Freeman Dyson: Climate Change Predictions Are 'Absurd' | Freeman J. Dyson | Big Think

Freeman Dyson: Climate Change Predictions Are "Absurd"
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“We don’t only have to worry about warming,” the physicist argues. “It could very well be the climate gets colder. Nobody knows”—and we waste time arguing when we should be preparing.
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Freeman J. Dyson:

Freeman J. Dyson is Professor Emeritus of Mathematical Physics and Astrophysics in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He has taught as a professor at the Institute since 1953, prior to which he was a professor for two years at Cornell University. His work on quantum electrodynamics marked an epoch in physics, with the techniques he used in this domain forming the foundation for most modern theoretical work in elementary particle physics and the quantum many-body problem. He is also celebrated as an author on science and related topics; his books include "Disturbing the Universe" (1966), "Weapons and Hope" (1984), "The Scientist as Rebel" (2006), and "A Many-Colored Glass: Reflections on the Place of Life in the Universe" (2007).
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TRANSCRIPT:

Question: How do you currently rate the likelihood of climate catastrophe?

Freeman Dyson: Well that’s a big subject, of course, and I mean I don’t like the word catastrophe. I don’t think there is any catastrophe there, but certainly the climate is changing and that’s important. It’s always been changing. There has never been a time when the climate stayed put for any length of time, and so I would say all the evidence we have is that we’re having some effect on the climate. It’s not clear whether it’s good or bad. It’s not clear whether it’s going to become a catastrophe or not and as far as I’m concerned it’s very foolish to do anything spectacular to… What we should be doing is dealing with the problems in detail. I mean the first thing is we should build dikes around New Orleans, and I mean there are simple practical things we can do which really would help, like building dikes around cities which are exposed to hurricanes or tsunamis and so these kind of practical measures could be enormously helpful. I mean we’ve seen just in the last few months, we’ve seen two big earthquakes, one in Haiti and one in Chile, and what we’ve seen is that the earthquake in Chile was much larger, but the damage actually was smaller, the reason being that Chileans had taken more trouble to build buildings that would resist earthquakes and so you can… it actually helps enormously to strengthen your buildings. Of course I mean Chile has the advantage of being a richer country to start with, but it’s a dramatic proof of what you can do. You can actually take a natural catastrophe and reduce the damage by a factor of 100 or so just by quite simple measures; just by having good building codes and the same is true of climate. There are all sorts of things we can do in a practical way. It’s not -- we don’t only have to worry about warming. We also have to worry about cooling, and it could very well be the climate gets colder. Nobody knows, and there are many things we should be doing to prepare for that and they’re not all that expensive, but what I think is absurd, what I disagree with very strongly, is the idea that climate is predictable, that we can sort of do things 100 years in advance knowing what is going to happen. That is just not… That is just not the way it is.

Recorded March 5th, 2010
Interviewed by Austin Allen

[anonony]

The problem with his solution is that it would actually fix the problem. Politicians don't want problems that can be fixed, they want ambiguous wars on things that can never be won so that they can have an endless supply of money going into their pockets

[neoepicurean]

RIP Freeman! Shame your passing got lost in the Corona panic. Deserved a lot of respect and admiration.

[stevelane]

RIP Freeman Dyson, the sad loss of a brilliant mind.

[duanekeith]

Ah, the marvel of doing things that are actually relevant, needed, and useful.

[rogeralsop]

Excellent man - never seen on the BBC.

[mjanderson]

Very smart man who was mentioned in one of my favorite TNG episodes, In Theory. Wish we had more scientists like you Dr. Dyson.

[kellyda]

Just read an article that Mauritius will be under water in 30 years time. I also read a similar article from 1986 with the same prediction. In the meantime, the population has doubled (you would expect them to have left) and they have built a new airport (how did they get finance?). The market for virtue-signalling is now crowded, the only way you can be heard is to come up with a more shrill prediction.

