2 May 2005

The other voice of climate change

The Telegraph is reporting that many scientists are being shut out on the debate on climate change. Dr. Benny Peiser and Prof. Dennis Bray both say that the reported consensus among scientists doesn't exist, and if it appears to exist it's only because contradicting opinions are barred from publication.

A search on Dr. Peiser brings up both his links to ExxonMobile funding (which has little to do with the truth of his assertions) and also that he argues against catastrophism. Is he the tip of an iceberg of ignored scientists? I don't know, but such an accusation needs to be addressed by those journals (the eminent Science and Nature) that he accuses. Prove him wrong, and we'll all be more comfortable.

He sees the debate on climate change as a frenzy of extremes. Apocalypse has always been a compelling drama for societies throughout history, yet for such careful research as is found in Jared Diamond's Collapse [Amazon] or even in David Keys's Catastrophe [Amazon], "apocalyptic" is a less-than-fair generalization. Still, accusations work themselves into tacit truths if left unchallenged.

[ posted by sstrader on 2 May 2005 at 8:49:19 PM in Science & Technology ]