Okay, admit it - are you completely confused about the ”truth” when it comes to the science of global warming? If you answered yes, you're not alone. A strong consensus appeared to have emerged in the scientific community by the year 2001 that the Earth is warming at a faster rate than it should be and that man-made carbon emissions accelerate this phenomenon. Not everyone and not every scientist accepts that theory. The skeptics' criticisms have grown louder. There has been an avalanche, a tsunami, a typhoon, if you will, of media coverage in recent months questioning the legitimacy of the science underpinning the foundation for the global-warming theory. A Penn State University climate researcher, Dr. Michael Mann, has been at the center of the controversy. Penn State essentially cleared him of wrongdoing but there remain protests over the university's handling of the matter. The Harrisburg-based conservative think tank The Commonwealth Foundation has asked the Pennsylvania General Assembly to conduct its own investigation into the matter.

Andrew Langer, an adjunct scholar with Commonwealth Foundation comments on climate change.

There also is the seemingly contradictory evidence to global warming smacking us in the face: North America, Europe and Asia are experiencing a severe winter of record cold temperatures and snow accumulations. Some scientists even warn of a coming Ice Age! Even the much touted global summit on climate change in Copenhagen last December failed to produce a strong agreement on cutting emissions. So, is this winter’s weather a fluke, a worrisome new trend, or proof-positive that global warming exists and spells our doom?

Robert Kennedy Jr. comments on climate change.

Friday night’s Smart Talk is tailor-made for those who want answers – be they global-warming skeptics or true-believers. We’ve invited two experts to talk about the science of climate change and to see if there is a consensus to be reached: Dr. Richard Clark, chair of earth sciences and professor of meteorology at Millersville University; and Tom Russell, WHP-TV's meteorologist. Russell has taken some heat for an op-ed he penned for the Harrisburg Patriot-News that questioned some of the science surrounding global warming.

Most of us want to be good stewards of the Earth, accepting the Native American proverb that we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors but rather borrow it from our children. Policymakers who advocate the notion that the Earth is moving towards catastrophic warming want to impose new restrictions on emissions that, in the short term, could be costly in terms of dollars and jobs. But they argue lessening greenhouse-gas emissions could head-off far more damaging weather changes that would wreak worldwide havoc. Skeptics of the theory, however, either want to completely debunk it or want governments to move at a far more glacial pace in reworking our economy.

The changes being considered in Washington and around the world have implications for each of us. And the science at the heart of the debate is being used by Pennsylvania politicians and elected officials to promulgate policies that affect our everyday lives. So, it is not merely an academic pursuit but one that has real-world effects in communities and businesses throughout Pennsylvania. And yet more Americans are starting to question the basic premise of global warming. A poll released last fall by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that 71 percent of those polled in April 2008 said they believed global temperatures are on the rise. But that number fell to 57 percent in October 2009 and significantly fewer people reported seeing global warming as a “very serious problem.” Yet, as the report noted, "Despite the growing public skepticism about global warming, the survey finds more support than opposition for a policy to set limits on carbon emissions. Half of Americans favor setting limits on carbon emissions and making companies pay for their emissions, even if this may lead to higher energy prices; 39% oppose imposing limits on carbon emissions under these circumstances."

Please join us Friday night at 8:30 for a spirited conversation about the Earth and send us your thoughts at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .