The Great Global Warming Swindle [DVD]

 

 

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I note the comments by Emc2 et al, but the context here is that Durkin would surely have produced a more balanced programme had we not at that time been bang in the middle of the great global warming scare. As it was, Durkin presumably felt that he had 90 minutes of documentary in which to counter the propaganda that polar bears were on the verge of extinction, sea levels were about to rise 20m and mosquitos were likely to invade the North Pole. Etc.

Dave G the "science guy": please note that the BBC did not produce this documentary and in fact mainly promote global warming.

Christopher Booker's very interesting new book "The Real Global Warming Disaster" [check it out!] states in Chapter 7:

"For years, the leading television networks, such as the BBC in Britain, had presented viewers with nothing but the 'consensus' view, reflected not just in numerous documentaries but routinely in supposedly impartial news programmes. [...]

Durkin's 90-minute documentary was as unashamedly one-sided in making its case as all those BBC documentaries had been in presenting the 'consensus' view."

And in the footnotes to this chapter of Booker:

"The origins of The Great Global Warming Swindle" lay in a meeting of the World Congress of Science Producers in Tokyo in 2006. Martin Durkin asked why the world's major television networks were paying so little attention to the serious doubts now being expressed by reputable scientists about the basis for the global warming 'consensus'. His point was scornfully rejected by Michael Mosley, a senior BBC science producer, arguing that no reputable scientists challenged the 'consensus'. It was suggested that Durkin and Mosley should debate the issue in front of their colleagues at a subsequent meeting of the congress in NY. So forcefully did Durkin argue his case in the debate that many producers were surprised to find themselves agreeing that he had a point. Following this episode, [independent UK TV station] Channel 4 commissioned Durkin to make TGGWS."

At worst, this DVD should be seen as an attempt to redress the imbalances in Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth [sic]", etc., by raising issues such as (a) whether any temporary warming trends are significant, given that global temperatures in about 1100 to 1300AD were higher than they are now [as admitted in the IPCC First Assessment Report in 1990] and (b) whether such trends (if real) are due to human influence or natural phenomena (e.g. the sun). Like it or not, that is how science is supposed to work, via a testable theory and debate as to its merits.

At best, the points raised in this DVD will be shown to be valid, in which case this programme becomes historic as being the turning point which brought the skeptical view to a wider audience and encouraged debate beyond the 'consensus' claimed by political pressure groups such as the IPCC.

To those mentioning the UK regulator OfCom's response to the 265 complaints it received, check out its actual ruling at:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/obb/prog_cb/obb114/

rather than the spin press releases by the IPCC.

"Ofcom concluded that for most of its 90 minute duration [concerning the science] the requirements of due impartiality did not apply to The Great Global Warming Swindle. This is because for the first four of its five parts the programme did not deal with a matter of political or industrial controversy or matter relating to current public policy. [Because the global warming alarmists invariably claim that the science is 'settled'!] However, in Part Five of the programme Ofcom noted that the discussion moved away from the scientific debate about the causes of global warming, to consider the policies alleged to result from the mainstream scientific theory being adopted by UN and Western governments and their consequences (see below). It is Ofcom's view that Section Five of the Code did apply to this final part of the programme."

[and it was only there that OfCom found breaches of the UK code, as discussion of UN policies and their implications for the third world should have featured a wider range of opinions. But is this really what you are considering buying the DVD for?]

Where mistakes were made (e.g. a graph was mislabelled), this was corrected by Channel 4 before the second showing on UK television.

So: this isn't claiming to be impartial, but look on it as the other side of the story that the main news media hardly ever mention.

Since the Stern report I have started to read up on the subject in some detail. Of course I am not a climate scientist, but can read and have spent much time seeking, downloading and reading papers on the subject, both popular and more scientific.

Also having a general interest in geology I have come to question the current authodoxy on Anthropogenic Global Warming. The Stern report was a serious shot across the bows of anybody who does not realise that Governments can see a great opportunity to raise taxes even more than the current daylight robbery.

This documentary, whilst flawed, does contribute much more to the debate and thought process than sadly the David Attenborough BBC presentation from 2006 (which I have also boaught and re-watched).

At least TGGWS presents some facts all be it rather controversially.

As for those commentators who claim that the program has been discredited by the Ofcom report of July 2008, please feel free to read that report (as I have) and you will find Ofcom makes no claim at any stage of the 60 odd pages devoted to TGGWS, about the science, only critising the fact that the program makers did not give Carl Wunsh or David King enough time to respond. Most of the complaints were rejected.

Clearly the whole question has become a religious/idealogical crusade for many people and this results in sad and vitriolic ad-hominem attacks on people. This is NOT the scientific way, but the self righteous way of zealots and idealoues. If people would stick to the science and discuss the subject accordngly the only conclusion so far can be "Case not proven, much more reasearch needed".

This documentary at least makes some popular contribution to countering the religious tone of those asserting that debate is over.

