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Forests could be growing faster now than they were 225 years ago as a result of global warming, a study has revealed.

Forests could be growing faster now than they were 225 years ago as a result of global warming, a study has revealed.

The study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found evidence that trees in the eastern United States were growing at an accelerated rate due to the rising levels of atmospheric CO2, higher temperatures and longer growing seasons.

Scientists in Maryland, VA documented changes to the growth of 55 plots of mixed hardwood forest over 22 years, and concluded the younger trees were growing much quicker than the eldest trees in the study, which were 225-years-old, a Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) blog reported Monday.

By Jenny Fyall, The Scottsman

IT WAS once regarded as one of the biggest environmental threats to the planet.

Now there is mounting evidence that the ozone hole above the Antarctic has been protecting the southern hemisphere against global warming.

The bizarre side-effect of ozone depletion has been studied by scientists at the University of Leeds.

The ozone hole, caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) released into the atmosphere, is now steadily closing, but the research has suggested this could actually increase warming.

Scientists discovered brighter summertime clouds had formed over the area below the hole, which reflect more of the sun's powerful rays.

By Richard Foot, Canwest News Service

Call it the mystery of the missing thermometers.

Two months after "climategate" cast doubt on some of the science behind global warming, new questions are being raised about the reliability of a key temperature database, used by the United Nations and climate change scientists as proof of recent planetary warming.

Two American researchers allege that U.S. government scientists have skewed global temperature trends by ignoring readings from thousands of local weather stations around the world, particularly those in colder altitudes and more northerly latitudes, such as Canada.

In the 1970s, nearly 600 Canadian weather stations fed surface temperature readings into a global database assembled by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Today, NOAA only collects data from 35 stations across Canada.

Worse, only one station -- at Eureka on Ellesmere Island -- is now used by NOAA as a temperature gauge for all Canadian territory above the Arctic Circle.

Read the rest of the article.

While our government is spending billions to prove AGW, this chap disproves it for £5.00.

Primary United States Climate Center Now Caught in Data Manipulation

It has been revealed that a "sleight of hand" was used in the computer program that rated 2005 as "THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD." Skeptical climate researchers have discovered extensive manipulation of the data within the U.S. Government's two primary climate centers: the National Climate Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, North Carolina and the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) at Columbia University in New York City. These centers are being accused of creating a strong bias toward warmer temperatures through a system that dramatically trimmed the number and cherry-picked the locations of weather observation stations they use to produce the data set on which temperature record reports are based. The two investigators say the system has been distorted in other ways as well. They have documented their findings in great detail in a scientific report that has been posted online. These findings are presented as a part of my television special report "Global Warming: The Other Side" telecast which aired Thursday night, January 14th at 9 PM here on KUSI TV.

The data manipulation studies are explored in detail during the fourth segment of the one hour video now available here on our website.

By Elmer Beauregard

Is civilization doomed because of man-made global warming? You've been told your carbon footprint could lead to skyrocketing temperatures, melting ice caps, dying polar bears and "superstorms."

But now there is another side to the story, and you can see it here.

KUSI meteorologist and founder of the Weather Channel, John Coleman, has just released an amazing new documentary called "Global Warming - The Other Side" it tells the story of science gone bad, and he also has new revelations as the "climategate" scandal comes to the United States.

By the way Minnesotans For Global Warming is featured in Segment 4 and we close the whole thing out in Segment 5

While we're on the topic of Science and Religion, I was emailed this sermon which was given last Sunday by Charlie Moquin, at San Juan Unitarian Universalists Church in Farmington New Mexico.

Today's sermon will describe some of the spiritual benefits of global warming. As many of you know, I am a huge fan of global warming, but I also believe that driving while talking on a cell phone is safer than not, and that driving faster can increase your gas mileage. All of this is evidence that my head is not screwed on straight.

There is a Unitarian minister from Alabama who is going around preaching against global warming. I hope to meet her some day. In a church, where there is a sanctuary for my protection.

