WUWT-ers are up in arms about Dr James Hansen appearing on CBC and reasserting that: if nothing is done to stop Canada's oilsands development it will be "game over for the climate,". They were particularly incensed by Hansen saying about the Canadian Government: "Well, the current government is a Neanderthal government on this issue...".
Speaking of the advances of Neanderthals, this WUWT comment caught my eye. Did you know that wood is a fossil fuel and that burning it is what 'created fire'?:
Kenty Blaker says:April 27, 2013 at 6:30 pm While the global warmists complain about the burning of fossil fuels they never coment (sic) on the fact that it was the burning of wood (a fossil fuel )that created fire. Without fire where would we be?
Hansen's stature can only grow as the C21st progresses. The "sceptics" on the other hand will be largely forgotten, or rather remembered en masse as deluded and worse.
ReplyDeleteMind you, the general public has no idea who he is. On the (rare) occasions when I discuss CC at social gatherings, I have never come across anyone who knew who he was, or why he is so important.
I will risk a falsifiable prediction: when his name and work feature in (high) school curricula worldwide, this will change.
I had a funny conversation with a friend recently. I mentioned global warming and she said, "there was an American president interested in that wasn't there?". I said, "do you mean Al Gore? (the almost American president)". She replied, "yes, was he for or against it?".
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of people out there who really have no idea.
Deniers often write "algore" - I haven't figured out whether it's to deride him or if they think his family name is "Algore"!
DeleteIt's easy to over-estimate what the public knows about global warming. Most people have never heard of any of the leading scientists let alone the rag-tag of deniers. People I speak with are generally aware of climate change - I come across a few 'deniers' and probably many more 'accepters' but I don't often meet anyone who knows much about it. Their knowledge is usually centred around the latest flood or drought.
In Australia most well-read people would have heard of Tim Flannery, Ross Garnaut and maybe Will Steffen and David Karoly - because of their public exposure. When PM, John Howard awarded Tim Flannery Australian of the Year.