Global warming alternatives discussed

THE theory of man-made global warming has become such a powerful political force that other explanations for climate change have been largely ignored, according to a Channel 4 documentary shown last night, which argued that changes in the Earth’s climate may be better explained by the sun’s radiation.

Swings in the planet’s temperature took place long before fossil fuel burning, said experts in The Great Global Warming Swindle, so the “single-minded focus” on cutting carbon emissions may have little impact on climate change.

A number of “leading” scientists who disagree with the consensus on the greenhouse effect were brought together for the film. It features professors from institutions including NASA, the International Arctic Research Centre, the Institut Pasteur and the universities of London, Ottawa, Jerusalem, Alabama and Virginia.