In January, 16 scientists signed a widely-read opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal titled "No Need To Panic About Global Warming," concluding that "There is no compelling scientific argument for drastic action to 'decarbonize' the world's economy."
William Nordhaus, Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, was among many distinguished academics noted by the authors in support of their premise – that climate change is a grand hoax played on modern democracies by politicians with myriad conflicts of interest.
Apparently, Mr. Nordhaus took umbrage with the conclusions drawn by scientists based on his research. In an article published March 22 in the New York Review of Books, Nordhaus lays out an imminently readable six-point argument disputing the commentary, titled, "Why the Global Warming Skeptics Are Wrong."
In it, Nordhaus address six issues raised by the climate-change deniers:
- Is the planet in fact warming?
- Are human influences an important contributor to warming?
- Is carbon dioxide a pollutant?
- Are we seeing a regime of fear for skeptical climate scientists?
- Are the views of mainstream climate scientists driven primarily by the desire for financial gain?
- Is it true that more carbon dioxide and additional warming will be beneficial?
The climate change debate is without doubt one of utmost importance to Alaskans, many of whom already are experiencing impacts of global warming in the form of eroding coastlines, thawing permafrost and changing biodiversity in the Far North.
Read the WSJ opinion piece here and Nordhaus's response here.