Fox News’ business commentator and newly-minted “scientist” Gary B. Smith flatly denied there’s any global warming and declared that increased carbon emissions are good for Africa.
According to Fox News, all of Smith’s credentials are in business. But in a “business block” discussion about “climate change vs. terrorism,” Smith seemed to think he knew it all on the subject of climate change – as he spewed a slew of misinformation.
SMITH: First of all, the 99.5% scientist thing has been fact checked multiple times, it gets four Pinocchio’s, so that’s wrong. Second of all, in the last 17 years, there’s zero global warming. We spend one and a half trillion dollars a year, people going around with cups in hand, “This is horrible, this is horrible.”
...Increased carbon emissions, C02 emissions, have actually helped green up parts of Africa, so they can do farming there. This is all a big bunch of BS.
What’s really a big bunch of BS is Smith’s ignorant rant.
For one thing, when Smith referred to the “99.5% scientist thing” that he claimed has been fact checked and proven wrong, he probably meant a “97% scientist thing.” But even that is false. Or maybe correct in that the number is actually higher, i.e. closer to 100%.
Smith was also dead wrong to say there has been “zero global warming” in the last 17 years. 10 of the warmest years on record have occurred since 1998. This year is on its way to being the warmest ever.
As for increased CO2 emissions helping to “green up parts of Africa” – well, don’t buy that, either. Climate Brief, a website dedicated to serious reporting by real experts on the subject, notes that “Potential short-lived benefits” of additional rainfall are likely to be “greatly outweighed by longer-term costs” such as “increased risk of heatwaves, flooding and drought, crop failures, water shortages, and disease.”
Instead of challenging any of Smith’s many falsehoods, “fair and balanced” host Brenda Buttner just turned to another guest, Democrat Sascha Burns, for comment.
”I am just flabbergasted,” Burns said. But she didn’t debunk Smith, either. “I don’t understand people, why they have a problem with the fact that climate change is a huge problem,” Burns said helplessly.
So Smith shot back with, “I have a problem with people who don’t understand the facts, and I just presented those to you.”
Burns replied, “If you’re worried about Syrian refugees, in 100 years, the Middle East will be too hot to live in, so where are those people going to go?”
”You mean like Antarctica is shrinking, and it’s actually growing?” Smith responded.
That’s another falsehood that was not corrected.
Watch the big bunch of BS below, from the December 5 Bulls & Bears.