Summary of Harold Seneker: Forbes 400 journalist tackles climate change hysteria | Tom Nelson Pod #192

00:00:00 - 00:50:00

Harold Seneker, a retired journalist and former creator of the Forbes 400 list, shares his expertise in investigative journalism and its relevance to debunking claims around anthropogenic global warming. Seneker, who has a career in business and financial journalism, discusses his inspiration for creating the Forbes 400 list and his experiences of fact-finding and investigative work. He recounts his investigations into the East Anglia University and their refusal to release data, which led him to uncover inconsistencies and question the hockey stick graph showing historic temperatures. Seneker emphasizes the importance of skepticism, researching diverse perspectives, and exploring information outside of popular narratives when it comes to climate change. He shares his disappointment with Forbes for publishing questionable climate change content and praises alternative journalism outlets that challenge inaccurate information. Seneker also discusses the complexity of Earth's climate system, the uncertainties surrounding climate change, and the historical and natural factors contributing to temperature fluctuations. He encourages people to approach climate change assertions with a critical mind and fact-check his claims on his blog.

• 00:00:00 In this section of the podcast, Harold Seneker, a retired journalist and former Forbes 400 creator, shares his expertise in investigative journalism and its relevance to debunking claims around anthropogenic global warming. Seneker highlights his career in business and financial journalism, crediting his experience with fact-checking and skepticism towards truthfulness of high-ranking individuals. He discusses his inspiration for creating the Forbes 400 list, filled with a gap in public knowledge regarding the wealthy, and the initial team efforts to research and compile the data. Seneker's experiences of fact-finding and investigative work during the Forbes 400 project paved the way for his future approach to tackling the climate change hysteria debate.
• 00:05:00 In this section of the podcast, Harold Seneker discusses his investigation into the East Anglia University, which was the main source of information about global warming at the time. Seneker was alarmed when he discovered they wouldn't release their data or methodology, as he believed this went against the fundamentals of scientific research. He recalls how his experience as a skeptical journalist came in handy, as he began to uncover inconsistencies. One thing that didn'tadd up was the absence of the Little Ice Age and the Medieval Warm Period in the East Anglia data. An infamous hockey stick graph by Michael Mann, then at Penn State University, also raised questions, as it showed temperatures dropping during the Dark Ages before skyrocketing during the industrial era. Seneker's skepticism led him to dig deeper, ultimately leading to a detailed debunking on his blog.
• 00:10:00 In this section of the podcast, journalist Harold Seneker reflects on his investigations into the alleged Little Ice Age and the Medieval Warm Period. He shares discoveries such as ancient Chinese tax records and archaeological evidence of human settlements, which indicate that these periods were not regional but had a wider impact. Seneker expresses disappointment in the continued use of faulty data and narratives, such as the hockey stick graph, which he believes is misleading. He emphasizes that while there is global warming, the extent and causes are not fully understood, and encourages people to research diverse perspectives and information outside of popular narratives. He also mentions his ongoing efforts to debunk global warming hysteria through his blog and social media.
• 00:15:00 In this section of the podcast, Harold Seneker, a Forbes 400 journalist, discusses the growing skepticism toward climate change hysteria in the public consciousness. He expresses disappointment with Forbes for publishing questionable content on the topic and mentions the emergence of alternative journalism outlets like The Epic Times and Katie Spence, who are exposing inaccurate information. Seneker also mentions Tony Heller and his website Real Climate Tools, where people can access individual temperature data for themselves. Seneker is Independent in his research but keeps an eye out for new developments in the field and encourages others to explore the data themselves.
• 00:20:00 In this section of the podcast, Harold Seneker, a Forbes 400 journalist, discusses his experience sharing climate change skepticism in the comment sections of the Financial Times (FT) website. He initially faced harsh criticism but has noticed a growing number of people sharing his views. Despite the FT being deeply committed to the issue of global warming, Seneker remains hopeful about the increasing skepticism among its audience. Additionally, he shares information about the logarithmic relationship between global warming and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which suggests that each unit of additional global warming requires twice as much carbon dioxide as the previous one.