I am not alone in liking global warming; at last count there were fourteen of us (8 in Minnesota), and our numbers appear to double every few years, so your great grandchildren will probably agree with me. I have been a fan of global warming for over 25 years, before it even officially existed. The term 'Global warming' seems to be used everywhere, even in places where they don't speak English.

By Jerome R. Corsi, WorldNetDaily

Russian research forecasts global cooling

In a sharp rebuke to climate alarmists who believe human-generated carbon dioxide is responsible for causing catastrophic global warming, a Russian scientist has issued what amounts to a news flash announcing, "Sun Heats Earth!"

Habibullo Abdussamatov, the head of space research at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, has published a paper in which he tracks sunspot activity going back to the 19th century to argue that total sun irradiance, or TSI, is the primary factor responsible for causing climate variations on Earth, not carbon dioxide.

Moreover, Abdussamatov's analysis of sun activity data has led him to conclude that the Earth is entering a prolonged cooling phase because sunspot activity is currently in a phase regarded as a "minimum."

The CO2 Song.mp3

World Climate Report

Where are the headlines? Where are the press releases? Where is all the attention?

The ice melt across during the Antarctic summer (October-January) of 2008-2009 was the lowest ever recorded in the satellite history.

Such was the finding reported last week by Marco Tedesco and Andrew Monaghan in the journal Geophysical Research Letters:

A 30-year minimum Antarctic snowmelt record occurred during austral summer 2008-2009 according to spaceborne microwave observations for 1980-2009. Strong positive phases of both the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Southern Hemisphere Annular Mode (SAM) were recorded during the months leading up to and including the 2008-2009 melt season.

Figure 1. Standardized values of the Antarctic snow melt index (October-January) from 1980-2009 (adapted from Tedesco and Monaghan, 2009).

By Elmer Beauregard

The infamous Hockey Stick Chart, although debunked by experts, keeps popping up like the "Whack-A-Gopher" game at the Minnesota State Fair. But hopefully now, armed with new information we can once and for all stick a fork that hockey stick.

A month ago while attending the Minnesota State Fair, I went to the Eco-Experience building which was quite interesting. Of course they had a big beautiful display about Global Warming and its "Impact" on Minnesota. They were saying things like our winters would be milder and Lake Superior would be 2 degrees warmer. Have you ever tried swimming in Lake Superior even in July? If it were 2 degrees warmer it would take you 15 minutes to die from Hypothermia instead of just 13. Hence, the name of our group.

Let your Senators know that you and 31,478 scientists don't believe in man-made global warming, and that passing Cap and Trade would "harm the environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage the health and welfare of mankind".

Sign The Petition Here.

Metro International

The now iconic image of murky dust rising from a smokestack in the shape of a hurricane on the cover of Al Gore's global warming documentary draws a distinct correlation between rising temperatures and stronger storm patterns.

But here's an inconvenient truth: This year's hurricane season has gotten off to the slowest start in 17 years. And yet global warming alarmists continue to ring their doomsday sirens.

The official start of the hurricane season is June 1. And not since 1992 -- the year of Hurricane Andrew -- has the Atlantic Ocean been silent past Aug. 4. Meteorologists have yet to name even a single tropical storm in the Atlantic in 2009.

You should never assume anything, especially if you're a scientist. Kent Hovind shoots holes in the idea that ice rings are an annual occurrence. Just because tree rings are annual doesn't mean that ice core rings are.

By Randy Parker, CEO, Utah Farm Bureau Federation

People are beginning to recognize the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill before Congress will increase energy costs, hurt our economy and likely do precious little, if anything, to reduce global warming.

Tom Tripp, a Utah magnesium specialist and member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently spoke about global warming to a statewide gathering of farmers and ranchers in Provo at the Farm Bureau Mid-year conference. Tripp, along with 2,000 members of the IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore.

"Despite what you hear in the media, there is no scientific consensus regarding global warming." Tripp said. "The atmospheric data is not overwhelming and even with increased levels of carbon dioxide it is still only a miniscule portion of the atmosphere. If there are warming trends today, man may not be the prime suspect. For instance, 700 years ago global warming halted the Ancestral Pueblo civilization and it probably wasn't caused by SUVs," he noted.

