Debunking the skeptical environmentalists

Barry Finkel of Barry Finkel Photography had this to say about global warming in the “Letters” page of FORTUNE (May 14, 2007):

“When the entire data set is examined it is clear that Earth’s climate has never been static and has often been warmer than today. Further, humankind’s contribution to the total greenhouse gas load is so small as to be inconsequential. Before falling for the global-warming hoax, Richard Branson, Yvon Chouinard, and policy-setting politicians would do well to read the work of Bjørn Lomborg, Christopher Horner, and others. If the alarmists have their way we will spend billions on activities that have no value except to lower our standard of living.”

It’s amazing how some people can continue to live in a state of denial despite all evidence pointing to the contrary. I also can’t help but laugh at the two authors cited by Finkel. Bjørn Lomborg is a statistician who knows how to play with statistics to suit his own agenda, while Christopher Horner is a right-wing politician masquerading as a legal counsel. What degree of objectivity do you expect them to bring to the discussion on climate change?

Horner is particularly damaging by writing in his book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism, that people should “keep going, keep filling up that car, keep flying, don’t recycle….don’t worry”. It’s a nice, warm sounding message but an irresponsible one.

However, the myths perpetuated by both Lomborg and Horner have been completely debunked.

And the reason the conservative position on climate change is so negative is not because there is no scientific support, but because anything that could reduce corporate profits simply must be wrong. Today, conservative ideology always trumps scientific evidence.

“The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it.”
– George Bernard Shaw

Related story:
A skeptical look at The Skeptical Environmentalist
Lomborg had a pie thrown in his face at Borders Bookshop in Oxford