Questions for Professor Doug Coffin on HJ 10

by Dr. Ed Berry

Rep Doug Coffin (D), Missoula, Professor of Molecular Biology at the U of Montana, sponsored HJ 10. I presented my rebuttal to the Montana House Committee on Natural Resources on February 13, 2011.

Whereas some proponents of HJ-10 said they were students of the Climate Change program at the U of Montana, and one proponent referenced a climate lecture by Dr. Steve Running, ecologist (not atmospheric physicist), and Whereas HJ-10 is sponsored by a science professor at the U of Montana, and Whereas HJ-10 demonstrates without a shadow of doubt that the U of Montana Climate Change program is unadulterated pseudo science, …

Therefore, here are some questions for Professor Coffin and Dr. Steve Running on some basics of climate change science.

1. Who drafted HJ-10?
2. Is HJ-10 connected with Obama’s Next Generation Science Standards?
3. Is HJ-10 part of a larger effort nationwide?
4. What do the RESOLUTIONS say to send copies to the President and other folks in Washington DC?
5. Can you explain the complete lack of the scientific method in HJ-10?
6. Are you aware HJ-10 conflicts with the Montana Supreme Court decision on Barhaugh v Montana?
7. Are you aware the DAGW hypothesis fails scientific tests?
8. Are you aware that it is impossible to “mitigate” any process for which we do not have a reliable working hypothesis?
9. Since data in all time ranges show temperature always changes before carbon dioxide, how can you justify claiming carbon dioxide causes temperature changes?
10. Since glaciers began retreating at least 50 years before human carbon dioxide emissions began, how can you claim humans are responsible for glacier retreats?
11. Since local temperature records around Glacier National Park do not show any evidence of “global warming”, how can you claim global warming has caused the shrinkage of the glaciers in GNP?
12. Since the earth was warmer than today 1000, 2000, 3000, and 6000 to 8000 years ago when the carbon dioxide concentration was 35 percent lower than today, how can you claim that carbon dioxide is responsible for the 20th century warming?
13. Since the earth’s temperature correlates well with sunspots and solar radiation incidence but correlates very poorly with carbon dioxide concentration, how can you claim carbon dioxide is responsible for 20th century warming?
14. In WHEREAS #13, What is the significance to HJ-10 of “free energy content of climate change gases” and “atmospheric gases as kinetic energy in the atmosphere”?
15. In WHEREAS #14: Please explain how we can get “increased land surface” during “rising sea levels”?
16. In WHEREAS #14: In 2005, the United Nations said there would be 50 million climate refugees because of rising sea levels and other effects of global warming by 2010. Where are they?