Despite the Hype, NAS Report Confirms Uncertainties in Global Warming Science
The NAS study, issued at the request of the Bush administration, details many dramatic-sounding scenarios by which the climate could be disrupted in the future. All of its scenarios, however, are dependent on controversial assumptions about the underlying science of global climate.
“The global warming debate is about whether the assumptions underlying the global warming hypothesis are right or wrong. The NAS report dodges this all important issue,” said CEI policy analyst Paul Georgia. “It also is likely to unduly alarm those who don’t understand scientific methodology or the nuances of the global warming debate, i.e., most of the public.”
Proclaiming that the study affirms the reality of catastrophic global warming will only further confuse the issue. As with other reports on climate issues, most notably the United Nations’ Third Assessment Report, the qualifications and uncertainties in which scientists couch their claims go unnoticed or ignored when the findings are repeated for the benefit of policy makers and the general public.
“It’s unfortunate the report was written in such a way that it could be misinterpreted and misused by global warming alarmists. A careful reading of the report will lead to a far clearer picture of the true state of global warming science,” said Myron Ebell, CEI’s director of global warming policy.
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