AN APPEAL TO REASON: A COOL LOOK AT GLOBAL WARMING PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Nigel Lawson | 166 pages | 02 May 2011 | Penguin Putnam Inc | 9781590202524 | English | United States An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming PDF Book In fact, while looking at the science component of the issues, most of the book treats the consensus position seriously and critically analyses the proposed responses to it. He discusses the science, the models, the possible impacts and their costs, and the policies proposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in clear, concise, measured prose. Last year, the CBI brought together a group of business leaders who were none of the above. Volunteer crews rescue the Taylor family from the roof of their suburban, which became trapped due to flooding during Hurricane Katrina, , in Bay St. It is starting with the second chapter that Lawson takes on his most unique approach. The former Chancellor is right, too, to mock some of the solutions that have been all too readily peddled. Highly recommend. Most people don't expect their house to burn down. The book closes with a discussion about the discount rates used by the IPCC and the Stern Review in their economic analysis, with a more detailed discussion on the latter. Climate change Politics books reviews. The longer we delay, the more costly the necessary actions. The book begins by arguing that "the science of global warming is far from settled. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. Argos AO. Aug 14, Michael Fortner rated it it was amazing Shelves: philosphy , physics , science. We were told in Britain to expect mild, wet winters. In Fashion Tribes, award-winning photographer Daniele Tamagni has tracked down and recorded some of the most surprising and colorful international fashion subcultures. By , we will be losing almost everywhere. Secondly, the trading schemes and Kyoto agreement have been utter failures, negating the possibility of a real carbon reduction solution. Of course Stern's conclusions are open to challenge. Lawson takes an interesting approach to the global warming debate. The issue of health is argued as potentially positive as a result of warming, whereas economically, it is argued that instead of being 9. Abracadabra, It's Spring! Never one to suffer from an excess of humility, he is happy to attack the scientific might of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a "global quasi-monopoly" whose judgment and integrity he finds open to question. Literary Review. The final chapter summarizes the book, ending with a warning about the dangers of the environmental movement, calling it "the new religion of eco-fundamentalism" and claiming that "we appear to have entered a new age of unreason. It's like saying that the Spanish flu pandemic of may have killed 40million and the Second World War 60 million, but since the global population was two billion, we can live with those death tolls because world economic growth per capita was only slightly interrupted. An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming Writer Here his arguments are badly flawed. He selectively quotes Prof. It's not Lawson's climate denial that got to me - although that was grating, I appreciate that science shouldn't be a religion and that the whole scientific method is based on testing, retesting, retesting, etc. Everybody associated with it, not least the publisher, should be deeply ashamed of themselves. Mike Wise. In that case, we can't Most people don't expect their house to burn down. The longer we delay, the more costly the necessary actions. It seems to me to be a basically undeniably sensible thing to be developing clean energy for these reasons, perhaps more pressingly even than climate change. The explanation is also illustrative of how global warming theorists use weather events to fit their theory: anything which appears to corroborate the global warming hypothesis, such as a hot summer or a tropical storm, is presented as evidence for the theory. Events have been kind to Lawson since this book was published in two very cold winters in Britain; the email 'Climategate' controversy; and the wild exaggeration about the rapidity with which the Himalayan glaciers might melt. Argued with logic, common sense, and even wit, and thoroughly sourced and referenced, Lawson has written a long overdue corrective to the barrage of spin and hype to which the politicians and media have been subjecting the public on this important issue. While global warming may make such events more likely, other factors may well play a significant role. Return to Book Page. And he is right to scoff at those who claim that unusual weather conditions in recent years represent clear evidence that disaster is on the way. He believes that "We appear to have entered a new age of unreason, which threatens to be as economically harmful as it is profoundly disquieting. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. When talking about how to maximize tax revenue he says: "I and my predecessors and successors as Chancellor of the Exchequer in this country and many of our counterparts elsewhere in Europe have used high sounding health arguments to justify raising substantial revenues from tobacco taxation, always taking care not to pitch the duty so high that too many people gave up smoking, causing the tax yield actually to diminish. I heard about this book on Red Eye. Some of the predictions Lawson shouts as bogus have actually come true, so I'd love to see his excuses for it now. Showing I enjoyed it a lot and did learn more about the religion of global warming. Even so I was genuinely shocked at how offensive this book is, on every level, across every one of its rancid pages. Thus the basic theory holds. Related Searches. Jul 27, Brandur rated it it was amazing. Last year, the CBI brought together a group of business leaders who were none of the above. But they take out fire insurance, provided it is available at a sensible price, to protect themselves against the possibility. First there's no such thing as global warming because it actually cooled; then okay, maybe there is global warming, but only mild so NBD; but okay, even if it IS warming, mitigation isn't the answer, it's adaptation, and it won't be so bad, not really After the introduction, the remainder of the book proceeds under the assumption that the IPCC majority view is correct. But perhaps the most outrageously hypocritical moment comes when he highlights the abundance of coal in the UK as a cheap energy source, despite having been a leading member of a government that jackboot-stamped the last nail into the coffin of the UK coal industry. But averaging GDP out across the planet gives a very false impression. Hardcover , pages. Other Editions The idea that we can predict the climate years hence with any degree of certainty has always seemed to me somewhat absurd, particularly when we struggle to forecast accurately the weather 2 days ahead. Selena Roberts. The environmental response to a warming planet is looked at first, and each of the five areas of concern by the ipcc are argued to be relatively small iin scope when Another book casting doubt on the validity of anthropogenic climate change We also need an understanding of exactly what measures are politically realistic on a global scale. The Science and the History. All have graced the pages of The New York Times, entertaining readers with their probing coverage of the N. David Mcintosh rated it it was ok Dec 27, In summary, Lawson notes that the prospect of a warming Armageddon is not substantiated by a close scrutiny of the ipcc documents. First, he argues that greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere do not automatically translate into rising average global temperatures, since there was a pause in the latter between and , and again between and , so the basic theory fails. An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming Reviews It is possible that we have already passed the peak of hysteria about global warming, at least in this country. Robharries rated it liked it Apr 09, Nigel Lawson. Trivia About An Appeal to Reas It is very ballanced book and actually has references to review. The defining theme of this book is hypocrisy, in evidence on pretty much every page. It also raises the question as to whether the UK government is not seriously seeking alternatives to fossil fuel as long as there are healthy tax revenues from motorists? Here Mr Lawson argues that climate science is flawed, along with the reports from the IPCC, and that the green evangelism is the new loony left. Thus the basic theory holds. He opposes the scientific consensus as summarized by the IPCC. Two key arguments stand out. They concluded that climate change represented a significant risk to society and the economy, and that actions to mitigate the risk were therefore necessary. Lawson carefully and succinctly examines all aspects of the global warming issue: the science, the economics, the politics, and the ethics. Explore Now. More benefits than costs, so it's FINE if islanders' water supplies are contaminated by rising seawater or there's erratic, intense droughts in east Africa. The idea that we can predict the climate years hence with any degree of certainty has always seemed to me somewhat absurd, particularly when we struggle to forecast accurately the weather 2 days ahead. But what was that about adapting? Some data 10 years ago shows an uncertainty? Even so I was genuinely shocked at how offensive this book is, on every level, across every one of its rancid pages.