But we have two very simple and very reliable places we can look to see if global warming is really happening: the polar ice caps, whose maximum and minimum ice extents can readily be measured; and more importantly, the temperatures in the stratosphere, which we can get very reliably from satellites, and which suffer none of the complicating effects of land temperature measurement. The atmosphere is reasonably well mixed at that height, in my understanding, and the amount of air movement is much less.
Some basic physics may be in order. The postulate of the Warmist Cult is that human-produced CO2 emissions will rise into the upper atmosphere–the stratosphere–and remain there for a very long time. CO2 is present at ground level, but has very little effect relative to water vapor. CO2 only absorbs about ten percent of the infrared, radiant spectrum, whereas water absorbs most of it.
Let me repeat that: CO2 only absorbs AT MOST 10% of the radiant energy being released by the Earth.
At the frequencies where it operates, it is fully saturated. No energy leaving Earth in, say, the 13-15 micron bandwidth, makes it to space. This has been the case for some time. Everyone who is familiar with the science knows this.
The Global Warming Conjecture is based on the notion that as stratospheric CO2 concentrations increase, the altitude at which the energy is fully absorbed will continue to decrease. Higher temperatures will slowly creep down. On the face of it, this is not a farcical proposition.
Here is the issue, though: the air in the stratosphere is very, very thin. No conventional airplane could operate up there. This means that to have an effect on the lower atmosphere, a LOT of warming has to be happening–in my understanding, roughly 3x the warming we can actually observe with highly reliable satellite data. One could in fact make the case that to the extent CO2 induced forcing is happening, it can be seen real-time in stratospheric temperature data.
Since this warming is a necessary postulate of the models, and since it cannot be observed, the models are clearly ipso facto falsified, and the high priests must KNOW THIS.
Here is what I think is actually happening: they have all the usual fears, of overpopulation, species extinctions, running out of food, ruining the environment in a broad sense, and they want a global government to, as they see it, implement “sensible” policies. Humans have too much freedom.
And they have the long term propaganda success of Global Warming to use. It is a highly complex situation, within which every weather event can be used as evidence for the ignorant, and thus very suitable to the purpose. They rationalize their lies by saying it is for the higher good, that humans are too stupid to be allowed to continue as they have.
It is an elitist mind-set, and a very old one. The notion of being saved by one’s betters has been used to justify a large segment of the world’s tyrannies throughout human history. That the entire project is founded on a lie shows the lack of moral compass or vision on the part of those perpetrating it.