I attended the seminar organized by the High Country Conservation Center with a presentation by Brad Udall on \u201cHow does climate change impact our rivers.\u201d Udall brought a great deal of knowledge of the Colorado River Basin, but his many inaccurate statements and omissions of pertinent facts about global climate change gave the attendees a false, biased picture of the extent of the climate change issue. A partial listing of the many inaccuracies are as follows:<\/p>\n
Udall: The planet is warming.<\/p>\n
Fact: There have been two warming periods and two cooling periods in the past 100 years. CO2 concentrations have steadily increased; hence no correlation.<\/p>\n
Udall: Hurricanes are getting more intense.<\/p>\n
Fact: Udall claimed that Hurricane Harvey dropped 60 inches of rain on Houston because the atmosphere is \u201cjuiced\u201d because of climate change. Totally false. The amount of rain from a hurricane is primarily a function of the speed of movement. Harvey moved very slowly at 2 mph.<\/p>\n
Udall: China is conforming to the Paris agreement.<\/p>\n
Fact: There were no requirements for China until 2030. China is the No. 1 emitter of greenhouse gas in the world.<\/p>\n
Conclusion: The audience was left with a biased, inaccurate view of the extent of the global climate change issue.<\/p>\n