• 00:25:00 In this section of the podcast, Tom Nelson interviews Forbes 400 journalist Harold Seneker about climate change hysteria. Seneker shares his perspective that the Earth's temperature isn't increasing as rapidly as some claim and that the next unit of warming may take centuries. touched on the idea that a YouTuber named Sabean Hassenfeld suggested the sensitivity to doubled CO2 could result in a 7-degree Centigrade temperature rise, potentially causing economic collapse within 20 years. Seneker responds, deeming the idea "crazy," as carbon dioxide concentrations in the geological past were higher, and temperatures were not seven degrees warmer. Furthermore, Seneker explains that carbon dioxide is essential for plant growth and warmer temperatures foster life, contradicting the notion of a temperature increase leading to civilization's collapse.
• 00:30:00 In this section of the podcast, Harold Seneker, a Forbes 400 journalist, discusses the temperature rise and climate change hysteria. He challenges the notion that rising temperatures in Minnesota or other cooler regions will be disastrous, drawing parallels with warmer temperatures in the Maldives. Seneker also points out the inaccuracy of claims that temperature increases occur disproportionately in the Arctic, explaining that the equator experiences little temperature rise due to water vapor saturation. He encourages listeners to approach climate change assertions with a skeptical mind and believes the reality of proposed remedies and their impact on people's lives is starting to be recognized, helping shift the conversation.
• 00:35:00 In this section of the podcast, Harold Seneker, a Forbes 400 journalist, discusses the Milankovich Cycles theory, which explains the regular patterns of climatic variations over 100,000 years. According to Seneker, these cycles cause significant temperature shifts, particularly at their beginning, with the Earth experiencing a peak in temperature. Although carbon dioxide contributes to warming, it is minor compared to the astronomical influences. Seneker notes that humanity cannot control these cycles, and the next Milankovich minimum, potentially causing cooling, could arrive around 11,800. The shortest time frame for observable climate changes related to these cycles is still debated and may take at least 100,000 years.
• 00:40:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "Harold Seneker: Forbes 400 journalist tackles climate change hysteria | Tom Nelson Pod #192", Harold Seneker discusses natural climate fluctuations and the geological record. He explains that while the amount of carbon dioxide is increasing, it may not lead to a monotonic increase in warming as some periods experience cooling. Seneker discusses various natural climate cycles such as the Milankovitch cycle, consisting of phenomena like precession and the Earth's elliptical orbit around the sun, that can have significant impacts on temperature. The African Monsoon example is given, where a change in precession caused less solar radiation in Northern Africa leading to the Sahara desert. These natural climate cycles, including others like El Niño, have substantial effects on climate and may contribute to warming or cooling periods throughout history.
• 00:45:00 In this section of the podcast, Harold Seneker, a Forbes 400 journalist, discusses the complexity of Earth's climate system and the uncertainties surrounding climate change. He mentions the Pacific Ocean's oscillation, which affects cloud cover and temperatures, and its irregular nature. Seneker agrees that earth's climate is so complex that nobody can fully understand the causes of climate fluctuations, including those over the past 2,000 years. He also highlights the role of unknown variables (stochasticity) and the presence of greenhouse gases like methane, which have a smaller overall impact compared to carbon dioxide due to their shorter half-life in the atmosphere and narrower absorption range. He suggests it is uncertain if the world will face significant weather-related disasters in the future, despite ongoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• 00:50:00 In this section of the podcast, Harold Seneker discusses the projected climate change outcomes based on historical data and the proposed drastic measures to prevent warming. According to Seneker, the projected warming from the base period would be just under 1.5 degrees Centigrade if current trends continue. However, if drastic measures are taken, such as freezing and starving in the dark while eating bugs, the warming may be insignificant. Seneker emphasizes the importance of sources, documentation, and whistleblowers in journalism and encourages listeners to fact-check his claims on his blog, HSenerk.blogspot.com. He also mentions that he doesn't make any money from his work and rejects ad options to keep his judgement unbiased.