Experts from around the world gathered to assess the current state of global warming science at the second annual International Conference on Climate Change in New York City. The conference was sponsored by the Heartland Institute and co-sponsored by CFACT and several dozen other public policy organizations. The conference featured such heavy-weight scientific experts as MIT’s Dr. Richard Lindzen, NASA’s John Theon, Former EPA Deputy Assistant Dr. Fred Singer, and the University of Alabama’s Dr. Roy Spencer, among many others. Also in attendance were political leaders such as Czech Republic and European Union President Vaclav Klaus, Congressman Tom McClintock, and some 50 state representatives from various states around the nation. With increasing numbers of Americans beginning to question the science surrounding climate change, this conference offered much ammunition to question the hype surrounding impending claims of doom-and-gloom offered up by Al Gore and other climate alarmists.
For its part, CFACT was well represented. Numerous advisors spoke at various break-out sessions on subjects ranging from science and policy to economics and the media. Among those who took part in these side events included Dr. Willie Soon (Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), Dr. Howard Hayden (University of Connecticut, emeritus), and David Evans (Australia’s Greenhouse Model Program). The twelve delegates from CFACT’s Collegians included students from the University of Connecticut, Rutgers University, SUNY Fredonia, and Syracuse University. The Collegians presence was very visible because they manned a booth where they disseminated informational brochures on their activities and projects and even conducted television interviews with interested media passing by.
Perhaps the highlight of the conference, however, from CFACT’s point of view was the announcement that Marc Morano would be joining its staff in April. Morano, who has served for several years on the Environment and Public Works Committee under Senator James Inhofe, has received much acclaim for his reporting on climate change. This April he will begin managing a new, state of the art website designed to be a one-stop shop on all issues related to global warming. The announcement drew a good reaction from the attendees, and a number of media outlets interviewed Marc about his new project with CFACT. Expect to see more on this in the coming weeks!
Mainstream media coverage for the event, not unexpectedly, was minimal. Predictably the New York Times placed news about it on the back pages of its paper. The conference did, however, accomplish what it intended: which was to motivate and encourage scientists, academics and policy experts to continue speaking out and informing the public through the various channels at their disposal. Such public education — through talk radio, websites and blogs — is proving to be profoundly beneficial in shaping public attitudes on the issue. Recent Gallup polling indicates that 41% of Americans now believe global warming is overhyped (a record high) and other polling by Rasmussen reveals that a majority of voters believe mankind is not the principle cause of any climate change. Plans for a third, and even larger, summit are already underway, and CFACT intends to continue its annual participation in this most worthwhile initiative.