Happy birthday to WUWT – 5 years today | Watts Up With That?

Factoid: I used to be a climate alarmist, but now I’m a skeptic.

Back in 1990, I used to be just like some of the climate activists today. Inspired by what Dr. James Hansen said to congress in his famous speech in June 1988, I felt like I had to “do something”. That culminated in nationwide project with the National Arbor Day Foundation working with TV weathercasters and meteorologists nationwide to convince their viewers to plant trees to offset CO2. In 1990 and 1991, I delivered a video graphics presentation for local TV weathercasters and meteorologist to narrate on this subject for the benefit of their viewers. It was delivered nationally via satellite courtesy of CBS Newspath, where I had done some work and had connections. I can remember browbeating TV people then to carry the program I developed because “it really is the most important thing you can do right now”. A 1990 National Arbor Day foundation report showed that 174 TV stations participated and they mailed out over 240,000 Colorado Blue Spruce seedlings to viewers as a result.  Truly, I felt as if I had “done something”, and I can relate to how many people who feel motivated to “save the planet” must feel today.

Climate change slowly melting China's glaciers - People's Daily Online

The report also forecasted that a rise of 2.5 degrees Celsius in the world's temperature will cause a drop in China's agricultural output, with a maximum decrease of 20 percent in the yield per unit area, provided that no measures will be taken.

Articles: Why BEST Will Not Settle the Climate Debate

[Fred Singer] remember -- there is no evidence at all for significant future warming.

Articles: Penn State's Scandal and the Truth about Power in Academia

The sexual abuse scandal at Penn State gives us a glimpse into power -- the power with which universities arrogantly operate and how they consider themselves islands quarantined from the legal and moral concerns of the larger society.   

Universities are fiefdoms.  In many locales, they are the largest employers.  Their press releases are faithfully transmitted by many local newspapers as real news.  Few local newspapers dare to have someone assigned to the campus, the way reporters are assigned to monitor the police, courts, or other institutions.  Campus scandals are routinely hushed up, and the intrepid young reporter who will investigate a campus scandal, even on his own time, will often find that his paper will not run it.

The only time a scandal makes news is when it escapes into the public domain.