The glacier on Mt. Kilimanjaro is melting. If you were watching NBC "Nightly News" Nov. 19 you probably would think that ice is declining because of "climate change."
After all, "Today's" Ann Curry said it: "Mt. Kilimanjaro has become a kind of poster-child for climate change. Eighty-four percent of the ice has disappeared in less than 100 years and by 2020, scientists expect as early as that it could all be gone."
Despite Curry's "Ends of the Earth" report as part of NBC Universal's "green" week chock full of global warming alarmism, climate scientists other reasons for the volcanic glacier's ice loss.
Curry didn't tell viewers that "most scientists who study Kilimanjaro's glaciers have long been uneasy with the volcano's poster-child status," according to Seattle Times science reporter Sandi Doughton.
Why were those scientists "uneasy?" Because despite its status as an "icon of global warming," climate scientists like Philip Mote say Kilimanjaro's melt hasn't been caused by greenhouse gases "from cars, power plants and factories."
"Kilimanjaro is a grossly overused mis-example of the effects of climate change," Mote told the Seattle Times. Mote co-authored an article in the July/August 2007 edition of "American Scientist" magazine and is not exactly a global warming skeptic. He told the newspaper global warming is the cause of glacial melting around the world - just not Kilimanjaro.
According to Doughton's article, the ice loss on the Tanzanian glacier "seems to be driven by two factors: a lack of snowfall and sublimation."
Unquestioning loyalty to climate change hype is typical of Curry, who has become an advocate on the issue. In 2007 as "Today" ramped up for its "Ends of the Earth" adventure, Curry declared that the "mission" was to "find evidence of climate change."
NBC's 2008 "Green is Universal" week started on Nov. 16 and will continue through Nov. 22, according to an article in the Nov. 11 issue of PROMO magazine. NBC Universal will be "presenting 150 hours of environmental programming on air and online" during that time period. That will include ad spots from NBC's on-air talent pushing eco-awareness and segments during the networks' news coverage.