By Marc Morano - Climate Depot

Peer-Reviewed Study Rocks Climate Debate! 'Nature not man responsible for recent global warming...little or none of late 20th century warming and cooling can be attributed to humans'

Three Australasian researchers have shown that natural forces are the dominant influence on climate, in a study just published in the highly-regarded Journal of Geophysical Research. According to this study little or none of the late 20th century global warming and cooling can be attributed to human activity.

The research, by Chris de Freitas, a climate scientist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, John McLean (Melbourne) and Bob Carter (James Cook University), finds that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a key indicator of global atmospheric temperatures seven months later. As an additional influence, intermittent volcanic activity injects cooling aerosols into the atmosphere and produces significant cooling.

Climate Depot

Former Vice President Al Gore declared that the Congressional climate bill will help bring about "global governance."

"I bring you good news from the U.S., "Gore said on July 7, 2009 in Oxford at the Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment, sponsored by UK Times.

"Just two weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey climate bill," Gore said, noting it was "very much a step in the right direction." President Obama has pushed for the passage of the bill in the Senate and attended a G8 summit this week where he agreed to attempt to keep the Earth's temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees C.

Gore touted the Congressional climate bill, claiming it "will dramatically increase the prospects for success" in combating what he sees as the "crisis" of man-made global warming.

"But it is the awareness itself that will drive the change and one of the ways it will drive the change is through global governance and global agreements." (Editor's Note: Gore makes the "global governance" comment at the 1min. 10 sec. mark in this UK Times video.)

Climate Depot

Atmospheric Scientist Dr. Chris Walcek, a professor at the University at Albany in NY and a Senior Research Associate at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center is joining many other scientists in critiquing President Obama's new global warming report.

Dr. Walcek: The authors of the latest US climate change report would make Pravda editors and reporters blush with envy on how they can misconstrue and mis-report truths for a propaganda angle.

In the climate report's EXECUTIVE SUMMARY there is statement that WINTER temperatures across the northern great plains have increased MORE THAN 7 degrees over the past 30 years. Whenever I see ABSURD claims like these, I delve into archived temperatures (Global Historical Climate Network) archived at our National Climate Data Center and wade through the analysis to see the "truth". Attached are two figures showing actual thermometer measurements (I doubt that actual thermometer measurements are shown ANYWHERE in this report...) This was the first site I looked at.... but I am confident that the conclusions are robust and more general.

By Marc Morano - Climate Depot

Below is a guest post by Geophysicist Dr. David Deming, associate professor of arts and sciences at the University of Oklahoma, who has published numerous peer-reviewed research articles.

1. The new scare report issued by the Obama administration refers to the work of Stephen H. Schneider six times. You will recall that Schneider is infamous for telling Discover magazine (October, 1989, p. 45-48) that "we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have...each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest."

2. There has been no sea level rise for the past three years.

3. Hurricane, typhoon, and tropical cyclone activity is at a 30-year low.

4. The satellite data (UAH MSU) currently show that mean global temperature is about the same as it was in June of 1979...no, if anything, it is LOWER.

5. Mean global sea ice is at the 20-year mean level, and the same as it was in 1979 when monitoring began.

6. Global "warming" is based almost entirely on the record from meteorological stations. Anthony Watt's survey of 1221 weather stations is now 70 percent complete, and shows that an astonishing 69 percent of these stations are likely to have serious errors, due to their being located near heat sources such as asphalt paving, air conditioning vents, etc.

After following this subject now since the mid 1980s, I become more skeptical every year. I am now beginning to conclude that global warming simply does not exist.

Michael Andrews, DailyTech

Report indicates solar cycle has been impacting Earth since the Industrial Revolution

Solar activity has shown a major spike in the twentieth century, corresponding to global warming. This cyclic variation was acknowledged by a recent NASA study, which reviewed a great deal of past climate data.  (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Some researchers believe that the solar cycle influences global climate changes. They attribute recent warming trends to cyclic variation. Skeptics, though, argue that there's little hard evidence of a solar hand in recent climate changes.

