Idiotic Environmental Predictions

[Guest]

The Competitive Enterprise Institute has published a new paper, "Wrong Again: 50 Years of Failed Eco-pocalyptic Predictions." Keep in mind that many of the grossly wrong environmentalist predictions were made by respected scientists and government officials.

My question for you is:  If you were around at the time, how many government restrictions and taxes would you have urged to avoid the predicted calamity?

Authored by Walter Williams, op-ed via Townhall.com,

FULL ARTICLE -  https://www.zerohedge.com/health/idiotic-environmental-predictions

As reported in The New York Times (Aug. 1969) Stanford University biologist Dr. Paul Erhlich warned: "The trouble with almost all environmental problems is that by the time we have enough evidence to convince people, you're dead. We must realize that unless we're extremely lucky, everybody will disappear in a cloud of blue steam in 20 years."

In 2000, Dr. David Viner, a senior research scientist at University of East Anglia's climate research unit, predicted that in a few years winter snowfall would become "a very rare and exciting event. Children just aren't going to know what snow is."

In 2004, the U.S. Pentagon warned President George W. Bush that major European cities would be beneath rising seas. Britain will be plunged into a Siberian climate by 2020.

In 2008, Al Gore predicted that the polar ice cap would be gone in a mere 10 years. A U.S. Department of Energy study led by the U.S. Navy predicted the Arctic Ocean would experience an ice-free summer by 2016.

In May 2014, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius declared during a joint appearance with Secretary of State John Kerry that "we have 500 days to avoid climate chaos."

Peter Gunter, professor at North Texas State University, predicted in the spring 1970 issue of The Living Wilderness: "Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions.... By the year 2000, thirty years from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine."

Ecologist Kenneth Watt's 1970 prediction was, "If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000." He added, "This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age."

Mark J. Perry, scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan's Flint campus, cites 18 spectacularly wrong predictions made around the time of first Earth Day in 1970. This time it's not about weather.

Harrison Brown, a scientist at the National Academy of Sciences, published a chart in Scientific American that looked at metal reserves and estimated that humanity would run out of copper shortly after 2000. Lead, zinc, tin, gold and silver would be gone before 1990. Kenneth Watt said, "By the year 2000, if present trends continue, we will be using up crude oil at such a rate ... that there won't be any more crude oil."

There were grossly wild predictions well before the first Earth Day, too.

In 1939, the U.S. Department of the Interior predicted that American oil supplies would last for only another 13 years. In 1949, the secretary of the interior said the end of U.S. oil supplies was in sight. Having learned nothing from its earlier erroneous energy claims, in 1974, the U.S. Geological Survey said that the U.S. had only a 10-year supply of natural gas. However, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated that as of Jan. 1, 2017, there were about 2,459 trillion cubic feet of dry natural gas in the United States. That's enough to last us for nearly a century. The United States is the largest producer of natural gas worldwide.

Today's wild predictions about climate doom are likely to be just as true as yesteryear's. The major difference is today's Americans are far more gullible and more likely to spend trillions fighting global warming. And the only result is that we'll be much poorer and less free.

#freetibet #youvestolenmydreams #factscanbeannoying

Edited October 10, 2019 by Guest

[El Nikko + 2,145]

[James Regan + 1,776]

1 hour ago, El Nikko said:

Need to find this unicorn and catch it for studying, the amount of energy she is producing could be the answer, do they have some special powers we don't know about, and that's why they are so damn persistent.  New X-Man - AGWM

[James Regan + 1,776]

1 hour ago, DayTrader said:

Today's wild predictions about climate doom are likely to be just as true as yesteryear's. The major difference is today's Americans are far more gullible and more likely to spend trillions fighting global warming. And the only result is that we'll be much poorer and less free.

Instant link to millennials thread.

Just for fits and giggles hasn't the planet gone through and Ice age, who fault was that? Humans in general are heavily guided by ego's, do we really think we can destroy a planet, the universe is on a path that we can do nothing about it only adapt or stagnate, eventually we will exhaust all the carbon feedstocks and by then they will have come up with a solution. So base the situation on the will of the universe and stop blaming and singling out certain sectors, especially when the people on the planet at present depend fully on the use of the Carbon feedstocks to achieve the desired result. 

The sun will win in the end.

Edited October 10, 2019 by James Regan
Scotty was late beaming me up....

