Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The truth may be inconvenient, 28 Mar 2007
In the last few months it was announced on the news that there was a consensus of scientists about the reality of human effected climate change and because of this consensus there was a growing imperative for the need to act. Not too long after president Bush announced in his state of the union address some measures which he argued would help in the fight against global warming. More recently there has been much publicity to the breakup of the Arctic Ice cap and speculation about the ability to sail once again through a North West Passage while at the other pole scientists have discovered lakes beneath the artic ice which have a significant effect on that ecosystem. This morning on the weather channel it was noted that yesterday the temperature high in West Caldwell, New Jersey, was the highest since 1947.
For me this last remark is significant as I have yet to hear of any claims that the earth has been steadily warming since 1947 yet the temperature in that year was over 70 degrees F.
What is the relevance of all this to this book you may ask? A good question. Being of English origin it is often said that the talking point is always the weather. Whilst this may not be true, I for one have long found the subject interesting. However, my degrees are in economics, social science and education so I cannot claim any expertise in this area. However, I am somewhat sceptical of many of the claims made about global warming and environmental change mainly due to the reliability of evidence relating to centuries past. I recall the predictions made in the 1990's of the disastrous winds which would cause havoc at the turn of the century yet never happened as well as the claims made for population growth in the 1960's which were proved false. I also believe that there is a lot of money to be made from the scaremongering about global warming by those who argue the most passionately for it. It is also true that even if countries like the US go for smaller more fuel efficient cars, then the wealthy and the powerful in our society will still be able to drive their relative gas guzzlers with impunity.
This book is an asset to the layman trying to make sense about the true nature of climatic change. It shows that the consensus is more of a fabrication than reality because of the vested interests of those who formed the consensus to begin with. The Satanic Gases addresses many areas of concern and shows that the evidence upon which many conclusions are based is flawed or the reasoning is somewhat suspect.
The major deficiency in the book lies in the ability or otherwise of the average reader to assess the quality of the information contained therein. I also consider that a second edition is long overdue which could incorporate more current information.
The book is recommended by a number of eminent persons but that should not be a reason for merely accepting it's premises and arguements. For my own part I feel that it is required of us as active citizens to be sceptical of expensive and huge government programmes and to ask questions of our elected officials to help us truly understand the nature of them.
It is my belief that the jury is still out on this issue and while that does not excuse inaction for the future, it is certainly our duty to ask that these programmes are really based on sound science and unassailable evidence.
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2 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Would be Great if it Were True - But it Can't Be, 8 Jul 2007
The ongoing publication of "material" designed to confuse the very real threat to our society continues.
This "reasonable" argument for the current concern for the climate being that money is being made in the ongoing campaign of "media hype" and "scientific disaster mongering". If you are a good consumer and want to continue your selfish, hedonistic belief that consuming at our current rates can be sustained indefinitely. In addition to which, this economic model is the only way to be happy, which, by the way you earned by working hard - this book MUST be true and very reasonable.
* What it fails to truthfully point out is the fact that these "satanic Gases" (carbon dioxide, methane, oxides of nitrogen etc) heat up the planet, a scientifically proven fact.
* The result of this is a slight warming affect means our atmosphere absorbs more energy from the sun, making the climate more changeable/dynamic, a scientifically proven fact.
* This increased energy vaporises more water which then further increases the green house effects, a scientifically proven effect.
* There has been an increasing amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere over the last fifty years, scientifically proven.
The theories which get "humans off the hook" may be true, there really may be other factors which may change the climate, but the underlying process of warming by climate change gases is undeniable.
To claim that the negative outcomes of Climate Change research is based around the opportunity for profit and research grants is questionable in the extreme. One needs only to look at who profits the most by this ongoing, drawn out "Global Climate Change Debate" and see where the real opportunities for individual large payouts lie.
This kind of plausible filibustering is not only destructive in the light of real scientific debate/research, but almost certainly a risk to human life. You may ask, if this is a conscious attempt to delay or stop action to limit the effects of Global Climate Change, there is no logic in it, for although they will gain a short term profit, they would still have to live in the poorer, warmer world they helped create?
Just remember, those most seriously effected by these changes will be the poorest of our society. While the wealthy among us will be rich enough to; "buy ourselves a seat on the ark". So it really doesn't matter if they are right or wrong so long as they are rich.
Whereas those scientists attacked in this literature for proposing a sustainable use of resources, reduced pollution and management of population are seen as the money grabbing selfish unscientific scientists, am I the only one to spot the obvious error in this argument.
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by Nigel Lawson
by S.Fred Singer
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DVD ~ Martin Durkin
