CO2 Famine: Exxon-Paid Scientist Says Earth Is Short On Greenhouse Gases (VIDEO)

The Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee had an unusual guest recently: a man who says we are in a carbon dioxide famine. Treehugger's John Laumer spotted the video, which is actually really much more interesting to watch than a lot of scientist-on-politician action. Part of it is just his manner -- lazily slumped over a chair, smirkingly saying that our planet used to have four times as much CO2, and that things were "prosperous" then.

Of course, as Laumer points out...

Somehow it always comes back to this:

"Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who heads the committee, said after Happer's testimony that he is affiliated with an institute that received hundreds of thousands of dollars from ExxonMobil over the past decade."

With that in mind, check out this video. Especially interesting is when Boxer points out that "a lot has changed" in 80 million years, which is actually a rebuttal of something Dr. Happer has said.

Comments

[ObjectiveRealist]

Exxon-Mobil announced, between one and two years ago, no more funding for such lies.

http://www.accountability-central.com/single-view-default/article/study-shows-exxonmobil-lagging-competitors-on-climate-change/?tx_ttnews[backPid]=1327&cHash=e35b5fc3c0
http://www.greenpeace.org.au/blog/energy/?p=179

So, who IS paying this fraud, now?

[ObjectiveRealist]

Could it be www.douglassreport.com? Which keeps on appearing in the context-dependent ads on global warming-related pages today.

If you want to learn about global warming facts, try these researchers' sites, not corporate-funded "think" tanks.
http://climateprediction.net/
http://www.aip.org/history/climate/co2.htm

[V4Vendetta]

Maybe it's a complete coincidence, but Professor Happer was also wheeled in to 'debunk' Pond's and Fleischer's Cold Fusion research.

[SFTor]

Well, that can't have been so hard. Do you read anything else into this?

[V4Vendetta]

He seems to be a scientific gun for hire, is all. Have controversy, he will muddy waters for you.

As for 'cold fusion', no-one has satisfactorily explained the excess heat and Tritium that have been found in hundreds of experiments done since the 'original' in 1989. There may not be a theory satisfactory to Nuclear physicists, but the results should make good, inquisitive scientists say, ' Hmmmmm....... that is very interesting.'

It seems entrenched power structures don't go quietly into the good night, they rage against the 'coming' of the light, as it were.

What is your take on the situation?

[quindy]

What I don't understand is why is this guy even invited to give his opinion on climate change? His expertise is not geology or climate, so his opinion is irrelevant. That he is paid by some institute working on behalf of Exxon makes no difference. Congress would do better to invite experts and have discussions with them.

[SFTor]

It appears that "this guy" is one of the most distinguished scientists in the country, and has carried out a lot of work that makes him competent to speak on the topic.

You can still disagree with him, but I would be careful to not attack his credentials.

[justmeinAz]

Hardly true. His industry connections make his opinions on this issue highly suspect.

[NewYorkJ]

If someone making the kind of terrible arguments Happer is making in this testimony is one of the most qualified representatives that the contrarian crowd has, that says a lot about the contrarian movement.

Ties to ideological and/or fossil fuel funded organizations matter, and note that most of the fringe contrarian crowd is tied to such groups. The Marshall Institute is a far right group that has been in the global warming denial business for decades now.

"Meanwhile, the conservative George C. Marshall Institute ($310,000) issued a press release asserting that the Arctic report was based on “unvalidated climate models and scenarios…that bear little resemblance to reality and how the future is likely to evolve.” In response, McCain said, “General Marshall was a great American. I think he might be very embarrassed to know that his name was being used in this disgraceful fashion.”

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2005/05/some-it-hot

[grf67]

The biggest reason that the earth was fine 80 million years ago is that there were no republicans or pundits who knew everything and appreciated nothing.

[jcollell]

A greenhouse famine? You have got to be kidding me!! Of all the possible things this guy could say, that is the best that he could come up with?

http://www.youspar.com/

[SFTor]

I don't understand your point. He believes that CO2 levels are very low today.

If you have an argument with it you need to state it.

