A: And therefore, global warming is the greatest de-
ception of the early 21st century. Questions?
B: Uh… yeah. In the lecture you said there ’s more
evidence in the scientific record supporting global
cooling?
A: Well, yes, essentially, the historical record sup-
ports a theory of climate cycles. Warming and
cooling are cooperating processes in the plane-
tary eco-system.
B: If that’s true and the planet is getting cooler,
what explains the rapid melting of the polar ice
caps and the dramatic rise in the global average
temperatures?
A: But are global temperatures rising? If you look at
the data from nineteen seventy-five you ’ll…
B: You ’ll be misled. If you were serious, you would
look at the record starting in the 1880’s. Then
you would see how dramatically the earth ’s tem-
perature has changed.
A: Young lady, I beg to differ. Look, the point of
the lecture was to emphasize that there is evi-
dence for both sides, and I’m putting forth the ar-
gument that there’s greater evidence in support of
the global cooling hypothesis. Look, it’s an indis-
putable fact that the public is being manipulated
and scared into believing there ’s some kind of
climate crisis; this scaremongering is done, quite
simply, for political reasons.
B: But even without the uncomfortable reality that
greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide contribute
to global warming, isn ’t the topic appropriate for
politicians to discuss?
A: Not if they want to use your tax dollars and mine
to fund completely unnecessary initiatives.
B: Yeah, like conservation, protecting endangered
species and investing in renewable energy. At the
very least, you have to concede that this debate
has the potential to end our dependence on for-
eign oil. Buying oil supports autocratic countries
that use these revenues to devastating ends.
A: Why, I ’ve never been so disrespected in all of my
days. I ’m a professor, a scientist and researcher
of high regard.
B: Yeah, and a duplicitous one at that. Everyone
knows you’re in the pocket of the oil lobby.
Why should we trust your so-called findings more
than tobacco institute studies which say smoking
doesn ’t harm health? You ’re full of it.
A: Some people just cannot handle civil debate! |