Climatized

by Sally Fernandez

  “Yuck. I’ll take anything with meat.”

  “Antonio, any special requests?” Noble assumed he had missed the repartee. “And please stop pacing! You’re wearing out the carpet.”

  “Easy for you. In fewer than twenty-four hours I cease to exist.”

  “Yes, but Antonio Di Stefano has a long future ahead of him.”

  Antonio exhaled forcefully. “Prosciutto. I think Max will like it as well.” He smiled. He had not missed a word.

  Noble left with their orders and Max went to freshen up in an attempt to revive herself after the long ride. Antonio continued to pace.

  Twenty minutes later, Noble returned with two pizza cartons and two plastic bags. “Dinner’s served.”

  “Nice touch. How did you manage that?” Max asked.

  “I used my charm.” He winked.

  Evidently he had been able to scrounge up some plates and utensils from the desk clerk, who was happy to provide the accoutrements from the breakfast room. The moment he set them down Antonio’s Italian roots sprouted. He swooped in to retrieve the wine bottles from one of the bags and was already tackling one of the corks.

  Finally, circled around the coffee table, sat the president’s attaché, the crippled detective, and the man about to disappear to parts unknown—all sharing pizza and wine as though it were just another Saturday night. For a while they traded friendly jabs and nonsense chitchat, and managed to steer clear of discussing their actual circumstances—until all the pizza had been devoured. But with wine still remaining in their glasses and the second bottle half-full, Noble decided to break the verboten ice.

  “Antonio, how did you ever get yourself so entangled in this mess?”

  “You guys don’t give up easily, do you?” This time around the wine seemed to have a calming effect. “Look, both of you know I’m not a climate scientist. And yes, I have been plunked right in the middle of this fiasco. Why? —You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out.” Antonio’s gotcha smile was obvious.

  “Okay then, tell us what you are willing to divulge.” Noble tried a different tack.

  “If you insist. Since the 1880s the earth’s temperature has increased one-point-seven degrees Fahrenheit. Granted, we’ve experienced extreme weather conditions in the past two decades, including record high and record low seasonal temperatures. It’s estimated that sea levels will continue to rise a foot a century. But here’s the crack in CO2’s foundation. At the September 2016 London Climate Change Conference, the renowned Swedish Oceanographer, Nils-Axel Mörner and one of Hal Doiron’s NASA colleagues, Meteorologist Tom Wysmuller, conclusively showed that there was no relationship between CO2 acceleration and sea level rise—none at all! A stunning figurative sabot of hard empirical data thrown into the mix, grinding to a halt the propaganda gears of the catastrophic sea-level rise proponents.”

  “So in scientific speak, correlation is not, of necessity, causation?” Noble asked.

  “Precisely! You’re actually quoting Margaret Thatcher’s policy advisor, Lord Christopher Monckton of Brenchley, who praised the great Nils-Axel Mörner’s integrity with a staccato of accolades at the London Conference. As I said before, while there may be a flaccid intermittent relationship between increased levels of CO2 and rising atmospheric temperatures, there is certainly none with sea levels. And according to the Global Warming Policy Foundation—”

  Max cut in. “That’s where Luca Doerfinger worked, correct?”

  “Yes, and as I was saying, quoting a compendium of scientists on a global scale, ‘there has been no increase in frequency or intensity of storms, floods or drought,’ points driven home by Wysmuller at the London conference with his unassailable graphics showing just that! There are those with altruistic motives who foolishly believe they can control the weather. But science shows that while humans can affect the atmosphere, overall we’re just bit players and are unable to compete with Mother Nature. Our best choice is to forecast future weather patterns accurately and prepare for the outcome as I stated before—now is that what you two wanted to hear?”

  Max took the challenge and jumped in. “Okay, wise guy, we know you don’t buy the theory that man is the source of all the problems, but you do believe in climate change and that it’s a naturally occurring cycle. And we know that you’re a good citizen of the earth. So how should the world proceed?”

  “You double-team quite nicely and you understand that the terms are not synonymous. But have you noted that with all the talk about global warming, CO2 emissions, greenhouse gases, however the phenomenon is described, the sun’s primary role seems to be underrated as to its impact in climate variability?”

  “In what way?” Max readjusted herself on the sofa, curious as to his point.

  “There’s a man named John Casey, whose bio is a bit sketchy, but he was a consultant for NASA at one time. He’s been discredited by some over the years, most likely for his claim that the perpetuation of the global-warming epidemic was costing taxpayers twenty-two-billion dollars a year. He blatantly called it a scam. But his basic assertion that the earth surface and oceans are not getting warmer, but colder—and that humans are not responsible in either case, asserting that the temperatures changes have everything to do with the natural cycle of the sun—has merit.”

  “So the earth is actually getting colder?” Max’s head was spinning. “This is crazy. All this talk about our planet sizzling and now we are heading into an ice age?”

  Antonio suddenly became anxious. But they were eager to hear his response and let him continue.

  Ahem, Antonio cleared his throat. “That’s—not what I’m saying. But Casey claims to have irrefutable evidence, based on highly reliable climate models that study the sun. He purports that Earth is now transitioning from an ongoing cycle of global warming to what he calls ‘a solar-induced, cold climate epoch.’ If you’re really interested, you’ll find his book Dark Winter a fascinating read. It details his theory. Enough of Casey!”

