Exaggerated claims undermine drive to cut emissions, scientists warn (slowly backing out?)

The Times (UK) ^ | 10/30/09 | Mark Henderson

[TigerLikesRooster]

Exaggerated claims undermine drive to cut emissions, scientists warn

Mark Henderson, Science Editor

Exaggerated and inaccurate claims about the threat from global warming risk undermining efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and contain climate change, senior scientists have told The Times.

Environmental lobbyists, politicians, researchers and journalists who distort climate science to support an agenda erode public understanding and play into the hands of sceptics, according to experts including a former government chief scientist.

Excessive statements about the decline of Arctic sea ice, severe weather events and the probability of extreme warming in the next century detract from the credibility of robust findings about climate change, they said.

[TigerLikesRooster]

I suspect that scientists are starting to back out of global warming hoax without incurring wrath of environment activists and politicians.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Robust, or simply bust?

It looks like, if not cooling yet, the globe has stopped warming for about a decade.

[Gondring]

On the one hand, as scientists we are ethically bound to the scientific method, in effect promising to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but — which means that we must include all the doubts, the caveats, the ifs, ands, and buts. On the other hand, we are not just scientists but human beings as well. And like most people we'd like to see the world a better place, which in this context translates into our working to reduce the risk of potentially disastrous climatic change. To do that we need to get some broadbased support, to capture the public's imagination. That, of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have. This 'double ethical bind' we frequently find ourselves in cannot be solved by any formula. Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest. I hope that means being both. --Stephen H. Schneider, Ph.D.

[SuziQ]

Bump for Friday reading

[TigerLikesRooster]

Considering cyclical warming usually played out in fairly long time frame, even possibly with multiple periods nested, whatever contribution of man-made CO₂ so far is so minuscule that it may be indistinguishable. Cosmic dynamics, i.e. sun's output, slow wobble of earth axis, ocean dynamics, volcanic activities(on the ground and under the sea) plays out in various periods which are quite long from human perspective.

With even so much technological development, our impact on earth is still puny compared with that of nature. Nature is immensely vast both in time and space.

[Mr_Moonlight]

With even so much technological development, our impact on earth is still puny compared with that of nature. Nature is immensely vast both in time and space

Amen! to that

[GloriaJane]

[steelyourfaith]

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[markomalley]

I suspect that scientists are starting to back out of global warming hoax without incurring wrath of environment activists and politicians.

They have to be very careful so they can avoid the establishment's wrath and lose their ability to sponge off taxpayers grant funding.

[TigerLikesRooster]

You nailed it.

[AFPhys]

I suggest you change that to “...Only 4F Warmer...”

[BlackVeil]

Myles Allen, head of the Climate Dynamics Group at the University of Oxford, said: “Some claims that were made about the ice anomaly were misleading. A lot of people said this is the beginning of the end of Arctic ice, and of course it recovered the following year and everybody looked a bit silly.”

Yes. More than a bit silly.

Dr Allen said that predictions of how the world was likely to warm also needed to be framed carefully.

As you say Tiger, these people are trying to back out of the hoax, but to retain a look of credibility.

[SaraJohnson]

One of my sons who bought the lie is not a happy camper now that he sees it was b.s. - by SCIENTISTS! They may have dethroned themselves.