Review of the book “Hoax! Why burning fossil fuels doesn’t cause climate change” by physicist Darwin Throne. The book summarizes new developments in climate science in recent years, including results from satellite monitoring since 2000 (NASA CERES), and a new thermodynamic climate paradigm that matches reality, in contrast to the theories and models of the UN climate panel IPCC.

There are countless books about climate. Most suggest that the consumption of carbon-containing energy sources such as coal, oil and gas, with the associated increase in the vital plant nutrient CO2 in the air, will lead to changes in global temperature and climate (the so-called “greenhouse gas theory”), such as the book by Professor Koonin “Unsettled“. However, Koonin advocates that we must adapt to climate change instead of trying to reduce CO2 in the air, which he believes is futile. But what if the hypothesis that CO2 will lead to climate change is not only wrong, but a “hoax” or bluff/fraud as physicist David Throne claims in his new book “Hoax!”?

Initially, the book discusses the greenhouse theory with some of the errors and weaknesses that are associated with the theory from its origins with Svante Arrhenius in 1896 to how the Nobel Prize winners in Physics 2021, Manabe and Wetherald, continued the errors from Arrhenius, revealed by, among others, Dr. Roy Clark (in SCC).

Naturally, the UN climate panel IPCC is given a lot of attention. The IPCC is based on the greenhouse effect where heat radiation from greenhouse gases is supposed to cause global warming (“radiative forcing”), which the book shows violates the laws of thermodynamics. Nobel Prize winner in Physics in 2022, John Clauser, calls the greenhouse theory “pseudo-science”. The book shows clearly that CO2 does not control the climate, which has also been stated by the world-leading atmospheric physicist Professor Richard Lindzen, although he principally supports the greenhouse theory.

Regarding climate predictions, it emerges that uncertain climate scientists are hedging their bets by suggesting that various consequences of assumed man-made global warming will lead to problematic weather and climate changes. The book documents that this is not the case, which the UN climate panel IPCC also admits in report AR6 WG1 chapter 12, with “low confidence” for most extreme future weather changes. However, politicians and the press are hyping up such uncertain climate speculations. Realistic information can be found in some of the organizations mentioned in the book: CFACT, CO2coalition, Clintel.

An important chapter is devoted to how the climate analysts Dr. Nikolov and Dr. Zeller has revealed how the IPCC has misrepresented satellite measurements (CERES) since the year 2000 in a way that obscures the significance of the measurements. Change of reflection of solar radiation from clouds is presented opposite to what is normal, so that decreasing anomaly of reflection gets increased values. What has actually happened is that reflection (albedo) has decreased so that more sun has reached the earth’s surface as absorbed solar radiation (ASR), and this can explain all warming since the year 2000 (possibly the last 45 years according to other researchers, Nelson & Nelson).

Alternative explanations for global temperature are reviewed. The Ideal Gas Law (PV=nRT) is discussed in chapters 3 and 4. It shows that increased atmospheric pressure gives increased temperature in the air when the volume is constant, and explains e.g. the Foehn wind effect when air comes down into valleys from mountains. Higher pressure gives more frequent collisions between gas molecules and higher temperature, a kinetic process which is strong in global circulation systems like the Hadley cells.  Professor Holmes has shown that the temperature of all planets with an atmospheric pressure of more than 0.69 kPa (0.0068 atm) can be explained by the molar mass version of the gas law (T=PM/Rρ) and how strong the sun is on the planet, completely without the influence of the greenhouse effect. Prof. Holmes admits that changes (anomaly) in temperature are not covered by the gas law. Albedo is also underestimated in this theory.

An error in the book on p. 109 is the definition of albedo. Full reflection/albedo (100%) has the numerical value 1, not 0 as stated in the book. Zero reflection is 0. The author agrees and apologizes for the error.

Image source: amazon.com

”Hoax!” addresses the claim of the IPCC that the Earth’s temperature of 15°C is due to a greenhouse effect of 33°C. Two important errors are pointed out: 1) that the Earth is round and not a flat disk, and 2) the Earth must be compared to the Moon (without an atmosphere). Then the actual atmospheric effect is as much as 90 °C. The researchers Dr. Nikolov and Dr. Zeller have carried out extensive analyses that refute the greenhouse theory. Instead, they have launched a thermodynamic climate paradigm where albedo, atmospheric pressure and solar radiation are crucial to being able to calculate global temperature correctly.

Chapter 7 on Dr. Nikolov and Dr. Zeller’s (N&Z) new thermodynamic climate paradigm is the most important part of the book. Here, they thoroughly review how they have used dimensional analysis and regression analysis on published official data from e.g. NASA on celestial bodies with atmospheres. The result is a mathematical equation in 3 parts that takes into account 1) the sun’s influence, 2) atmospheric pressure and 3) albedo (reflection). The “greenhouse gases” on the planets were included in the analyses, but the best results were achieved without them, meaning any effect is so small that it is not relevant. The N&Z-model is 100% correct for global warming since 2000 and 83% for the annual changes in temperature. Thus there is no need for any “greenhouse theory”. The recent increase in global temperature is primarily due to less cloud cover and more sun reaching the Earth (ASR), confirmed by NASA CERES satellite measurements. Quote from the book: “Conclusion. There is no global climate change due to the burning of fossil fuels!”

The book also briefly evaluates possible causes of changes in cloud cover, but there is no good explanation for this to date. The theories of the Dane Dr. Henrik Svensmark, who points to cosmic radiation and solar wind, are discussed.

“Hoax!” reveals errors in the “greenhouse theory” and provides an alternative logical and scientifically sound explanation for global temperature in a fairly easy-to-explain way, but some knowledge of physics is advantageous. We can’t do anything about global temperature or climate change, but only adapt with better infrastructure as Prof. Koonin recommends in his book “Unsettled”.

The book “Hoax!” is available on Amazon as an e-book and paperback (187 pages). As an e-book, the price is USD 9.95 and is immediately available on PC or tablet. Highly recommended. Very well worth spending ten bucks on.