Radio Free Europe

“Human contribution is small, probably not zero, and it’s small compared to these other factors which we cannot change,” such as the sun and ocean currents, said one conference participant.

March 10, 2009
By Nikola Krastev

NEW YORK — These are tough times to be a skeptic about global warming.

Two years ago, an international United Nations panel concluded with near certainty that human activity plays a role in the planet’s rising temperatures. And now, the new U.S. administration has vowed to spearhead international efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

But more than 600 people gathered in New York City this week at the International Conference on Climate Change say they are up to the challenge.

Joseph Bast, president of the Heartland Institute, which organized the conference, argues that the extent and causes of global warming are far from proven. The goal of the gathering, he tells RFE/RL, is to provide a forum to challenge people like former U.S. Vice President Al Gore with a healthy dose of skepticism.

“We think we have a great story to tell that more and more prominent scientists are coming out saying global warming is not a crisis, that the question of what causes it and how extensive it’s going to be are wide open in the scientific community,” Bast said….([1] Full Story)