Climate Change
There is no doubt that the fear of the effects of 'man-made global warming', as described by the United Nations Intercontinental Panel on Climate Change, is responsible for the drive towards renewable energy and particular wind energy. Without this no-one would seriously propose putting 100 metre high steel towers is our most sensitive and unique countryside. Country Guardian's view on this theory is explained in The Case against Windfarms, section A (The case for windfarms)
Whilst not denying the existence of the the greenhouse effect and the possibility of man-made influencies, it is clear that we need to see a lot more scientific evidence before we can justify damaging the environment in order to save it. The Climate Research Centre is attempting to plug some of the gaps
A new book by an the Danish professor of statistics, Bjorn Lomborg, - The Skeptical Environmentalist - questions the justification for spending vast sums of money on reducing emissions of CO2, when we could alleviate the bad effects of global warming, take advantage of the good effects and still have a lot left for fighting third-world poverty, disease, debt, lack of drinking water etc.
Also Climate Science and Policy: Making the Connection - a major new critique of the Intercontinental Panel on Climate Change of the science of 'global warming'.
Available from: Lorraine Mooney, European Science and Environment Forum , 4, Church Lane, Barton, Cambridge, CB3 7BE, U.K. (£5.00 incl. p. & p. UK); tel. (0)1223 264643; fax: (0)1223 264645.
Read The Precautionary Principle for a reasoned analysis of this "principle" which is often used to justify windfarms
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