Questionable Report Claims Global Warming Causes Hundreds of Thousands of Deaths Each Year

re: Questionable Report Claims Global Warming Causes Hundreds of Thousands of Deaths Each Year

Julie — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:33:58 GMT

"Even so, science shouldn’t misrepresent fact for shock value – that’s what propaganda is for."

Where does the science come in? It's all about math, isn't it? A decade ago, the World Health Organization said that 150,000 deaths per year were being caused by global warming and climate change. Anybody watching the news can estimate that that number would be higher by now and quite possibly double. Just look at the floods and droughts in Africa!

Did people want an exact figure or what? I don't get the complaints. How come the skeptics, deniers and other $#@#$%$s can lie, inflate, deflate, misrepresent, obfuscate and do evil tricks, but our side can't approximate the truth? I just don't get it.

Julie

re: Questionable Report Claims Global Warming Causes Hundreds of Thousands of Deaths Each Year

Owl905 — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:04:11 GMT

It's not propaganda. Play the three monkeys role if you want, but this is an analog world - every change has consequences. The larger the change, the more noticeable the consequence. .7dC average global temperature in a century, .02pH change in the upper ocean's balance.

Instead of mocking the report, go read it for yourself - http://www.ghf-geneva.org/ . If you think the numbers are inflated, remove the inflation and provide your scientific estimate. Now go back to the increasing pollution levels. Give an estimate of how many years it will be before the report estimates are middle of the road.

re: Questionable Report Claims Global Warming Causes Hundreds of Thousands of Deaths Each Year

James — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:44:57 GMT

I'm not questioning that global warming exists. I'm not questioning it has adverse effects, mainly on poor and disadvantaged people. I'm not questioning that it's going to get worse if don't do anything about it.

All I'm saying is that presenting speculation as fact--something even the experts who worked on this report acknowledge--is, in principle, no different a political tactic than those used by governments who underestimate the effects of climate change so they can continue proliferating environmentally damaging policies for the sake of economic stability or gain.

Numbers can easily be twisted to support just about any opinion or position. I'm just saying that an objective analysis of the facts--by those on both sides of the argument--is the only approach that is going to lead to real progress.