The global warming movement gorged itself on reports that recent years were some of the warmest on record. But when other years, such as 2006, were cooler than recorded, global warming threatened to become a bad joke uttered through frostbitten lips. But it turns out global cooling is also caused by increased emissions of greenhouse gases. Or so we are told. So now it's called climate change, rather than global warming.

That's not the only example. Take the term "greenhouse gases." Gas is never good, particularly in crowded places. And it's not a far stretch from "gas" to "pollutant." So limiting the emission of greenhouse gases--"GHGs," to the initiated--into the earth's atmosphere is really all about limiting the emission of pollutants poisoning the very air we breathe. Or so we are told, as corporations trip over themselves in the race to become the greenest.

Greenhouse gases, though, if one investigates carefully, consist mostly of water vapor and carbon dioxide, the latter emitted when humans exhale. But no one would grant bragging rights to controlling emissions of water vapor and carbon dioxide. Thus, the term "greenhouse gases" was born.

It's also common to hear about the "scientific consensus" that climate change is caused by manmade emissions of greenhouse gases. It's a made-up term. A "consensus" is "an opinion held by all or most" (Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th ed. 2002.) So "scientific consensus" must be an opinion held by "all or most" scientists.

Leave aside the inconvenient fact "all or most" scientists don't hold the opinion that climate change is caused by manmade emissions of greenhouse gases. "Scientific consensus" is like what Richard Dawson used to say on Family Feud: "Survey says …." Read the rest...

Franklin   |08-30-2008 19:21 "So now it's called climate change, rather than global warming." umm.. in fact the UN Framework on CLIMATE CHANGE and the intergovernmental panel on CLIMATE CHANGE date back to the late 1980's/early 1990's at least? So this issue has officially been called climate change for quite a while.

Bryan   |08-30-2008 19:39 In the scientific lexicon that may be the case, but as far as the general public is concerned, the two phrases are being used interchangeably. They mean two different things but the propaganda keeps on rolling. It's like comparing apples and oranges and then saying, 'but hey, they're all in the same basket.' :upset

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