> Is that a garbled recant of her earlier denial?
She's clearly not an expert on climate change. Maybe she would have
been better off learning the relevant passage in the IPCC summary for
policy makers by heart:
'Most of the observed increase in global average
temperatures since the mid-20th century is very
likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic
greenhouse gas concentrations.12 This is an
advance since the TAR’s conclusion that “most of
the observed warming over the last 50 years is likely
to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas
concentrations”.'
The IPCC don't use the word certain and they say "most of the observed
increase". And they refer to global average temperatures. The beauty
of that is it's a lot more precise than "Climate change is man made."
Let's look at foot note one of the IPCC AR4 summary for policy makers:
"Climate change in IPCC usage refers to any change in climate over
time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human
activity. This usage differs from
that in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,
where climate change refers to a change of climate that is attributed
directly or indirectly to
human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere
and that is in addition to natural climate variability observed over
comparable time periods."
Taking the IPCC usage, I think you'd have to say something like
"Climate change can be man made or natural.", which also says nothing,
really you'd have to say "For some aspects of climate attribution
studies have found a discernible signal from anthropogenic causes over
and above natural climate variability."
And to be honest, I don't particularly like that either. The fact is
scientists believe that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, because its radiation
properties can be measured in the lab. That much is certain. It's also
certain that the vast majority of the recent increase in CO2
concentration is due to anthropogenic emissions. We've emitted more
than has accumulated in the atmosphere. That is also 100% certain.
It's when it gets to question such as whether hurricane damage would
be higher in 2100 if we emitted enough to have a CO2 concentration of
550 ppm compared to 350 ppm where things begin to get murkier.
Now, I am biased, I like Sarah Palin, I think she'll take a pragmatic
line, I take her statements to mean that she is sceptical of some of
the doom mongering language, but convinced some action should be
taken. Or in other words, I think she'd sign sensible climate change
legislation from Congress. She'll certainly be happier with oil
drilling than Democrats and I suspect she'd sign off nukes more
happily than the average Democrat. If I was an American (which I am
not), and she was the candidate for President (rather than just VP),
I'd vote for her over Obama or Biden or A Generic Democrat, even if
the only topic American Presidents had any say in was climate change.
There's a near 50/50 split in the American electorate and while in the
centre the differences aren't large, I do usually tend towards the
Republican viewpoint on energy and environmental policy. Though not
always, I'd be happy enough with 10 Dollar a gallon gasoline and
automatic speed limiter enforced speed limits of 20 miles per hour in
cities, but then again I haven't heard many elected Democrats push too
hard for those kinds of position either... And if it was Hillary
Clinton rather than A Generic Democrat, I might actually go for her;
at least her husband seemed quite pragmatic to me as a President
(don't forget I am not an expert on American politics and I can't vote
anyway).
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