[rindholt]

Imagine calling Dyson a “climate denier” because of this

[lorendjones]

Sadly, government’s first reaction is to do something foolish!!

[Belano]

The whole climate change/ global warming band wagon reminds me of the movie ' Idiocracy'.

[Iberastur]

Dyson might not be a climatologist, but he (as a mathematician) certainly knows about models, differential equations, and chaos systems all of which are relevant to climatology.

[nishkalkashyap]

Finally, an actual scientist with a working brain telling the truth. Thank you Mr. Dyson

[emanuelradu]

Dyson replied that "[m]y objections to the global warming propaganda are not so much over the technical facts, about which I do not know much, but it's rather against the way those people behave and the kind of intolerance to criticism that a lot of them have."

[KatJaguar]

CO2 is not warming the planet. If the IPCC ‘s claims were correct, greenhouses with 1200ppm, would be 6 degrees warmer than those at 410ppm, but that is simply not the case. There is no observable increase in temperatures for higher CO2 level environments. It would also be like having a free energy production which would have already been exploited, if CO2 retained heat like they claim. Also, it is the warmer temperature causing CO2 to be released from the ocean, not CO2 causing warming of the temperature. Warmer temperatures cause the ocean to release CO2 just like a warm beer releases CO2 and explodes or goes flat(if open). If CO2 caused warming as well as warming causing CO2 release, then the earth would be in a vicious cycle of never ending warming, but that is simply not the case. We would be a planet of hell. This CO2 causes warming theory is simply not true. The whole thing is a scam to change the monetary systems as well as implement control systems-all of which I really Hope does not happen because it is nightmarish. People don’t seem to be able to get a grip on what the elite are planning. Too many people are incredibly gullible and naive regarding all of this.

[bgt]

*Massive tornado* hits Illinois, Indiana and Missouri ... one of a series of *12* 😮 ... it killed 800 people and injures over 2000 .... A TORNADO IN MARCH!! The funnel lasted 5 hours!!!
(Oops, that was in 1925.)

[robjohnston]

What a truly GREAT man!
As a 19 year old, used Maths to plan how the Royal Air Force could best stop German bombers.
Slightly older, worked on the physics of the Manhattan Project; made great contributions to Quantum Theory; worked on the US Space Program.
The only reason he didn't get a Nobel Prize was that he did TOO MUCH!

[fredvoetsch]

And btw, to people on both sides of this issue, please notice his humility, despite being a true legend who has been compared to Albert Einstein.

[richardschaefer]

"A climate scientist making a statement about uncertainty or degree of doubt in the climate debate is categorized as a denier or a ‘merchant of doubt, ’ whose motives are assumed to be ideological or motivated by funding from the fossil fuel industry. My own experience in publicly discussing concerns about how uncertainty is characterized by the IPCC has resulted in my being labeled as a ‘climate heretic' that has turned against my colleagues."

"There is enormous pressure for climate scientists to conform to the so-called consensus. This pressure comes not only from politicians, but from federal funding agencies, universities and professional societies, and scientists themselves who are green activists and advocates. Reinforcing this consensus are strong monetary, reputational, and authority interests. As a result, I have become very concerned about the integrity of climate science."

Professor Judith Curry, Climatologist


It is obvious to those with eyes to see, that the cudgel of "Climate Change/Global Warming" is a powerful weapon, allowing control of land use, housing, energy, natural resources, agriculture, transportation, industry...almost any human endeavor imaginable.

This weapon of control of "everything" is something that governments and their vast bureaucracies want very badly. That kind of complete control has been their goal for decades.

Add to that, the "Crusader Effect" generated among all Leftist's, but particularly powerful among gullible young people; making them zealous pawns of their Green-Socialist masters.

“Going Green” went off the Loony-Tunes Track a long way back...

[fredvoetsch]

Such a brillant man who deserves to be listened to and respected.

[agoosetin]

Rest in piece you incredible and amazing man. May you rest peacefully, genius.