  Noble looked over at Max. He sensed she also thought Antonio wanted to get off the topic. It seemed strange, but they left it unchallenged.

  “Besides, I already told you that I hold true to Piers Sellers’ belief that human ingenuity will devise technologies that will continue to improve our lives.”

  “So we just go on about our business as usual?” Max was enjoying the devil’s advocate role, perhaps a bit too much. But Antonio continued to play along.

  “Let’s set the occurrence of climate change aside for the moment. Because the real inconvenient truth is that there is no consensus within the scientific community that the real cause of global warming is man-made as the public has been led to believe.” Antonio’s earlier reluctance rapidly disappeared. He was geared up to extend their intellectual discussion.

  Max and Noble were delighted. The pizza and wine had proven to contribute greatly to their relaxed mood.

  “The great uncertainty expressed in various IPCC reports, considered the holy grail of climate science, has helped only to foster the skepticism. The Paris Agreement is another example. Effectively, it’s non-binding. And certainly, it’s a foolish attempt to get countries to put aside their own political and economic agendas for the greater good of Mother Earth. Interestingly, the two-degree figure bantered about is arbitrary. Climate models can predict only a range.”

  “Certainly, it would be impossible to coax every country to jump on the global warming bandwagon—because they don’t share common interests.”

  “Therein lies the lunacy. For example, China the number one CO2 emitter and India, number three after the US, continue to build new coal-fired power stations, increasing emissions in pursuit of their economic growth. Australia repealed their pro-environment carbon emission laws and later laid off their leading climate scientist, shifting their focus toward more commercial projects of greater national interest. And for Russia, it’s a balancing act. Any reduction in global warming would greatly impede agriculture and mining in her colder regions. On th
e whole, decarbonization, the radical move to eliminate CO2 from the atmosphere, is proving to be incredibly costly and unrealistic for many countries. In fact, it would be impossible without significantly reducing the standards of living, which goes to Avery’s argument.”

  “But it didn’t stop the Paris Agreement from going forward,” Noble added.

  “To seal the deal only fifty-five nations needed to sign on. Not even a majority. The number itself is convoluted, being the equivalent of fifty-five percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. What’s important is that one-hundred-forty-one nations are allowed to renege and as the political winds change it is likely to happen. Take the Philippines, for example; after the May 2016 election when Rodrigo Duterte became President, he disavowed his country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement after learning that it would limit Philippine growth. He stated ‘That’s stupid. I will not honor that.’ And followed up with, ‘That was not my signature. It’s not mine. We’ll make a new one…’”

  “So in the end, it will be like dipping your toe in the ocean. After you pull it out, you discover you’ve had no impact.” Max was astonished by the whole concept.

  “Despite the logic, it wasn’t enough to slow down the bandwagon, even with a few missing wheels. Effectively, the Paris Agreement was a giant step toward global-governance, exerting more political control over the world’s human and natural resources. The outcome would likely stymie entrepreneurship and technological advances that Piers Sellers referenced.”

  Agenda 21 flashed into Max’s mind, but she held back making the reference. “What’s the end game?” she thought was the better question.

  “Frankly, I contend it doesn’t have to do with climate per se. In fact, Christina Figueres, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, may have unabashedly revealed the true mission cloaked behind the Paris Agreement. If I remember correctly, she stated ‘This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time, to change the economic development model that has been reigning for at least 150 years since the Industrial Revolution.’ I assume she was referring to capitalism.”

  “Have they no shame?” Noble asked.

  “No, and they’ve found the perfect weapon. It’s clear from their actions that they intend to silence climate deniers, a derogatory term for anyone challenging the alarming predictions of the extent of manmade global warming.”

  “Whoa! That sounds like a return to the Inquisition. It didn’t fare too well for Galileo.”

  “Do you have fondness for Galileo?” Antonio asked, remembering Max had brought him up in past conversation.

  “What’s not to like about a man who speaks his mind?” She grinned.

  “Well, Galileo would be rolling in his tomb in Santa Croce if he knew what was happening. In fact, if it weren’t so scary, it would be almost laughable. A Rasmussen survey a few years ago reported that twenty-seven percent of Democrats in the US are in favor of prosecuting climate skeptics. Two attorney generals, one from California and one from New York, investigated whether ExxonMobil lied to their shareholders and the public about the degree of global warming that exists.”

  “Didn’t I read somewhere about a professor at George Mason University leading the charge?” Max inquired. Ironically, the same university where Fred Singer, Dennis Avery’s co-author taught, suddenly flashed in her mind.

  “His name is Jagadish Shukla. Shukla, who had received more than sixty million dollars in grant money from the federally funded National Science Foundation, led the charge. He, along with twenty other professors wrote a letter addressed to the former President Obama and the then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch. They called it the RICO20 because, Shukla, with the help of Senator Whitehouse from Rhode Island planned to use the RICO law.”

  “The same law used to go after organized crime?” Noble was confused.

