Longtime WCCO-TV meteorologist Mike Fairbourne (pictured) says that the
environmental movement is practicing "squishy science" when it ties
human activity to global warming.
Fairbourne's assessment Monday came on the same day that the Oregon
Institute of Science and Medicine appeared before the National Press
Club in Washington, D.C., and announced that it has the signatures of
more than 31,000 scientists -- including Fairbourne's -- who agree that
the human impact on global warming is overblown.
Fairbourne, who jointed WCCO in 1977 and has been a meteorologist
for 40 years, said that while there is no doubt that "there has been
some warming" of global temperatures in recent years ... there is still
a pretty big question mark" about how much of that warming is from
human activity.
"Do we need to be wise stewards [of the Earth]? Absolutely,"
Fairbourne said. "Do we have to pin everything that happens on global
warming? No, we need to have cooler heads."
Fairbourne said he signed the institute's petition about five years
ago. The group said that hundreds of meteorologists are among the
signees.
"We urge the United States government to reject the global warming
agreement that was written in Kyoto ... and any other similar
proposals. The proposed limits on greenhouse gases would harm the
environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage
the health and welfare of mankind.
"There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of
carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will,
in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's
atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate.
"Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases
in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the
natural plant and animal environments of the Earth." Source
