During the first half of Friday's program, Art Bell talked with Dr. Roy Spencer (ecoenquirer.com - environmental satire/fake news) about climate change and Jim Hansen, the climate scientist who claims to have been censored by NASA because of his views on global warming. Spencer, who has worked with NASA for the last 20 years, disagreed with Hansen's hypothesis that mankind is mostly responsible for global climate change, though he suggested that man's activity could account for as much as half. The rest can be explained by natural cycles, Spencer said.
He pointed out that natural circulation shifts are probably to blame for the melting of the North Polar ice caps. Spencer also commented on last year's record-breaking hurricane season, which was likely the result of "rapid deepening cycles" rather than anything man has done to the climate, he remarked. Spencer expressed skepticism about what we could know about past climates by studying ice core samples, and said 'feedbacks' have been overstated in climate models.
According to Spencer, we can do little to affect global warming with policy changes. Even alternative forms of energy, like solar and hydrogen, would do little to combat climate change, he said, because they cannot provide for the large-scale power needs of the planet, as petroleum and coal can. Spencer predicts a modest warming trend for the planet in the coming decades, but said that mankind will be able to adapt to it. In the end, the climate will find a way to restore the balance, he concluded.
Open Lines
The final two hours of the show featured Open Lines. Several callers offered their opinions about tonight's guest, Dr. Roy Spencer, as well as their thoughts on global warming. Art also invited any visiting aliens to phone in, and received a call from the self-proclaimed Son of Satan, Oscar.