CHIMACUM — The assertion that global warming is “a con” was challenged earlier this week by some who heard retired engineer Gene Farr speak.
Farr said Tuesday night that the idea man-made global warming will cause permanent environmental damage is a con that is perpetrated by government agencies aiming to destroy personal freedom.
“They are manufacturing a phony crisis in order to get what they want,” Farr said as part of a presentation called “The Climate Con.”
“They are trying to distort the facts so they can push through big-government projects.”
But Farr’s presentation did not persuade members of Students for Sustainability, a Port Townsend High School club formed to raise awareness of global warming.
“It was depressing to me that people still support these opinions,” said Jack Porkony, 17, a Port Townsend senior, after the presentation.
“We are at a point now where we’ve surpassed everything and it’s warmer than any point in the last 400,000 years.”
Jack said he didn’t bring this up at the meeting “because [Farr] would have said that our sources were corrupted by the government.”
Farr, chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party, said the gathering was not a partisan event.
About 40 people attended Farr’s presentation, including 10 students from Students for Sustainability.
Farr said free market capitalism “is a much better engine for sustaining our economy where each of us chooses what changes or adaptations make sense for us,” according to one of his slides.
He characterized “sustainability” as increased government control over land use, where people live, how people live and the world’s economy.
“There’s another word for that, and it’s communism,” he said.
Farr spoke for about an hour and presented charts that said that the Earth’s temperature and the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been greater in the past, with the numbers stabilizing naturally.
Looking back 400,000 years, temperatures over the past 1,000 years “were completely normal” with higher temperatures during the previous four interglacial warm periods, he said.
More recently, separate warm periods during the time of the Roman Empire and Medieval times exceeded those occurring today, he said.
The students did not challenge Farr directly but questioned him about the source of his data and what he felt about alternative energy.
“The free market will sort out which alternatives make sense,” Farr said.
“Right now, they don’t make any sense economically.
“If we do actually run out of fossil fuel, it will make economic sense for the venture capitalists to throw in money and try to come up with something.”
On Wednesday, students said they didn’t challenge Farr’s conclusions because they did not have ready citations for their own data on hand.
“It was interesting to see the partisan aspect of global warming, and I got to understand the opposition more,” said Jake Brady, 17, a Port Townsend High School senior.
Laura Tucker, the student club’s sponsor, challenged Farr’s notion about free enterprise and questioned him about oil company profits, which she said amounted to $138 million a day per company.
Farr disagreed, stating that “oil companies aren’t making any more than any other companies.”
At the end of the meeting, Jerry Mingo of Port Townsend said no minds had been changed.
“There is a lot of information here, but everyone here is going to go home believing the same thing as when they came here,” he said. “Nothing is settled, and to me, the jury is still out.”
Climate change will be the topic of rallies and marches on the North Olympic Peninsula this weekend.
Events in Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend have been organized in conjunction with the People’s Climate March in New York City on Sunday. More than 2,000 such events are planned in 130 countries.
Port Townsend’s event will be at Pope Marine Park on Madison Street from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Port Angeles’ march will be at City Pier from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, while Sequim’s will be from 10 am. to noon Saturday at Dungeness River Audubon Center in Railroad Bridge Park, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
