June 17th, 2009

SoundBytes 194: Can We Rely on Data Saying the Earth Is Getting Warmer?

Posted in  Government  SoundBytes podcasts 
Author: SoundBytes || Location: Lewisville, Texas, USA

 Can We Rely on Data Saying the Earth Is Getting Warmer? Dr. Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation says a new study raises serious questions.

The U.S. government tracks ground temperatures with more than 1,200 small, climate-monitoring stations placed all around the country. Data from those stations are one reason why some scientists think the earth is warming.

But in a new study from the Chicago-based Heartland Institute, a meteorologist recruited 650 volunteers who took pictures of hundreds of those stations.

The team discovered that 90 percent of them failed to meet government-placement standards.  Many were:

•        Sitting by air conditioner exhaust fans; or

•        Surrounded by hot asphalt roads or parking lots; or

•        Next to buildings or on rooftops.

Locations that could be substantially hotter because of the man-made surroundings.

Of course, we know how unreliable things can get when surrounded by man-made hot air.  Just look at Congress.