[Guest]

5 hours ago, James Regan said:

the universe is on a path that we can do nothing about

DING. Just enjoy the ride.

RIP Bill Hicks 

[Tom Kirkman + 8,860]

Still relevant:

[Guest]

< crickets >

 

Very telling. 

Edited October 11, 2019 by Guest

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

I’m confused (again...). This is the second post to include an article where European cities will be underwater at the same time London is experiencing Siberian weather.

A little help please...

[PE Scott + 563]

22 minutes ago, Douglas Buckland said:

I’m confused (again...). This is the second post to include an article where European cities will be underwater at the same time London is experiencing Siberian weather.

A little help please...

These are very complex climate algorithm. Far be it for us meer Petroleum Engineers to question this advanced science. Best we stick to digging holes in the ground.

Edited October 11, 2019 by PE Scott

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

Wish I could PE! Just no drilling gigs out there!

[PE Scott + 563]

I feel ya. I don't have plans to work again until January....and you know how that goes in the oilfield! 

I guess the alarmist will have to suffer our backwoods skepticism until there are more holes to be drilled.

[Tom Kirkman + 8,860]

2 hours ago, Douglas Buckland said:

I’m confused (again...). This is the second post to include an article where European cities will be underwater at the same time London is experiencing Siberian weather.

A little help please...

In European cities, salt water from the ocean doesn't freeze due to EU Carbon Tax laws.

Since UK is Brexiting from the EU, the EU Carbon Tax laws do not apply to London, and therefore, London will freeze their butts off in Siberian weather due to Climate Armageddon.

Perfect opportunity for Putin to interfere in London elections, because Climate Armageddon Siberian Weather is a suitable environment for Russia to store their excess vodka free of charge, and also control the London Prime Minister like a frozen puppet.  Just like Putin controls Trump like a puppet.

Science and Climate Politics are really not that difficult.  I'd be happy to go on CNN or Sky News to explain if this is still confusing to anyone.

 

[El Nikko + 2,145]

Oh No!!!

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

I quit taking this Nobel prize BS seriously when they gave the Peace Prize to Obama after something like a month in office...

[El Nikko + 2,145]

3 minutes ago, Douglas Buckland said:

I quit taking this Nobel prize BS seriously when they gave the Peace Prize to Obama after something like a month in office...

Didn't they award it to the EU as well?

 

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

Don’t know...

[AdrianC + 42]

1 hour ago, El Nikko said:

Didn't they award it to the EU as well?

 

They have in 2012 "for over decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe." 

 

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

So you can award the prize to an organization or an individual.

I suppose next year they can award it to the Turkish military for securing peace, by any means, along their border by invading another country.

Bet the UN doesn’t say a thing...

[El Nikko + 2,145]

1 hour ago, AdrianC said:

They have in 2012 "for over decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe." 

 

Indeed, that didn't age well though lol

[El Nikko + 2,145]

1 hour ago, Douglas Buckland said:

So you can award the prize to an organization or an individual.

I suppose next year they can award it to the Turkish military for securing peace, by any means, along their border by invading another country.

Bet the UN doesn’t say a thing...

At this point ISIS could be the next recipient for advancements in head chopping...nothing would surprise me anymore

[Guest]

Still ..... 

<crickets>

 

Weird....

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

19 hours ago, AdrianC said:

They have in 2012 "for over decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe." 

 

Of course they have also contributed heavily to the Brexit fiasco, unchecked legal, and illegal, immigration, the financial turmoil in Greece, Spain and Portugal. They have caused dissension by expanding much further than Europe and finally, they have not provided any discernible leadership outside of their borders, while expecting others to do so.

[remake it + 288]

9 minutes ago, Douglas Buckland said:

Of course they have also contributed heavily to the Brexit fiasco, unchecked legal, and illegal, immigration, the financial turmoil in Greece, Spain and Portugal. They have caused dissension by expanding much further than Europe and finally, they have not provided any discernible leadership outside of their borders, while expecting others to do so.

There is some absolute dross posted here, so let's just look at your first point, where the UK actually voted to leave the EU, rather than the other way around.

[Douglas Buckland + 6,308]

And the EU imposed unreasonable demands, which has made it difficult, if not impossible, for the UK government to follow through on the voters decision.

One man’s dross is another man’s truth!

[Guest]

I notice the environmental BS aspect of the thread is completely ignored and still <crickets>   ?

Hmm ...