Chilly Reception For Global Warming

The temperature barely broke above zero in Montreal as global warming demonstrators rallied to tell us "Hot is not smart." (AP Photo)


Tech Central's Roy Spencer visited the global climate change conference in Montreal, abbreviated in typical UN numb-speak as COP-11, and reports from the conference floor with a sense of loneliness:

As one of the very few scientists at the UN's eleventh Conference of the Parties climate meeting (COP-11), I feel like an outsider. That's because I am. The army of thousands in attendance (international delegates, NGOs, and all manner of stakeholders in the climate change issue), have little interest in knowing how certain or uncertain the science of global warming is. All these people know - or need to know - is that the "glaciers are melting," it's getting "hotter every year", and "climate change is killing people now" (all of these are direct quotes from presenters).

Spencer observes the ironies of the conference with with wit and insight -- like the reporter filing a story on the evils of technology on her state-of-technology laptop, which she praised with a cheery "Thanks, I like it!" He wonders how all the conferees might actually better life on Earth if they weren't so busy trying to save it.

His conclusion:

As I listen to the opinions and arguments expressed here, I am struck by the lack of interest in exactly how much (or should I say, how little?) the currently proposed policies are going to stave off any future warming trends. Instead, what seems to be the most important are the good intentions of the policy pushers-consequences be damned. To examine whether we can actually "get there from here" would involve some math and science skills. I suspect many of these college graduates barely made it through those courses. It is sufficient at COP-11 simply to believe that if a policy is good for business it is bad for the Earth. Since business interests are only out for themselves, business success couldn't be related to the material needs and desires of those served by businesses.

h/t Greenie Watch