Can Weaver’s Climate Change Claims Pass Fact Check?
The entertainment press dutifully reported on the actress’ every word. What they failed to do was give Weaver’s claims much scrutiny.
So HollywoodInToto.com reached out to Jay Lehr, science director for the conservative Heartland Institute. Lehr weighed in on Weaver’s incendiary claims. He also shared his thoughts on Trump’s views on this contentious issue.
HiT: The NOAA itself declared in 2014 that extreme weather events were not tied to global warming. Is Weaver alone in making this connection? Does the NOAA itself ever push back on comments like this?
Jay Lehr: Weaver is not alone. All alarmists blame all severe weather on man-caused global warming even though the facts show that during the past 20 years of increasing CO2 emissions extreme weather has declined. NOAA would never push back on anything as, in fact, it manipulates its own records to show that the oceans are warming, which real data show they are not.
HiT: Was there one particular statement she made that irked you the most? Why?
Lehr: She really only knows what other warming alarmists tell her, which is all categorically false. In a sense she is just a tool of the more evil folks and, as someone famous, attractive and well spoken, she makes an excellent tool.
HiT: Where has Donald Trump been right …. and wrong … on climate issues?
Lehr: He has only been right as he knows man can’t control the climate one way or the other. He might eliminate subsidies for wind, solar and all forms of energy alarmism. He knows that all the money spent to do so is flushed down a toilet. He also knows that fossil fuel is the most economical form of energy.
HiT: “Because of global warming, mountain snow melts earlier each year. And when that happens, the ground dries up earlier, too,” said Arnold Schwarzenegger during the film Weaver introduced by director James Cameron. Reaction?
Lehr: The climate is always changing due to more variables than any computer can handle which is why weather forecasts are only 56% accurate seven days out.
Hit: Weaver clearly wants to use her celebrity to support a cause she believes in. If you had just a moment to bend her ear … what would you tell her?
Lehr: I would methodically tell her what was in my testimony before the Washington State Senate.
HiT: Can you recommend some trustworthy sources on weather science and climate change policies?
Lehr: There are dozens of good books in addition to the aforementioned PDF brief. The best web site is CO2 Science by Craig Idso.
Photo credit: ucumari photography via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND