By Martyn Brown
CAMPAIGNERS yesterday attempted to pour scorn on “tenuous” global warming theories by issuing a dossier detailing 100 reasons why climate change is natural and not man-made. The list includes the controversial claim that there is “no scientific proof” that rising levels of greenhouse gases are caused by human activity. **SEE THE 100 REASONS HERE**
The report, by the respected European Foundation, also argues that a higher level of carbon dioxide (CO2) – the main greenhouse gas – is not a problem because it helps to boost crop yields. And it claims that the warming we are now experiencing is “mostly natural”, pointing to historic shifts in the climate such as when Vikings farmed on Greenland in medieval times. Political analyst Jim McConalogue, who wrote the report, said: “This demonstrates how tenuous, improper and indeed false the scientific and political claims are for man-made global warming, from claims that climate change can be controlled by human activity to the proposition that CO2 emissions represent a severe threat to our way of life, when in fact there is little evidence to support any of these claims.” He warned that the Copenhagen climate summit was likely to lead to “nonsensical targets” to reduce emissions, which would result in a “burdensome regulatory agenda”. After Copenhagen, voters around the world “will see what travesty has been done in their name, as foolish politicians and indifferent industry associations have engulfed their countries in emissions legislation”. The report was issued as Gordon Brown prepared to fly out to the 192-nation Copenhagen summit today – two days early – vowing to work “tirelessly” to get a lasting deal. The talks were yesterday plunged into chaos by a half-day walkout by developing nations angry at an alleged “stitch-up” by richer countries who are responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions.Oxfam executive director Jeremy Hobbs said: “Africa has pulled the emergency cord to avoid a train crash at the end of the week. “This not about blocking the talks – it is about whether rich countries are ready to guarantee action on climate change and the survival of people in Africa and across the world.” Meanwhile, former US vice-president Al Gore – who won a Nobel Prize for his work on climate change – told the conference that new data suggested there was a 75 per cent chance the entire Arctic polar ice cap may disappear every summer within seven years. At the weekend the Environment Agency said climate change could empty rivers in southern England of trout and salmon while rising sea levels would destroy the salt marshes and mudflats needed by migrating birds. But at the European Foundation, Mr McConalogue rattled through his explanation of why global warming theories are wrong and insisted that solar activity was primarily responsible for climate change. He said: “Since the cause of global warming is mostly natural, then there is in actual fact very little we can do about it. We are still not able to control the sun.” The Met Office said the only way to explain the changing climate was through a combination of natural and man-made factors. A spokesman said: “The climate has always and will always change. This natural variability is caused by various cycles, including solar activity, volcanic eruptions and ocean circulations. “Even with these elements factored in to the complex climate projection models run by the Met Office, temperature increases – and perhaps more importantly, the rate of temperature increase – can only be mirrored by the amount of greenhouse gases that are warming the atmosphere. “It is not a coincidence that this rapid warming has occurred since the industrial revolution in the mid-19th century.”