Hans Labohm writes in an email:
Dear all,
Pursuant to my earlier e-mail, I am sending you the translation of my posting on DDS.
The posting has been published now on:
See the translation below. (Feel free to improve my English).
Best,
Hans H.J. Labohm
Translation:
Dutch parlementarian René Leegte (VVD, Classical Liberal Party) bells the cat
By Hans Labohm
The Daily Standard, June 27, 2011
In his intervention in a recent parliamentary climate debate, René Leegte (VVD) elaborated on the adverse effects of climate change on food security.
René Leegte:
‘There are ominous signs that the Earth’s weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may portend a drastic decline in food production – with serious political implications for just about every nation on Earth. The drop in food output could begin quite soon, perhaps only 10 years from now. The regions destined to feel its impact are the great wheat-producing lands of Canada and the U.S.S.R. in the North, along with a number of marginally self-sufficient tropical areas – parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indochina and Indonesia – where the growing season is dependent upon the rains brought by the monsoon.
The evidence in support of these predictions has now begun to accumulate so massively that meteorologists are hard-pressed to keep up with it. In England, farmers have seen their growing season decline by about two weeks since 1950, with a resultant overall loss in grain production estimated at up to 100,000 tons annually. During the same time, the average temperature around the equator has risen by a fraction of a degree – a fraction that in some areas can mean drought and desolation. Last April, in the most devastating outbreak of tornadoes ever recorded, 148 twisters killed more than 300 people and caused half a billion dollars’ worth of damage in 13 U.S. states.
To scientists, these seemingly disparate incidents represent the advance signs of fundamental changes in the world’s weather. .. Climatologists are pessimistic that political leaders will take any positive action to compensate for the climatic change, or even to allay its effects. …. [..] the scientists see few signs that government leaders anywhere are even prepared to take the simple measures of stockpiling food or of introducing the variables of climatic uncertainty into economic projections of future food supplies. The longer the planners delay, the more difficult will they find it to cope with climatic change once the results become grim reality.’
So far the usual climate alarmism, to which the we have become accustomed. So, nothing unusual – except that these words were spoken by a classical liberal. But then – surpise, suprise – René Leegte went on:
Chairman,
You may have noticed already that this quote comes from a Newsweek article of April 28, 1975. The world was mesmerized by climate change, because of global cooling. A new ice age was in the offing. And mankind had to prevent it. It was the era of the Den Uyl [Dutch socialist prime minister] government, which firmly believed in social engineering – climate being no exception. It is less than forty years ago. What have we learned since?
But now we talk about global warming. We pretend to have a better understanding, but the data on which we rely – the long-term temperature measurements – largely come from the same sources, which earlier told us that the earth would cool.
It is clear that many people begin to feel increasingly uncomfortable with the climate debate. Countries like Canada, Japan and Russia refuse to take part in a follow up of Kyoto. That makes sense, because while we witness a new record in the emission of CO2 (and believe me, every year we will break new records) the temperature curve has remained flat.
I call upon the government to come up – as soon as possible after the recess, but well before the budget debate – with an explanation of why the IPCC models project ever-increasing warming, while the measurements show a leveling off.
The current climate debate is the wrong debate. It’s the wrong debate, because the real problems of the moment are drought, health, biodiversity, food and energy.
We should not pretend that climate policy offers a solution to these problems. Climate is the wrong issue. We should not pretend that if we reduce human CO2 emissions, we might solve the real problems. I envy those who believe in those fairy tales. But I am very concerned about all the money we waste on pursuing the wrong priorities.
I would like to invite the Minister to promise that he will urge his European partners to pay equal attention to the views of climate realists, thus ensuring more balance in the discussion, so that we can find real solutions to problems where we can make a difference.
So far René Leegte.
Last minute news
On the front page ‘De Telegraaf’ posted the following article.
‘Met Office is partisan in climate debate’
VVD: Dissolve Met Office
by Inge Lengton
THE HAGUE, Tuesday
The Met Office must be dissolved. That is the position of the VVD [Dutch classical liberal party], which accuses the institute of bias in the climate debate.
According to Liberal MP Leegte, the Met Office is too much prejudiced in favour of the CO2-driven warming hypothesis. “Eighty percent of the scientists of the KNMI are honest, but 20 percent are not independent. That is unacceptable for an institute that receives every year 60 million euros of public funding.”
According to the VVD fraction the Met Office is exclusively focussed on CO2 as a culprit for the rise in global temperatures, while the real problem is probably wider, says Leegte.
“The Met Office seems to believe that if we solve the CO2 problem, we are solving the climate problem, but it does not work that way. The earth’s temperature fluctuates. To what extent this has to do with CO2, is uncertain.”
Leegte suggests that in the future the Met Office might outsource certain tasks, such as climate research and weather alerts. “Meteo Consult can do it, but also foreign universities or institutes,” says Leegte. “As long as they are independent.”
