Meltdown: The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians, and the Media
Now in Paperback!
Customer Review: Finally
Its nice to see some truth about the climate and that the lies about climate change are being exposed. Great work Dr. Michaels!
Customer Review: An Oasis in a Desert of Hyperbole
MELTDOWN by Dr. Patrick J. Michaels attempts to shed light on the “Global Warming” debate but as the subtitle states; “The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians and the Media”, the book takes a broader view of not only the scientific implications but societal and institutional issues that the discussion has raised. Michaels, a professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia, doesn’t deny that some of the earth is warming and some of it is cooling, his position is that it is a natural cycle and that the impact of human activity is not significant enough to justify the “hysteria” produced by some scientists, politicians and media outlets.
The major portion of the book provides the basis for his position; it is well documented with graphs, charts and materials that traces the climate for at least the last 100 years substantiating that there have been periods that have been hotter, dryer, cooler or wetter previous to today when there were fewer “greenhouse gases”. Intermixed with the data are quotes by scientists or politicians as well as newspaper or magazine copy that builds a case for greenhouse gas induced “global warming” where none seems to exist.
He talks of a peer review process where scientific articles questioning GW are subjected to an institutional bias against these arguments resulting in many not being published. This bias has an impact on the university system because to receive tenure and move through the ranks, the younger instructors have to be published. Michaels believes the system doesn’t produce enough independent thought. MELTDOWN also goes into detail about the federal funding of climate research and the cycle of politics and science (plus their lobbyists) where one funds the other to produce data that will result in conclusions that bring more funding. Scientists have a tendency not to produce work that will result in a decrease or elimination of funding. The media does its part by sensationalizing climatological events attributing normal occurrences to “global warming”; they also ignore positions that are counter to current scientific thinking, this way the “heat” is kept on the politicians.
For the “Global Warming” skeptics the book provides substantial information to reinforce that position. To the “Global Warming True Believers” no amount of evidence to the contrary will change their point of view. If you approach the subject with an open mind it is an informative and interesting book.