[SFTor]

Here's a bio on the guy:

"Dr. William Happer is a specialist in laser spectroscopy, optical pumping, radio frequency spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance. He is a professor in the Department of Physics at Princeton University and a prominent technical consultant to industry and government.

Dr. Happer is a member of JASON, a group of nationally known scientists who advise government agencies on defense, energy, etc. From 1987-1990 he was chairman of JASON, and a member since 1976.

In July 1991, he became the director of the Office of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy in the Bush Administration (until May 1993)."

He is working on the basic science to create better MRI technology for imaging lungs and other soft tissue.

He was fired by Al Gore from the Department Of Energy (1993?) for disagreeing with concerns over the hole in the ozone layer.

The video does not give much to go on whether he has a legitimate claim.

I have not been able to find any information on the institute that is in the pay of Exxon-Mobil. If it is Princeton University it would put the story in a different light.

This much is known:

It appears to be correct that CO2 concentrations are at a historic low. Whether this qualifies as CO2 starvation I can't answer. The lower limit for plants to survive is somewhere around 200 ppm.

It seems clear that this man is no lightweight, but he is controversial.

[Exusian]

That would be the George C. Marshall Institute
See:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_C._Marshall_Institute
and:
http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=36

[justmeinAz]

notice however that his fields of scientific achievement have nothing to do with ecology and climate? Not any PhD will do here. He was appointed by Bush I, famous for his "up to our eyeballs in spotted-owls" denying of the need for basic conservation, so I'd have to say he was picked for his political position, not his expertise in the field. I'm sure he's good at what he does, but his bio makes it clear that he doesn't do environment.

[justmeinAz]

actually, better make it 5 or less. I really, really don't trust majority opinion.

[ObjectiveRealist]

Heh, he might be qualified -- just barely, based on his apparent "specialty" of optical physics -- to explain why global warming by CO2-driven radiative forcing is a FACT, and only the extent of the damage was ever debatable.
http://www.aip.org/history/climate/co2.htm
http://www.aip.org/history/climate/xArrhenius.htm

He apparently lacks the intellectual honesty and rigor to speak directly, clearly and factually about what is known, and what remains unknown.
http://www.aip.org/history/climate/Radmath.htm

[ObjectiveRealist]

Not the least bit impressive!

quote:
Dr. William Happer is a specialist in laser spectroscopy, optical pumping (laser theory 101), radio frequency spectroscopy (spectroscopy is spectroscopy; the theory is not different at different frequencie­s/waveleng­ths, he is just padding his résumé), and magnetic resonance (lasers, and light in general, are simply electro-magnetic waves; my optometrist knows more about optical physics than that shill.). He is a professor in the Department of Physics at Princeton University (good help is so hard to find these days, especially in the physical sciences) and a prominent technical consultant to industry and government (only criterion for those jobs: 1+ academic titles, Ivy League strongly preferred, no productive work nor inventions needed nor requested; check).
/quote

[StopGlobalWarmingBeVegan]

omg

[Pharos]

I've made several comments here about the video clip where I said that Dr. Happer was right on the science and wrong when he left the realm of science. I have now had a chance to read his whole testimony and I was being way too generous. He actually makes statements that are at odds with the published data. It would seem to me that he should be required to document why the published findings are wrong. The published work has undergone peer review, his testimony has not. Peer review is an essential part of science and Dr. Happer knows that better than most.

In my view, his testimony is just plain weird, even some of the science.

On the other hand he does correctly say "The combustion of fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas, has contributed to the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. And finally, increasing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere will cause the earth’s surface to warm."

[Exusian]

That's OK, Pharos. One's first instinct would of course be to give the benefit of the doubt to a scientist of Dr. Happer's stature, but it's quite clear that he's just not in Kansas any more. Quite sad, really.

[NCRDIBULL]

Compared to the caldre of paid globalphobist scientist who will goosestep the Goracle in order to ensure grants and $$$$$$$

[Exusian]

Sputter...., sputter....., glurg.....

[justmeinAz]

Interesting attempt at making it sound as if it's the vast majority of climate scientists who have documented and predicted global warming that are the oddities, and the exceedingly rare quack with an actual degree is the obvious trustworthy source. Let's apply that logic to Congress and say that a bill needs 20 or fewer votes to pass, if it gets 21 or more it fails.

