David Bellamy v Michael Fish

The BBC have a section on their website for Wearside and there are two articles there one by David Bellamy and one by Michael Fish on Global Warming. Take a read of them both - David Bellamy and Michael Fish.

David Bellamy explanation for Global Warming runs "Environmentalist David Bellamy is sceptical of man's influence on global warming - he believes rising temperatures are part of the Earth's natural cycles. David Bellamy is used to being attacked for his views on climate change but he believes there is a need for a much more balanced debate on the issue. The botanist, who is now based in County Durham, believes the recent temperature rises are just part of the Earth's natural cycle and that such changes have been seen before. He said: "Climate change is happening, it's been happening all the time there has been a climate, and there certainly is a period in recent times when it appears that the temperature is going up and up. "But I would show you this one thing out of the paper – strawberries in December, frog spawn in February – not 2007 but 1868 and no one blamed global warming then. I have asked the global warmers how to explain facts like that and they always don't give me an answer. So I am a sceptic.""

More importantly he calls for DEBATE - "What he passionately believes is that the subject should be properly debated and not just one side accepted without that.

He said: "We have got to get this thing argued out in public properly and not just take one opinion.

"Science works like that. Science is wonderful because you can argue with people and when you got proved wrong you went away with a bloody nose but you looked up to that scientist even more and you tried to get your research right.

"And I don't actually think we have been given, and especially the public, has been given a fair whack of the other side."

Debate call
He said he would like people to be given the other side of the story and let them make up their own minds.

But he says he is used to attracting derision for his opinions on the subject. He said he has had problems getting papers published which go against the view that global warming is due to carbon.

He said: "We are labelled climate sceptics, heretics. In fact some people have said we should be tried for crimes against humanity because if we don't stop something which perhaps isn't even happening, millions of people are going to die.

"I honestly think it's appalling that we have been told by some pretty top people that global warming is going to kill billions of people in the future and there's nothing we can do about it."

He adds: "I think it's pure scaremongering and I would stay stop it until the debate has been had in public and we can come out with a real scientific consensus of fact.""



Michael Fish sees things differently, he "is convinced about global warming, the impact of humans on it and that we can take measures to make a difference.

He said: "It's certainly a genuine phenomenon and it's certainly happening right now. I mean here we are, the middle of March, I'm standing out here in my shirt sleeves and I'm feeling really warm.

"A month ago I was down on the south coast, I sat outside in a restaurant and had my lunch – the middle of February, now how often can you do that.""

Mmm that's seems conclusive!


"His belief is that the phenomenon is going to have a dramatic impact.

He said: "The main message I try and get across to people is that it's the ultimate weapon of mass destruction, that's my terminology.

"Because there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that more people are going to die as a result of it than anything else and that equally applies to the north of England because come 30/40 years time the sort of summers that we had last year and back in 2003, that is likely to be considered the norm or even cool and thousands of people died as a result of those summers and the same is going to happen in the years ahead."

He believes there is very little we can do about it at the moment, and while we can slow it down, we can't stop it.

And he is in no doubt that global warming is to do with the actions of humans.

He said: "There is no doubt, and the recent IPCC report that came out about a month or so ago is unequivocal, it is definitely, definitely to do with human activity and that of course means burning of fossil fuels, more particularly power stations, but you and I are causing it as well.""




So there you have it the sceptic calls for debate whilst the believer knows that debate is unnecessary as the argument has been one! Science?


Please read my previous postings on Man Made Climate Change and take a visit to sites such as Bishop Hill, Climate Audit, Junk Science, this New Scientist article and this letter written by proper climate scientists.