  “Yes, I guess they thought using a civil suit to threaten financial ruin would silence them. Clever, huh? Anyway, Shukla was later discredited for his misuse of the funds. But Senator Whitehouse continues to go after the fossil-fuel companies for misleading the public about carbon pollution.”

  Noble pointed out, “In the case of the tobacco companies it was a valiant effort.”

  “Yes, because there was scientific proof as to the hazards of tobacco smoke,” Antonio highlighted.

  Max let out an uncontrollable yawn. “Sorry, guy. But it sounds like the drums are still beating from congresspersons to academics to other officials, including the man who started it all, the former Vice President Al Gore, the carbon millionaire. Ten years after his documentary An Inconvenient Truth, his predictions have apparently failed to materialize.”

  Antonio shrugged his shoulders in disbelief. “Exactly my point. For nearly two decades there has been no significant increase in global warming. The record high polar bear population is still romping around on the ice-filled surface of the Arctic Ocean, and Antarctica is not melting as fast as predicted. In fact, the ice mass is growing progressively in some areas. Avid explorers are still scaling the year-round snow-covered surface of Mount Kilimanjaro, hurricane activity has decreased and the number of disasters from storm activity, including forest fires, is static.”

  “Yet, the push for the government to pursue civil actions against so-called deniers continues.” It was Max’s turn to express disdain.

  “Except, the former Attorney General told the Senate that her department would refer all requests to prosecute climate dissent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Doesn’t sound very civil to me.”

  “This is truly shocking!” Max had apparently regained her stride.

  “What’s shocking is the proposed prosecutorial overzealousness all based on no scientific consensus!” Antonio stressed.

  “But then again, it’s the same government that said it was non-debatable,” Noble added.

  “When it rises to this level—it’s serious!” Antonio’s voice reflected the gravity by further explaining, “Whatever anyone believes, science must be scrutinized. What the opposition is trying to do is dumb down science by making it non-debatable. And right now there’s a lot of oppression coming down on those who take the current faulty assumptions to task.”

  “But if it’s proven that humans aren’t responsible for global warming, then God could be the next target?”

  Antonio missed Max’s humor but picked up on the God reference. “It would seem that climate change has become a topic you don’t discuss in polite company, right up there with religion, politics, and which lavatory you use.”

  Noble noticed the time, and as much as he was enjoying the conversation, it was getting late. He made one last point. “I certainly can see how it could create a Ferguson effect among scientists. Especially if they become unwilling to challenge the climate models; to go against the house of cards considered the norm.”

  “Science can only achieve credibility with total transparency,” Antonio insisted. “However, the layers of secrecy blanket the transparency to the point its smokescreen is nonexistent.”

  “Speaking of blanket, yours is over there, along with this sofa bed. It’s time to get some sleep.” Noble stood up and helped Max off the couch.

  “I’d be happy to trade places with you,” Antonio offered.

  “I’m sure you would,” Noble responded.

  “Goodnight Antonio,” Max said, as she and Noble headed for the bedroom.

  Chapter 39

  THE INTERVIEW

  “Stop fidgeting,” Noble requested, “and bring me six bottles from the mini bar—beer, wine, whatever you can find.”

  Antonio was not in the least bit thirsty himself and thought imbibing six was overkill, especially for that time in the morning, but obliged.

  In the meantime, Noble plugged a device into the HDMI socket in the back of the large flat screen TV. He then opened his xPhad to the tablet mode and replaced the SD memory card that was
in the slot with another one. Finally, after tapping a few of the icons, the tablet began to stream the video app to the TV. He stood the tablet upright on the coffee table and positioned the webcam directly at the chair in the corner of the room.

  “Hand me the bottles.”

  Antonio watched as Noble used the bottles to prop up the tablet and hold it in place, still allowing for access to the control panel.

  “What’s happening?” Max asked as she entered the living room.

  “The technician is setting up the studio for my screen test,” Antonio teased.

  “Lots of laughs—guess what? You’re starring in the guest role. Now, would you please take a seat in the chair over there?” Noble nodded in the direction of the chair and then went to take his own seat next to Max. She had already adjusted herself into a comfortable position on the sofa.

  The picture on the large flat-screen TV was a view of Antonio, with his face blurred out.

  “Hey, how did you do that?” Max asked, impressed with Noble’s technical skills.

  “I used a face-off function to distort Antonio’s identity. It’s designed to automatically track the position and rotation of his face.”

  “Thanks! What’s next? I go poof and disappear?”

  Noble ignored Antonio’s quip. Then, with everyone in place, he said, “Take a deep breath,” and then reached over to hit the Record button on the tablet. “It’s show time!”

  Max led the questioning and asked: “State your name, occupation, and relationship to Claus Veunet, Luca Doerfinger and Jonas von Boehmer.”

  Noble would intervene only when necessary for clarification.

  Antonio, staring directly at the tablet, complied. He answered the basic questions methodically and then gave a full accounting of his time at NASA and his association with the other scientists. Then he began to describe the contents of the email and the circumstances that brought him in contact with the others.

  Max and Noble let Antonio speak freely without interruption, listening carefully to his tale, but also kept a watchful eye on his body language as they viewed him on the TV.