Clouded Issues

I recently did some reading in the book "Censored Science" and it made me realize one of the fundamental problems we as activists deal with on a daily basis: official censorship of facts.

In "Censored Science" the policy of censoring NASA science reports was discussed. In recent years, scientists preparing reports had to send the documents to a "reviewer" and then modify their reports to the "reviewer's" requirements. Frequently this has meant a "watering down" of critical environmental and scientific information that is vital to our understanding of climate change and global warming.

Let's call this what it is - SCIENTIFIC CENSORSHIP! The "continuing debate" on global warming isn't a debate, it is official censorship by non-scientific personnel that is clouding and corrupting our understanding of how much trouble we are actually in.

Let's see if I can explain this better.

1 - Global CO2 levels are at record highs not just for the past century, but for the past million years or so. We are rapidly reaching 400 parts per million when our "normal" levels are about half that. Methane levels are showing similar trends. Heat being retained in the atmosphere has already increased global temperatures by almost a full degree with expected future increase predictions ranging from a "modest" two-degree to a "catastrophic" six-degree gain.

2 - Arguments that this increase is from "increased" solar activity ignore the fact that solar energy reaching the surface of our planet has decreased in the past half-century by 10 to 20 percent. If solar activity is influencing our overall temperature, it should be going DOWN not UP!

3 - Increased volcanic activity, though still relatively modest, has increased the levels of sulfuric aerosols in the upper atmosphere. Even this modest increase would mask solar energy and decrease global temperatures. It is believed that the "little ice age" (c. 1350-1800) was caused by a series of five major eruptions.

There is more scientific evidence that has been censored or totally ignored that also show just how screwed we are if we don't act immediately, but let us examine the meaning of just these points for the moment.

Decreased solar energy and the reflective nature of increased sulfuric aerosols would indicate that we should be seeing decreased global temperatures, yet our global temperatures are still on the rise. If we are receiving less solar energy into the equation, what happens when (or if) solar output returns to normal or the sulfuric aerosols finally breakdown and allow all of the solar output through? Just how much temperature rise is missing that could hit us in the near future? Have we already passed the tipping point without knowing it?

As I said, there are many more points that I may discuss later, but just this small portion of the global warming equation has me worried. Even more worrisome is the censorship of these issues by our government. How much more are they hiding from us and why are they effectively lying to us in the first place? Do they know we are already screwed and are fearful of getting lynched?

The evidence makes me wonder.