[dteg]

Slam dumk for Senator Boxer. Sorry Laumer America is finally waking up and Coporate America can no longer get away with telling us night is day and day is night. It's hard to get a 10 day weather forcast and a coporate goon is trying to tell me what happened 80 million years ago.

[Pharos]

It's actually easier to figure out what happened 60 million years ago than it is to get a 10 day weather forecast (weather is chaotic, climate is not). Much of what Dr. Happer was saying was not science, it was his opinion based on who knows what. He actually agreed that more CO2 was going into the atmosphere and that it would get a few degrees warmer (at least in the video clip I saw). He would, I am sure, be irritated with my saying so, but it seems to me he testified (probably inadvertently) that AGW is correct .

[NewYorkJ]

Happer is also a bit loose with his supporting evidence. Some further factual issues with Happer's testimony:

First, he says primates originated 80 million years ago. Not a bad estimate, but there's actually a range of 55-85 million years (based on more limited evidence, the lower limit could be 65 million).

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0303/02-mya-nf.html

Note that the earliest primates looked almost more like rodents - certainly not comparable to today's human civilization, as Boxer nicely points out.

More importantly, he claims CO2 levels were "3-4 times greater than today". Current concentrations are about 380 ppm, which would make his estimate of that time period, which would make concentrations 80 million years ago 1100-1500 ppm. This isn't really so. Various studies have indicated that concentration levels were roughly 400-1000 ppm 80 million years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phanerozoic_Carbon_Dioxide.png

So in reality, CO2 levels were no more than 2.5 times greater than today and possibly the same. Furthermore, if you assume 55 million years, the range is roughly 400-800 ppm.

More striking is the period before the first primates. All but one study indicates CO2 levels were much higher about 100 million years ago, 1000 to 2000 ppm. Could it be that only a sharp drop in CO2 levels created a conducive environment for primate evolution?

Perhaps the pretentious lawyer-like Will Happer has an answer to that.

[friedfish2718]

Global Warming = Fewer Polar Bears = More Seals = Fewer Cod = More Plankton
= More Solar Conversion = Global Cooling!!!!

[Pharos]

Are you willing to bet the plankton will survive in a way so as to support human life? The PETM was about 50 million years ago when the Earth was "just fine" according to Happer (who didn't define what he meant by "fine").

FROM
Calcareous plankton evolution and the Paleocene/Eocene thermal maximum event
Paul Bown, University College London (United Kingdom)
Paul Pearson, Cardiff University (United Kingdom)
"Nevertheless, the event fell within the interval that saw the highest turnover rates in the history of the calcareous nannoplankton group."

[Exusian]

Or more red tides and anoxic zones, which we are already seeing, and perhaps even hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria.

[melmoid]

The climate was vastly different back then and not exactly hospitable to a modern civilization. What seems to be neglected when they point out that CO2 is a plant "food" is that other factors become limiting like WATER, soil and fertilizer--at least for the terrestrial plants. If we try to grow more plants, we will no doubt collide with water and soil shortages before we run out of CO2. There is also the little problem of methane gas which is not used by most plants.

When considering solutions to global warming, it does make a huge difference whether it is man caused or natural. If it is entirely natural why worry about CO2 emissions but dams, levees and other defensive structures of a grand nature will be required. If it is caused in large part by CO2 and methane, then restrictions of emissions and defensive structures are likely to be needed.

[PWM]

Exxon needs to be regulated and investigated.

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

Indeed, 'a lot of things have happened since then.'

'Many people don't realize that' T.Rex is not only the father of 20th century boy, but also the name of the kind of beast that roamed the earth back then.

[NewYorkJ]

LOL!

Happer is trying to compare today's human civilization with the Plesiadapis. Good smackdown by Boxer on such a pathetic argument.

https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndfossil/Poster/bullion/images/plesiadapis_1.gif

Maybe dinosaurs will come back too.

This is also a guy who disputed the consensus on ozone depletion in the early 90's and was hired by Bush Sr..