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I can't comment on how "left wing" universities are because I am
apparently biased towards "liberal" thought and I work at a
university. I can say that I despise the politicization of science.
Global warming is a textbook example of this. Were it not for the
pressures from the left to frame the argument in such a way that it
supports environmental restraint *and* the pressures from Big Oil and
other nominally conservative groups to deny Man's overall importance as
a cause the scientific community would eventually hash all this out
using the scientific method.<br>
<br>
If I had to describe the general tendencies of the many powerful groups
in the US right now with one phrase, it would be "gaming the system".
Gaming the Constitution, gaming the courts, gaming the media, and now
gaming the scientific method. I have total faith that the scientists
employing the scientific method in a truly free environment will
eventually figure it out. I don't know how to set up such an
environment, nor how to fend off the well-funded interests on both
sides of the aisle. Any thoughts on that would be welcome.<br>
<br>
I do think that lowering our dependence on foreign oil and focusing on
designing "greener" methods of power generation make sense whether or
not humans are impacting global warming on a large or a small scale -
or even whether or not global warming is even happening on more than
just a short-term scale.<br>
<br>
Paul<br>
<br>
Tony wrote:
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<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Ted makes an important point about
the political pressures faced by scientists in an academic environment
which encourages if not enforces conformity to conventional wisdom.
The resulting group think is hardly conducive to flushing out truth
from prejudice and presumption. In such an environment where one's
doctoral thesis if it is to be accepted, must tow the left wing,
humanity is the root of all evil paradigm, it is obvious how an
aspiring scholar might be tempted to slant her research to please those
who hold her future in their hands.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">The university is alleged to be a
place where a variety of views are thoughtfully considered if not
embraced.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Would that it were so.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">-T</font></div>
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style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px;">
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">-----
Original Message ----- </div>
<div
style="background: rgb(228, 228, 228) none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>From:</b>
<a title="starbliss@gmail.com" href="mailto:starbliss@gmail.com">Ted
Moffett</a> </div>
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>To:</b>
<a title="nickgier@adelphia.net" href="mailto:nickgier@adelphia.net">nickgier@adelphia.net</a>
</div>
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Cc:</b>
<a title="vision2020@moscow.com" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</a>
</div>
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Sent:</b>
Thursday, March 29, 2007 2:16 PM</div>
<div
style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Subject:</b>
[Vision2020] Amazonian Deforestation and Global Warming:Was:Ed
theViking, Greenland, and Global Warming</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Nick et. al.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I'm not sure you should defer to my research on methane and
other global warming impacts of livestock, given the complexity and
room for error on such a difficult subject. But this interesting
analysis that can be read in pdf form at the web link below, that in
part examines cattle raising impacts on the Amazon rain forest, might
shed light on this issue. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>I cannot vouch for the correctness of the data and conclusions
from this study presented in 1996, especially given the rapid rate of
change in that area of the world, indeed, all over our planet.
However, this paper reveals the daunting complexity of environmental
studies, while demonstrating the exacting and sobering work that
constitutes the day to day efforts of most scientists, who usually
don't have the inclination to politicise their work, despite the claims
of many that the hundreds of scientists gathering data on global
warming have an agenda to slant their conclusions towards alarmism on
human induced global warming. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Given that scientists sometimes face political, career, or
economic pressures to slant their work, defending the independence of
the community of scientists to present their findings without these
pressures biasing their efforts, is fundamental if the public is to be
accurately informed of major scientific developments that can
significantly impact the world at large, such as climate change from
human activity. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Recently on C-SPAN testimony of NASA climate scientist James
Hansen before the US Congress was presented. He mentioned that he
thought the censorship of his scientific conclusions regarding human
impacts on global warming, by the Bush administration, was akin to the
censorship of science in the former Soviet Union. </div>
<div> </div>
<div><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"
href="http://philip.inpa.gov.br/publ_livres/Preprints/1996/REPLACE-FEM.pdf"
target="_blank">http://philip.inpa.gov.br/publ_livres/Preprints/1996/REPLACE-FEM.pdf
</a><br>
</div>
<div>-----</div>
<div>Ted Moffett<br>
</div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 3/15/07, <b
class="gmail_sendername"><a href="mailto:nickgier@adelphia.net">nickgier@adelphia.net</a></b>
<<a href="mailto:nickgier@adelphia.net">nickgier@adelphia.net</a>>
wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote"
style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Greetings:<br>
<br>
I've not seen this message in my in-box, so I'm sending it again.<br>
<br>
I just wanted to verify that my source on methane release from
livestock was from the UN's FAO report that Megan cited. <br>
<br>
However, I respect Ted's research and reasoning skills and I would be
happy to defer to his judgment on this issue since he has done more
research on this than anyone on this list.<br>
<br>
Thanks, Ted, for making it clear that raising beef cattle, no matter
how they fart, is a terribly inefficient and enviornmentally disastrous
way of getting the protein that we need. <br>
<br>
Nick Gier<br>
<br>
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