So far ‘De Telegraaf’
Could René Leegte picked up these ideas from the mainstream media? No way, Dutch newspapers like De Volkskrant, NRC/HB and Trouw, only publish articles which are conducive to spreading the climate gospel that man-made CO2 causes temperatures to rise. But maybe he has been a regular reader of The Daily Standard?
Readers who want information on alternative views, might consult the following links:
http://fgservices1947.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/ten-climate-fairy-tales-%E2%80%93-hans-Labohm/
http://www.dagelijksestandaard.nl/2011/06/zon-binnenkort-in-winterslaap
http://www.dagelijksestandaard.nl/2011/05/de-co2-obsessie
http://www.dagelijksestandaard.nl/2011/06/de-co2-obsessie-2
http://www.dagelijksestandaard.nl/2011/06/klimaatdiscussie-overzicht-van-argumenten-pro-en-contra
Am I now a climate realist?
Wow! The Dutch lead the enlightenment, again!
U.S.S.R?? This guy really seems to know what he is talking about
Oops! didn’t read it through. Sorry!
ik had al gedacht: wanneer gaan die Hollanders toch een keer wakker worden
…..
http://www.letterdash.com/HenryP/henrys-pool-table-on-global-warming
The competitive nature of man is exhibited through the actions of nations. While those who are seeking a unified global socialistic eden want to subvert those tendencies, the problem is that too many see a weakness and exploit it. In the case of the Global Warming proponents, the problem is they could not reach into all the governments and take control. They did in most of the open and democratic ones through their propaganda, but the more closed ones then saw an opportunity and began to exploit it. China demanded 3rd world status, when clearly they are the worst poluters and rapidly approaching the largest economy in the world. India was on a similar track as was Brazil and a host of other countries that were once third world, and at worst can be called 2nd world today. They saw the leader (1st world, G20 if you like) pausing and took advantage.
Their problem may be they grabbed too soon. Or perhaps not if the restrictions of Cancun, kyoto and Copenhagan are still forced upon the first world economies. But I think their resistance to any limitations are the reason that those protocols failed and are failing. While the leaders of the 1st world can continue to be starry eyed and myopic, the reality of the data is belying the hysteria, and they risk sending their own economies into a permanent recession. While they may be willing to do that, their populaces are not. Greed and selfishness is making even some believers in AGW want to see “the other guy” make concessions before crippling their own life style. And that delay, along with simple mother nature herself, will eventually relegate this episode to a foot note in history.
For God’s sake spell correctly if you wish to be taken seriously
parl IA mentarians
Interesting to see the blinkers being torn away!
In New Zealand we recognised that the settlers from Holland after WWII were realistic, pragmatic and hard-working people; many did very well from their hard work and their good business sense. It seems this strain runs deep in the Dutch character and parlimentarian Rene Leegte would appear to typify the hard-working and sensible Dutchman who become such excellent Kiwis over the years..
Every revolt begins with one man.
Let us hope there is more than one brave politician in the VVD to get the ball rollling in European politics.
The lust for gold has more to do with the CO2 claims of the Hockey Stick Gold Miners Union than any other thing.
Mean while our incompetent Met Office pocket another round of bonus money!!!!
http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/Outlook-sunny-staff-Met-Office-bonus-handed/story-12840064-detail/story.html
Nice if you Can Get It???
The People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) (Dutch: Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) is a conservative-liberal[1][2] political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party[3][4] in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 (D66) alongside which it sits in the European Parliament. After the fourth Balkenende cabinet was formed, the VVD was the second largest opposition party in the House of Representatives. During the Dutch general-election of 2010 the VVD obtained the highest number of votes cast, resulting in their occupying 31 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives. The VVD is currently the senior party in a centre-right minority coalition with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the Rutte cabinet, supported by the Party for Freedom (PVV) to obtain a majority. Current Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte is the VVD party leader since May 31, 2006
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Party_for_Freedom_and_Democracy
I was expecting the VVD to be akin to UKIP, a minor party, with no representation in their own state legislature. So, an interesting development. Any appeal to their “European partners” will fall on completely deaf ears, so desperate are they to get money into the coffers, to funnel it into their pockets & those of Greek politicians & unions, to prop the Euro up for a few months more.
May God bless Dutch parlimentarian René Leegte!!!
Fantastic news. Maybe some sense of sanity will begin to return. I just wish this could have been a British politician talking … some hope.
Bravo! Yet another sign of the tides of change.
Whenever they talk about the “declining growing season”, why don’t they mention the change in the earth’s tilt axis?
