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[stocks]

ONE of the world's foremost meteorologists has called the theory that helped Al Gore share the Nobel Peace Prize "ridiculous" and the product of "people who don't understand how the atmosphere works".

Dr William Gray, a pioneer in the science of seasonal hurricane forecasts, told a packed lecture hall at the University of North Carolina that humans were not responsible for the warming of the earth.

His comments came on the same day that the Nobel committee honoured Mr Gore for his work in support of the link between humans and global warming.

"We're brainwashing our children," said Dr Gray, 78, a long-time professor at Colorado State University. "They're going to the Gore movie [An Inconvenient Truth] and being fed all this. It's ridiculous."

But Dr Gray, whose annual forecasts of the number of tropical storms and hurricanes are widely publicised, said a natural cycle of ocean water temperatures - related to the amount of salt in ocean water - was responsible for the global warming that he acknowledges has taken place.

However, he said, that same cycle meant a period of cooling would begin soon and last for several years.

"We'll look back on all of this in 10 or 15 years and realise how foolish it was," Dr Gray said.

During his speech to a crowd of about 300 that included meteorology students and a host of professional meteorologists, Dr Gray also said those who had linked global warming to the increased number of hurricanes in recent years were in error.

He cited statistics showing there were 101 hurricanes from 1900 to 1949, in a period of cooler global temperatures, compared to 83 from 1957 to 2006 when the earth warmed.

"The human impact on the atmosphere is simply too small to have a major effect on global temperatures," Dr Gray said.

http://www.smh.com.a...1696238792.html

[humble1]

global warming is a fact. the degree that humans are the cause is up for debate. but the huge, quantifiable, amount of co2 being released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity is undeniable. calling the position of those who disagree with him "ridiculous" as his chief counterargument is not the stuff of genuine scientific debate. his response is inane. this really has nothing to do with algore.

[mbradley]

I have been saying the same thing Dr. Gray has been saying; in twenty years people will look back at this time period and laugh. The sad thing is that the doomsdayers are never really held accountable. The people like The Club of Rome and Paul Ehrlich, and those who said we where entering a cooling period and a new ice age, like current warming alarmist James Hanson, have all retained their reputations. I guess it pays to say whatever crap you want because it is unlikely that anyone will hold you accountable later, and the payoff now is great.