainly is wealth to gain at the side of the UN for now. I guess these people have determined their priorities.
I believe more evidence will continue to surface offering further proof of what could have been the worst, most expensive SCAM ever perpetrated on us. Man Made Global Warming is a farce and the biggest losers at this point are liberal politicians and Scientists whose integrity has been greatly compromised..
Glaciers have been advancing and retreating longer than humans have been on Earth, and nothing that Man can do, will slow it down in either direction.
Retreating glaciers? Does anyone recall how the Great Lakes were formed? Hello.
If my Geology 101 text is correct, man had nothing to do with the coming of the Ice Age or the retreat of the glaciers. So now when glaciers retreat it's our fault?
If you want to talk about cleaning up the air and reducting pollution, that's fine. But don't tell me that human activity is causing global warming. I'm not buying it and neither are hundred of other respected scientists.
Talk about inconvenient truth! LOL