Now, a new research report from a surprising source may help to lay this skepticism to rest. A study from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland looking at climate data over the past century has concluded that solar variation has made a significant impact on the Earth's climate. The report concludes that evidence for climate changes based on solar radiation can be traced back as far as the Industrial Revolution.

Announcing a great new report, website, and powerpoint presentation by Anthony Watts

Tahoe City, CA (burn barrel, close by parking, tennis court surface 25 feet away built in early 1980's)

Executive Summary

Global warming is one of the most serious issues of our times. Some experts claim the rise in temperature during the past century was "unprecedented" and proof that immediate action to reduce human greenhouse gas emissions must begin. Other experts say the warming was very modest and the case for action has yet to be made.

The reliability of data used to document temperature trends is of great importance in this debate. We can't know for sure if global warming is a problem if we can't trust the data. The official record of temperatures in the continental United States comes from a network of 1,221 climate-monitoring stations overseen by the National Weather Service, a department of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Until now, no one had ever conducted a comprehensive review of the quality of the measurement environment of those stations.

Russ Steele, NC Media Watch
Robert D. Brinsmead is a Horticulturist who has written an essay defending carbon and it's role in our lives on earth. We are a carbon based species. We consume carbon and we emit carbon.  Without sufficient carbon in our diets we will all die. Yet our government wants to ban carbon (CO2) as a pollutant dangerous to our health.

Brinsmead has written an extraordinary defense of carbon in his essay:  The Vindication of Carbon Means the Vindication of Human Freedom. This is a little long for guest post, but it deserve a thought full read. Download here.

By Bob Ferguson and Lord Christopher Monckton, SPPI

The Science and Public Policy Institute (SPPI) in Washington reports that a leading expert on climate and former advisor to Margaret Thatcher as UK Prime Minister, has dismissed as false a recent claim by the Washington Post that "most scientists now say there is a consensus about climate change"; that warming is "unequivocal"; and that most of the warming of the past century was manmade.

Christopher Monckton, in a new paper for SPPI entitled Unequivocal 'Consensus' on 'Global Warming', says:

"There is ... no sound or scientific basis for the notion, peddled by the Washington Post, that there is a scientific 'consensus' to the effect that anthropogenic 'global warming' has occurred, is occurring, will occur, or, even if eventually it does occur, will be significant enough to be dangerous."

Full Report in PDF form.

Eric Bland, Discovery News

As new fuel efficiency standards for cars make news in the United States, scientists in Canada are already developing more fuel-efficient, and more polite, cattle.

The research promises to lower costs to farmers by reducing the amount of feed needed for raising cattle. It could also help the environment by reducing the number of methane released into the atmosphere, where it is a climate-warming greenhouse gas.

"Ruminants produce a lot of methane; three cows equal one [mid-sized] car" in terms of global warming potential, said John Basarab, an agricultural research scientist for the Alberta government.

"In Alberta alone there are more than six million cows, and in the U.S., there are over 100 million," he said. That's a lot of methane.

wattsupwiththat.com

What would NSIDC and our media make of a photo like this if released by the NAVY today? Would we see headlines like "NORTH POLE NOW OPEN WATER"? Or maybe "Global warming melts North Pole"? Perhaps we would. sensationalism is all the rage these days. If it melts it makes headlines.

Marc Sheppard, American Thinker

The latest Rasmussen poll reports that the lowest number of voters ever polled -- one-in-three -- believe that global warming is caused by human activity. That's an astonishing figure, especially considering the all-out green propaganda assault the mainstream media (MSM) exposes the public to on a daily basis.

After all, it's become nearly impossible to open a magazine, unfold a newspaper or turn on the television without being scolded about the selfishness of your energy consumption and the damage your unworthy existence does to the planet. And yet, Friday's Rasmussen found that forty-eight percent of all likely voters attribute climate change to long-term planetary trends, not their so-called carbon-footprint. That's up 4% in less than three months.