The Great Global Warming Swindle is a controversial documentary, promoted as a counterbalance to Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Mr. Durkin certainly takes full advantage of the exaggerations and the fact that the man-made global warming theory is based on incomplete science and on "what if" scenarios produced with climate simulation models, that are being considered as unquestionable facts by the mainstream media and many politicians. However, and despite the collaboration of respectable scientists, such as Richard Lindzen, Paul Reiter, and Patrick Michaels, Mr. Durkin chose to edit and alternate these qualified expert opinions with comments by the narrator or by some others not so qualified interviewees making the documentary a smear attack on Al Gore and the IPCC. Even spicy conspiracy theories are proposed regarding Margaret Thatcher political agenda for supporting man-made GW, and another to suppress Africa's development by forcing poor countries to use expensive clean energy sources.

On the positive side, the documentary briefly presents the main alternative hypothesis for the origin of modern global warming, solar variations in combination cosmic rays, a physical phenomenon that seems to influence cloud formation, a key natural element of the greenhouse effect and one of the main uncertainties in the consensus theory. However, it is really a shame Mr. Durkin decided not to go deeper into the details of this alternative hypothesis or any other of the serious weaknesses of the prevailing theory; but instead, he chose to waste the opportunity for making a serious critic of the science behind man-made GW.

The Great Global Warming Swindle lack of seriousness is clearly reflected by the fact that the DVD content is not the same as the originally aired documentary in the U.K. on March 2007, because due to complaints and criticism, some significant factual errors had to be corrected, and one of the original interviewees requested to be withdrawn (M.I.T.'s Carl Wunsch). Even, Eigil Friis-Christensen, one of the leading researchers on the solar variation-cosmic ray theory, who together with Henrik Svensmark were the first to suggest a link between cosmic rays and global climate change, requested for corrections on the content, as findings from his research were not properly used in the documentary.

For those with a genuine interest in the science behind GW, a more serious criticism and analysis of the weaknesses of the science supporting the hypothesis of man-made global warming is presented in the book The Deniers: The World Renowned Scientists Who Stood Up Against Global Warming Hysteria, Political Persecution, and Fraud**And those who are too fearful to do so. For those curious or with an interest on the alternate hypothesis regarding the Sun's radiation and cosmic rays, read The Chilling Stars, 2nd Edition: A Cosmic View of Climate Change or Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years, Updated and Expanded Edition (in both cases make sure to get the updated edition). Just be aware that this competing theory is still a work in progress. For a no nonsense critic of the economics behind the mitigation policies read An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming. Lawson's book is much better than Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming

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5.0 out of 5 stars A great starter and worth every single penny
One of the best programmes Channel 4 has ever put on the air. A great starter for those who are still uncertain on the Global Warming subject. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Steven

5.0 out of 5 stars The Extra material is great
The DVD contains extra material running in about an hour extra. This extra material makes buying the DVD worth every penny used. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Nikolai Sandved

4.0 out of 5 stars A glimmer of truth
A sober and thoughtful documentary. Quite courageous of Durkin and Channel Four to produce such an unpopular view. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Denis Campbell

1.0 out of 5 stars Chris Everard of the Enigma Channel says GLOBAL WARNING is a reality
I have just read many books and viewed many documentaries researching the Global Warming situation - this film, and many of the books claiming "CLIMATEGATE" are avoiding the fact... Read more

Published 22 months ago by Christopher Everard

1.0 out of 5 stars Paid for by those who need to profit from debunking the myth
This "documentary" flies in the face of established scientific fact.

10,000 scientists now agree we are on the edge of a manmade abyss. Read more

Published 23 months ago by M. Oxley

1.0 out of 5 stars No scientists were involved in this.
This should be studied as an example of propaganda and spin and an attack on science or reason. Made by rich industrialists as a deliberate attempt to smear a scientific... Read more

Published 24 months ago by R. K. Howard

5.0 out of 5 stars The Great Global Warming Swindle
In common with Christopher Booker's book, The Real Global Warming Disaster, this should be viewed by all those who believe that "carbon footprints" (whatever they may be) are the... Read more

Published on 1 Jan 2010 by J. Staveley

1.0 out of 5 stars Nonsence and bad science combined.
This so-called documentary is a composite of wishful thinking and bad science. There is blatant perversion of scientific fact and manipulation of data sets to suit the political... Read more

Published on 1 Jan 2010 by Michael Hayes

5.0 out of 5 stars The other side of the coin.
We are constantly told that man made CO2 is the reason that we are experiencing hotter summers, but without mention that we are also experiencing colder winters. Read more

Published on 26 Nov 2009 by M. N. Mosley

5.0 out of 5 stars Misdirection
Please read Chris Booker's book The real global warming disaster. Especially concerning the Ofcom report which was meant to have debunked this program!

! Read more

Published on 25 Nov 2009 by another reader

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