October 20, 2006: Open Lines - Invisibility | Global Climate Change - Dr. Roy Spencer
Dr. Spencer, principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a NASA Medal recipient, presents the skeptic position on climate change. While agreeing that warming is real, he questions whether mankind is primarily responsible, pointing to natural cloud variability and ocean heat storage as underexplored factors. The conversation addresses the muzzling of government climate scientists, the limitations of the Kyoto Protocol, and why nuclear power may be the only realistic solution.
During open lines, callers share what they would do with invisibility, ranging from infiltrating Area 51 to visiting the Playboy Mansion. Several listeners describe experiences of making themselves mentally invisible to people standing just feet away. The regular caller J.C. phones in to declare Halloween a satanic ritual and pumpkins an invitation for demonic possession.
Key Moments
Optical invisibility is on the verge: Art teases the open-lines topic: scientists are reportedly close to actual optical invisibility, and asks listeners what they would do if invisible.
Skeptics deny the cause, not the warming: Roy Spencer rejects Al Gore's 'denier' framing, saying skeptics accept warming but doubt that mankind is even half responsible.
Why Spencer left NASA: Spencer reveals he resigned NASA after 14 years because he was told not to discuss policy in congressional testimony, since his views did not help NASA sell programs.
Even if it's all us, we can't reverse it: Spencer agrees even man-caused warming cannot be reversed in coming decades and says conservation, hybrids, and bulbs will not solve it.
Caller: Hawaii quake was volcanic, not tectonic: Hawaiian caller Storm contradicts the official line, insisting the recent Hawaii earthquake was volcanic in nature and that authorities are downplaying it to protect tourism.