NASA Scientist Disses Global Warming?

Question

NASA ADMINISTRATOR MICHAEL GRIFFIN NOT SURE THAT GLOBAL WARMING IS A PROBLEM
So much for consensus

May 30, 2007; Washington, DC – NASA Administrator

Michael Griffin tells NPR News that while he has no doubt “a trend of global warming exists, I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with.” In an interview with Steve Inskeep airing tomorrow on NPR News’ Morning Edition, Administrator Griffin says “I guess I would ask which human beings - where and when - are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that’s a rather arrogant position for people to take.”

Doesn't look like the one's in NASA agree with each other..

Answer 1

Yes. Michael Griffin disagrees with some of his colleagues at NASA.

Michael Griffin's opponents will cite a scientist named James Hansen who very strongly and publicly disagrees with Mr. Griffin.

One thing about Mr. Hansen that they will not tell you is that the Cybercast News service has reprted that Mr. Hansen publicly endorsed John Kerry for president in 2004 and received a $250,000 grant from the charitable foundation headed by Kerry's wife.

It appears from this information tha Mr. Hansen is strongly motivated by who is giving him grant money.

Based on this information Mr. Hansen's opinion appears to be for sale to the highst bidder.

For this reason I do not consider Mr. Hansen to be a reliable source.

Answer 2

Couple of errors in your statement.

1) Griffin did not "diss global warming". He acknowledged that it's primarily caused by humans but that it was his opinion that we're not necessarily responsible for stopping it.

2) Griffin is a NASA administrator appointed by Bush. He is not a scientist, though he has degrees in engineering and physics.

His statements were directly in contradiction with those by NASA's climate scientists, including their top climatologist James Hansen who had just written a report which discussed the problems global warming will cause. Hansen called Griffin's remarks "remarkably uninformed" and "arrogant".

Answer 3

Griffin said Global Warming is real. Griffin said Global Warming is anthropogenic -- caused by humans. Seems to me that Griffin is 100% behind the scientific consensus.

Now the *political* issue -- what to do about it -- there is no consensus over. So Griffin is a good Bushie, and says what pleases his do-nothing boss. No surprise there.

Note to 3DM: apparently you don't understand that consensus is an important part of the scientific method. And apparently you don't understand that absolute proof is not.

Answer 4

Notice he does not refute Global Warming, he just ponders humanities right to change it. That is just 20/20 hindsight.

Without knowing the context of the statement he really sounds stupid when he says: “a trend of global warming exists, I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with.”

How many weather events have delayed the space shuttle program? The latest was hail stones denting the insulating foam on the fuel tank. Is it not fair to say that represents just one case of NASA wrestling with the effects of global warming?

Answer 5

I don't understand why people choose to believe a (very) few skeptics, instead of the vast majority of the scientific community. If it's one man's opinion that counts I'll see Michael Griffin and raise Stephen Hawking.

Griffin's boss is George Bush. He's a political appointee who was making a political statement. It's not science. This is science:

http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Climate_Change_Attribution.png

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL052735320070407

http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/wg1-report.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_opinion_on_climate_change

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5702/1686

At this point, being a global warming skeptic is like believing the Earth is 6000 years old. You have to ignore the scientific data and science to do so.

"There's a better scientific consensus on this [climate change] than on any issue I know - except maybe Newton's second law of dynamics. Global warming is almost a no-brainer at this point,You really can't find intelligent, quantitative arguments to make it go away."

Dr. Jerry Mahlman, NOAA

Good websites for more info:

http://profend.com/global-warming/

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science/

http://www.realclimate.org

"climate science from climate scientists"

Answer 6

You guys are hilarious, the evidence supports AGW and nothing else. All I have to do to end this thread is ask what's causing the warming and there will be no more answers. It's man, there's no evidence of anything else. The fact that someone compared it to evolution just helps my case. Goodnight!

Answer 7

Michael Griffin isn't a scientist--he's one of Bush's political pals.

Answer 8

Almost all scientists agree. And remember that Michael Griffin was a political apointee

Answer 9

He has since gone on the air to apologize for his comments ,he said he was taken out of context ,and that he was sorry about the controversy he caused .

So forget about using this as some sort of rotten tomatoe to throw .

Answer 10

They're looking at the sea ice disappear from space and they can still say this.