An Australian opposition leader’s claim that scientists are not considering the role of gravity in the heating of Earth received massive flak from scientists worldwide. Queensland senator Gerard Rennick said that it is “categorically false” for scientists to argue that Carbon dioxide traps heat in the same way that a greenhouse.
Rennick posted a video in which he can be heard saying that, “scientists ignore the fact that gravity plays a role in heating the earth… That’s why ‘Net Zero’ CO2 emissions won’t stop ‘Climate Change’.”
In an article linked to his tweet, Rennick asserted that CO2 was not responsible for heating of the plant. Climate Change was “junk science”, he added.
Dr Chris Colose, a climate scientist at NASA, replied on Twitter that Rennick’s question “do gases trap convection”, “doesn’t even make sense as a statement. Nor does it discount the importance of [greenhouse gases].”
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Mann described Rennick’s statement as “gibberish” and a “stringing together of scientific terms reminiscent of monkeys typing on a typewriter”.
When Rennick accused Mann of “cancelling gravity” while describing the greenhouse effect, Mann showed a mathematical explanation of how air temperatures change with rise in altitude.
p.s. “canceling gravity”? Given your extensive background in atmospheric physics, surely you’re aware of what “g” stands for in this derivation? 😆https://t.co/vsPEMxko13
— Prof Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) April 2, 2023
Another expert, Associate Prof Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a climate scientist at the University of New South Wales Canberra, pointed to Rennick’s areas of expertise, which does not include climate science.
“He has got no expertise whatsoever. It’s a bit like me going and doing someone else’s taxes. I wouldn’t. There’s no point,” she was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
The volume of greenhouse gases, causing the planet to heat up, has doubled between 2005 and 2019, according to a 2021 peer-reviewed study. Scientists also point to the “knowledge gap that exists currently in the world” over climate science, and have urged the authorities to take steps to rectify the same.
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