Year 2, Month 3, Day 7: Is Dis A System?

The Oakland Daily Tribune (that’s Oakland, Michigan, not Oakland, California) runs an article heavily featuring climate denialist Christopher Kobus, who makes a statement that is so wacko I cannot believe he believes it:

He believes the debate boils down to funding.

“(Advocates of global warming) are well-funded and have deep connections with the media,” he said.

“So-called skeptics (of global warming) are neither well-funded nor organized via advocacy organizations. It is a one-way debate.”

A little research on Kobus suggests that he was taken in by the “Climategate” non-scandal and has continued to base his belief system on this series of unfortunate events.

Sent February 27:

Professor Chris Kobus’ claim that climate change “skeptics” are poorly funded does not stand even a cursory examination. The few climatologists who dismiss the overwhelming scientific consensus on Earth’s climatic transformation are almost without exception supported by petroleum-funded “think tanks” and “institutes.” Conversely, many climate scientists face extraordinary obstacles, including smear campaigns, hate mail, death threats and legal harassment in addition to the ongoing struggles for funding that are part of every scientist’s daily work. Professor Kobus states that “climate-change advocates” have “deep connections with the media.” Which media? Surely not our TV, radio or newspapers, which inevitably “balance” every genuinely alarmed expert with an oil-industry spokesman. Meanwhile, there’s snow in California, golfball-sized hailstones in the Midwest, and freak rainstorms in Australia — an increase in freak weather events which climatologists have predicted for decades as a consequence of the greenhouse effect. Denying a problem won’t make it go away.

Warren Senders