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Science & Technology

NASA criticized over global warming stance

By T.K. Randall
April 12, 2012 · Comment icon 102 comments

Image Credit: sxc.hu
NASA's stance on man-made global warming has been called in to serious question by experts.
A group of 49 former NASA astronauts and scientists wrote a letter to administrator Charles Bolden to criticize NASA's advocation of the idea that man-made CO2 is a major cause of global warming while ignoring evidence to the contrary. The group believes that NASA has failed to make an objective assessment and that there is too great a reliance on complex climate models.

"These American heroes – the astronauts that took to space and the scientists and engineers that put them there – are simply stating their concern over NASA's unusual advocacy for an unproven theory," said Leighton Steward, chairman of Plants Need CO2. "There's a concern that if it turns out that CO2 is not a major cause of climate change, NASA will have put the reputation of NASA, NASA's current and former employees, and even the very reputation of science itself at risk of public ridicule and distrust."[!gad]A group of 49 former NASA astronauts and scientists wrote a letter to administrator Charles Bolden to criticize NASA's advocation of the idea that man-made CO2 is a major cause of global warming while ignoring evidence to the contrary. The group believes that NASA has failed to make an objective assessment and that there is too great a reliance on complex climate models.

"These American heroes – the astronauts that took to space and the scientists and engineers that put them there – are simply stating their concern over NASA's unusual advocacy for an unproven theory," said Leighton Steward, chairman of Plants Need CO2. "There's a concern that if it turns out that CO2 is not a major cause of climate change, NASA will have put the reputation of NASA, NASA's current and former employees, and even the very reputation of science itself at risk of public ridicule and distrust."
49 former NASA scientists and astronauts sent a letter to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden last week criticizing the agency for it’s role in advocating a high degree of certainty that man-made CO2 is a major cause of climate change while neglecting empirical evidence that calls the theory into question, according to Leighton Steward of Plants Need CO2.


Source: Houston Chronicle | Comments (102)




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Comment icon #93 Posted by Karlis 12 years ago
Could it be because NASA had to come to an intimate understanding of the dangers of "groupthink" and maybe they are looking at climate science through just such a prism? Please don't beat me, I'm not a scientist..... I thought that the article was of interest, "simply because" NASA personnel thought it worth making such a statement, which they must have known would attract a lot of attention.
Comment icon #94 Posted by Doug1029 12 years ago
One comment here while I figure out this new format: Would Karlis get his annual health physical from an astronaut? How about getting a cancer treatment from his local dendrochronologist? These are scientists every bit as much as his medical doctor. So why not go to them for an opinion? BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE TOPIC. There are a lot of folks out there who think that a Ph.D. in something makes them experts on everything, especially subjects they know nothing about. Doug
Comment icon #95 Posted by Karlis 12 years ago
One comment here while I figure out this new format: Would Karlis get his annual health physical from an astronaut? How about getting a cancer treatment from his local dendrochronologist? These are scientists every bit as much as his medical doctor. So why not go to them for an opinion? BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE TOPIC. There are a lot of folks out there who think that a Ph.D. in something makes them experts on everything, especially subjects they know nothing about. Doug That was a straw man post, Doug. Consider this excerpt from the OP article.In their letter, the group said ... [More]
Comment icon #96 Posted by ShadowSot 12 years ago
Karlis, the greater consensus is anthropomorphic climate change. We're talking millions of scientists trained in climate study versus a few thousand of various unrelated or related fields. Ashas been pointed out in threads on evolution we can lists hundreds of scientists with the name "Steve." As far as the thread, why've you made another thread on the same subject? Why not just bump one of the existing thread(s)?
Comment icon #97 Posted by Karlis 12 years ago
Karlis, the greater consensus is anthropomorphic climate change. We're talking millions of scientists trained in climate study versus a few thousand of various unrelated or related fields. Ashas been pointed out in threads on evolution we can lists hundreds of scientists with the name "Steve."As you yourself just stated, there is a multiplicity of opinions concerning Global Warming.As far as the thread, why've you made another thread on the same subject? Why not just bump one of the existing thread(s)?This thread concerns opinions held by specific NASA people. It's not related to other topics.
Comment icon #98 Posted by Doug1029 12 years ago
That was a straw man post, Doug. Consider this excerpt from the OP article. OK. It was a straw-man post. But it's not like these guys are actually qualified climate scientists. In their letter, the group said that thousands of years of data challenge modern-day claims that man-made carbon dioxide is causing climate change. “With hundreds of well-known climate scientists and tens of thousands of other scientists publicly declaring their disbelief in the catastrophic forecasts, coming particuThis isn't rocklarly from (NASA’s) Goddard Institute for Space Studies leadership, it is clear that t... [More]
Comment icon #99 Posted by ShadowSot 12 years ago
As you yourself just stated, there is a multiplicity of opinions concerning Global Warming. This thread concerns opinions held by specific NASA people. It's not related to other topics. There's also many opinions about wether or not the Earth is round, rotating around the sun, ect. Surprisingly many of these people share a similar issue of having no relevamt skill in the field. My point with the scientists named Steve is you are talking about a very minor amount of scientists who are well... Irrelevant to this disscusion. These specific Nasa people have an opinion as good as a layman in this s... [More]
Comment icon #100 Posted by questionmark 12 years ago
Do you not see why it is of some importance that, "nearly 50 former astronauts and scientists--including the ex-boss of the Johnson Space Center--claim the agency is on the wrong side of science and must change course or ruin the reputation of the world’s top space agency"? Well, if everybody working at NASA knows ewhat it is all about we should put the janitors into mission control. Would be a lot cheaper. And while at the subject: The opinion of 50 people who have worked in an unrelated field might be an opinion, but scientifically as relevant as the ranting of the pastor about evolution. ... [More]
Comment icon #101 Posted by Karlis 12 years ago
Well, if everybody working at NASA knows ewhat it is all about we should put the janitors into mission control. Would be a lot cheaper. And while at the subject: The opinion of 50 people who have worked in an unrelated field might be an opinion, but scientifically as relevant as the ranting of the pastor about evolution. I don't know why you keep harping on this. Questionmark -- the opinion of the 50-or-so NASA people who signed the letter ... Their opinion was the purpose of this OP.That said -- it is not I who "keeps harping on this" ... it's posters who keep on harping about the comments ma... [More]
Comment icon #102 Posted by JayMark 12 years ago
The opinion of those 49 scientists is just irrelevant. Period. They have been paid to lie and spead the usual bull like so many others already. They all have their own little funny fairy tales. Some are quite hillarious. These guys are saying we shouldn't worry about atmospheric carbon dioxide as long as we don't reach 8,000 ppm. Until then, it's only going to be benefical for the whole humanity because... plants need carbon dioxide! Do I need to explain why it dosen't make sense? They are also saying (with data included) that carbon dioxide concentration and solar irradiance are all globally ... [More]


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