Climate change skeptics often look for a sinister motive behind the activities of global warming alarmists. In fact, a Google search of “global warming conspiracy theory” yields over a million hits, even including a Wikipedia entry! Global warming conspiracy theorists just got more ammunition for their claims from Nobel Prize winning scientist Paul J. Crutzen. An article by Rueters quotes Crutzen as saying:
Slower economic growth worldwide could help slow growth of carbon dioxide emissions and trigger more careful use of energy resources, though the global economic turmoil may also divert focus from efforts to counter climate change, said Crutzen, winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the depletion of the ozone layer.
“It’s a cruel thing to say … but if we are looking at a slowdown in the economy, there will be less fossil fuels burning, so for the climate it could be an advantage,” Crutzen told Reuters in an interview.
Unfortunately for Crutzen and other environmental zealots, individuals are less inclined to invest in more expensive, so-called “green” products when they are feeling a pinch in their wallet. Additionally, companies attempting to appease global warming alarmists with efforts to reduce their “carbon footprint” will likely follow the individuals’ example and start making cuts in programs they deem frivolous. To read the full article, click here.