http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=594724&p=1\

Despite the overwhelmingly large number of data circulating supporting climate change and the popularity of climate change talks in governments' and businesses, Roger Pielke, political scientist at the University of Colorado, says there is nothing 'wacky' about the weather. Mr. Pielke examines the recent floods in Iowa and blames climate scientists and modelers for falsifying and exaggerating extreme weather patterns.

If all weather events are consistent with climate models, then no current weather events serve as any useful indicator of climate change or as a sign that climate change is happening.

Iowa floods are nothing new. Stories of failed levee maintenance, inappropriate settlement and development of flood regions are now emerging. Declining investment in bridge and river services create increased vulnerability to the inevitable and normal floods. A focus on climate change, which cannot be accurately singled out as the cause, can do no good.

Mr. Pielke even has a chart showing flood damages in the United States declining for the past 70 years. However, given Rex Tillerson's, head of Exxon, admit of paying organizations millions to downplay the impact of climate change last month, Mr. Pielkes will have to show a lot more data to convince climate change believers that there is nothing 'wacky' about climate change.

Financial Post: Terence Corcoran: June 18, 2008

Submitted: M. Lamarre