@secondhand-wonderland wrote:
I know very little on the topic. But one thing I do know is "Climate Change" or "Global warming" or whatever the latest buzzword they want to give the theory that "man is destroying the earth," is more political than anything else. It has always been a political issue. Why? because it is government bodies and government grants that prop up the industry. And thats what it is, a multi billion dollar a year industry that needs to be funded so as to keep the research flowing. (Most scientific reasearch is hungry for funding...)
I watched a doco recently called "The great Global Warming swindle" It really does have it's fair share of criticisms and rightfully so and some people have debunked certain parts of the show. BUT what it proved to me more than anything else is this is an issue of diehard cpaitalists versing left leaning greens. (Clearly it is a documentary produced my diehard capitalists)
And the ending does raise a great point about the development (or lack thereof) in parts of Africa. They want nothing more than to have electricity and running water in their homes. But now more than ever with the push for green energy they are being advised against burning coal and to move towards other (much more expensive) forms of power. ie Solar and wind farms. Imagine everytime you want to cook a meal for your family you have to build a fire in your house sometimes using animal dung.....
Against Nature – Channel 4 tonight
March 8th, 2007 by Ben Goldacre in bad science, climate change | 130 Comments »
So as I’m sure most of you know, tonight there is a documentary about how we don’t need to worry about global warming.
www.channel4.com/science/microsites/G/great_global_warming_swindle/index.html
Whatever your feelings about climate change, there are good reasons to to have serious concerns about the film:
It’s made by Martin Durkin. In 1997 he made a series called Against Nature for Channel 4. It targeted environmentalists, and presented them as ‘the new enemy of science’ and comparable to the Nazis. They were responsible for the deprivation and death of millions in the Third World.
As well as the normal objections to the content that you might have expected – and fair enough to have your opinion – there were much more serious problems. Channel Four eventually had to broadcast a prime-time apology. The Independent Television Commission ruled: “Comparison of the unedited and edited transcripts confirmed that the editing of the interviews with [the environmentalists who contributed] had indeed distorted or misrepresented their known views. It was also found that the production company had misled them… as to the format, subject matter and purpose of these programs.” Etc.
Now, it seems slightly odd to me to get the same bloke to make the same documentary after that’s happened, whatever your feelings on global warming and mankind’s role in it, but there you go.
http://www.badscience.net/2007/03/against-nature-channel-4-tonight/
