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Meteorologist: 'Most Of Warmth Today Is Likely Natural'

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Joe Bastardi, the Chief Forecaster for WeatherBELL, blasted climate scientists claiming consensus over global warming and saying federal dollars used combating the issue would be better spent on social welfare programs.

Bastardi told Chris Stigall on Talk Radio 1210 that he has not seen the evidence a crisis exists over the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

"The linkage between CO2 and temperature is not there. Why is it CO2 now? Why isn't it just natural?...In my opinion, most of the warmth today is likely natural."

 

He believes money used by the government researching and fighting climate change has been wasted and would've provided more benefit helping embattled communities.

"Our coal miners are all out of business. Look at the inner cities of the United States. If you took this $200 to $300 billion that went into climate change and put it into feeding and sheltering the homeless people we have, fight the demon today, not the ghost that may or may not be there 100 years from now."

Bastardi stated more time and effort should be spent figuring out ways adjusting the impacts of warming temperatures, rather than struggling to stop them.

"Would it not be more favorable to adapt to such things rather than trying to correct what has always happened in the past anyway? Conflict is a way to progress. Man has always progressed through reacting to conflict of problems or whatever. We adapt."

He claimed the country should celebrate our easy and affordable access for traditional energy sources, which he says provided the foundation for the nation.

"Energy is the economic lifeline of the country. It's why you can get in your car. People think the eagle is the symbol of American freedom. No, it's not. It's the car. You can get in your car today if the Phillies are playing the Pirates, you could drive out to Pittsburgh if you wanted to. But you can't do that unless there is the cheap, economical way to have energy and that's what has made this country great."

Bastardi also questioned the lengths to which we'll have to go and sacrifices we would have to make to stop other countries from polluting the globe, which is thinks is a real issue.

"The biggest polluters of what's actually pollution, [is] particulate matter. Carbon soot is not carbon dioxide...Are you willing to go to war with China and India to stop them from polluting the atmosphere? Because they are actually throwing stuff into the atmosphere that is no good."
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