From Wiki:
“…The Earth’s axial tilt varies between 22.1° and 24.5° with a 41,000 year period, and at present, the tilt is decreasing. In addition to this steady decrease there are much smaller short term (18.6 years) variations, known as nutation, mainly due to the changing plane of the moon’s orbit. This can shift the Earth’s axial tilt by plus or minus 0.005 degree…”
From another source: “…Peter Huybers of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Carl Wunsch of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have compared the timing of the tilt variations with that of the last seven ice ages. They found that the ends of those periods – called glacial terminations – corresponded to times of greatest tilt…”
And this: “…Earth’s axis is currently pointing at the North Star, Polaris, but it is always rotating around in a conical pattern. In about 10,000 years, it will point toward the star Vega, which will mean that winter in the Northern Hemisphere will begin in June instead of January. After 20,000 years, the axis will again point at Polaris…”
So the eart’s constant movement could also be causng changes in the :”growing season”.
Of course, it could just be as simple as the CO2 levels. Science still isn’t sure…
The Dutch have always struck me as some of the most socially minded people in the world — social, community and global concerns are always at the surface. It is one of the most endearing things about them. But this seems to have made then most vulnerable to this scare. Only this month I noticed in conversation that the issue remains on the surface of daily concern…and so I can really appreciate the significance of an intervention such as this.
As stated above by Mr. Leegte, rather than focus on CO2-forced Climate Change, the primary concerns are: drought, health, biodiversity, food and energy. I shall address each individually:
Drought: Evidence shows there’s actually more rainfall overall as the earth warms up. Contrarily, as the earth goes through a cooling cycle, expect to see more drought. If the earth is warming up on top of these temperature cycles, precipitation should be on the general increase.
Health: I can’t see where having a warmer earth is worse than having a colder earth–more people freeze than die of the heat; more colds, influenza and other diseases are the results of insufficient warmth.
Biodiversity: Plants and animals thrive in a warmer climate. That’s obvious. And so do humans.
Food: A warmer climate supports more plant growth and the food we derive from them. The same goes for cattle, pigs, etc.
Energy: A warmer climate isn’t going to be a factor in energy production after the E-Cat goes into production. Home units based on this energy source are expected the first quarter of 2012.
Super,
This reminds me of one of Richard Lindzen’s presentations,
“The Arctic Ocean is warming up, icebergs are growing scarcer and in some places seals are finding the water too hot. Reports all point to a radical change in climate conditions Expeditions report that scarcely any ice has been met with as far north as 81deg.29min. Great masses of ice have been replaced by moraines of earth and stones, while at many points well known glaciers have entirely disappeared”
US Weather Bureau, 1922
Like the Berlin wall before it, it is clear that the last bastions of climate alarmism are beginning to crumble. And now, as the greatest scientific scandal of all time collapses at an accelerating rate, the only problem is how to prevent this lemming-like behaviour ever happening again in the name of science.
Future generations will not believe that their 21st century ancestors could have been so stupid!
A whole party just for Classical Liberals.
That’s what we need.
But wait, we were heading into an ice age, then we poured tons & tons of CO2 into the air and we staved off the ice and cold. We have been reducing CO2 and now it is cooling off. We are fixing it.
In fact we ought to thank geert wilders whose party already debunked the agw-scare 2 years ago and got voter-support . Now the competition , the VVD , is putting the issue in a wider context , which will waken up more minds up to now controlled by the dutch msm .
You can place a large bet on the spin the MSM will put on this: “This is sheer populism – like Geert Wilders this guy has seen that there is an audience of [idiots] dummies out there (still dumb enough not to believe in AGW) and he goes fishing for their votes”. It worked with Wilders – at least in the eyes of the German public, he is perceived as some kind of raving fascist, not as a true democrat who is absolutely fed up with the liberal pieties concerning multiculturalism and Islam. If it works against René Leegte, too, expect the whole party to appear tainted by association – at least as long as the AGW scam is still peddled by the MSM.
I live in The Netherlands and I speak Dutch, which is the common language in this country. Just to let anybody know we are not Denmark or Deutschland.
I also have a thing with science, search for truth etc, the old fashioned things.
Anyhow, I too read this news today and I applaud it on one side; but on the other side the government we have comprises a minority of liberals and christians that can only maintain their majority by support of the national populist party. That is the Geert Wilders-party, the so called Partij voor de Vrijheid, Party for Freedom. These are populist opportunists, our version of xenophobic rednecks, bums with criminal records in part; people I would not want to be associated with. Not ever.
A tear to my eye therefore that my beloved climate realism is taken hostage, in a way, by those that call themselves liberal but obviously are also just opportunists that are willing to sacrifice anything for the prospect of profit and political influence.
“Alexander K says:
June 28, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Interesting to see the blinkers being torn away!
In New Zealand we recognised that the settlers from Holland after WWII were realistic, pragmatic and hard-working people; many did very well from their hard work and their good business sense”
Agreed.
As a fellow NZer with a number of Dutch NZ friends. They’re often the ones likely to call a ‘spade a spade’ and don’t have time for any of this AGW/CC Nonsense either!