Steward's 10 'Myths' About Global

Warming and CO2 Damage

Former Vice President Al Gore may have won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work
on global warming issues, but that doesn't mean everybody believes what Gore does: that
carbon dioxide emissions cause Earth to warm. In fact, one contrarian is getting attention
in Washington this week as he distributes his new book defending CO2 to House and
Senate members involved in the ongoing fight over the energy bill and cap-and-trade
scheme. Believe him or not, H. Leighton Steward, whom Whispers wrote about earlier
this week, tells us in his new book, Fire, Ice and Paradise, about the "myths" of global
warming and the damaging effects of carbon dioxide. His book is full of national and
international studies, and he says that while he's often sneered at for being a contrarian,
few want to debate him directly on the issue. But many are still working to cut CO2
emissions. In winning his Nobel Prize, Al Gore took on criticisms like Steward's and put
his $1.5 million prize money toward pushing for cuts in CO2; and bolstering his group,
the Alliance for Climate Change. "It is truly a planetary emergency, and we have to
respond quickly," Gore warned in 2007. And this weekend, at a Planet Green festival in
Washington, environmental activist Ed Begley Jr., of Living With Ed, plans to meet with
reporters to push his campaign for cutting carbon emissions.

From Steward's book and our interview, here are Steward's top 10 global warming
"myths."

Steward's Myth 1: The planet Earth will be healthier with lower CO2 levels.
He says: More CO2 is needed to bolster plant life, which turns the gas into oxygen while
also providing food.

Steward's Myth 2: Rising CO2 levels cause temperatures to rise.

He says: Temperatures over time have fluctuated while CO2 levels have remained steady.
What's more, temperature increases have historically led increases in CO2 levels.

Steward's Myth 3: Sea levels will rise 20 feet by the end of the century.
He says: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts only a 17-inch rise,
and "most climatologists predict a rise of only 7 or 8 inches."

Steward's Myth 4: Scientists unanimously say that CO2 caused by humans is the
dominant cause of global warming.
He says: Not so. "Many, many reputable scientists believe that natural factors overpower
the current influence of CO2 on global warming."

Steward's Myth 5: The United States is the largest contributor of human-caused CO2.
He says: China, which has no CO2 restrictions, has recently exceeded the United States.
Plus, it is "opening a new coal-fired power plant every week, and its production of
automobiles is growing at a much more rapid rate."
Steward's Myth 6: Storms are more frequent and intense because of global warming.
He says: "According to the National Hurricane Center, storms are no more intense or
frequent worldwide than they have been since 1850. Temperatures were high in the 1920s
and 1930s when there was much less CO2 in the atmosphere. Constant 24-7 media
coverage of every significant storm worldwide just makes it seem that way. Insist on the
facts, not just what some individuals or reporters say to support their cause."

Steward's Myth 7: Polar bears will go extinct if this warm period continues through the
21st century.
He says: "A jawbone of a polar bear has been found that is 120,000 years old, a time
during the previous interglacial when temperatures were 5 degrees Celsius warmer and
sea level 19 feet higher than today. They adapted then; why not now?"

Steward's Myth 8: CO2 is a pollutant.

He says: "CO2 is a great airborne fertilizer, which, as its concentrations rise, causes
additional plant growth and causes plants to need less water."

Steward's Myth 9: As Earth warms, the climate will become much drier and windier.
He says: Ice cores prove the opposite. The colder times were both windier and drier.

Steward's Myth 10: Higher levels of CO2 than the current 385 parts per million in the
atmosphere are harmful to humans.
He says: The warning level of CO2 in submarines isn't reached until the atmosphere has
8,000 parts per million of CO2.