Category Archives: Sceptics
Smoke and mirrors in the attack on science
The BBC gets lots wrong. Its coverage of environmental and climate issues has wavered in the last year and more, in response not to new scientific evidence, but instead to growing pressure from the denialist lobby to turn climate science … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sceptics
18 Comments
Monckton – not forcibly detaining Aids victims for life a mistake
The right honourable Lord Christopher Monckton, Third Viscount of Brenchley, former advisor to Maggie Thatcher, current the deputy leader of the UK Independence Party and darling of the US Tea Pary climate denialist circuit has done us the great honour of dropping … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sceptics
1 Comment
Media focus on climate disappears even faster than glaciers
Global media coverage of climate change in 2010 fell to levels not seen since 2005, after spiking in late 2009 in the lead-in to the disastrous UN climate talks in Copenhagen and the theft and selective release of fragments of … Continue reading
Calling the media to account for climate change coverage
Based on measurements for the first ten months of this year, 2010 is now reckoned to be tied with the scorching 1998 as the two hottest years globally since reliable record-keeping began in 1850. This of course is on top … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics, Sustainability
11 Comments
Yee haw! We’re gonna lynch us some Scientists!
Climate change denial is an article of faith for Tea Party candidates in today’s mid-term US elections, the New York Times reports. “Skepticism and outright denial of global warming are among the articles of faith of the Tea Party movement… … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sceptics
3 Comments
The economics of climate change: discounting the future, ignoring the poor?
Economists looking at climate change face a difficult task, with uncertain climate models, chaotic climate systems and possible catastrophic threshold effects. Often, when looking at the impacts of climate change different mitigation/adaptation options and emission scenarios will be looked at, … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Global Warming, Sceptics
Tagged climate, climate change, economics, environment, global warming
61 Comments
A new champion for climate justice
Below is the interview as published over two pages in the main section of yesterday’s Sunday Tribune: Mary Robinson doesn’t scare easily. In the course of more than four decades in public life, it’s easy to forget that she has … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sceptics, Sustainability
11 Comments
Dear Willie: when in a hole, stop digging
Well hallelujah! We’ve been waiting years to read something bordering on sensible from UCC’s ‘Public Awareness of Science’ officer and Irish Times columnist William Reville on the subject of climate change and by golly, this week’s offering was very, very … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sceptics
Tagged climate hoax, CRU, Duncan Stewart, William Reville
11 Comments
A burning question
Fair play to Duncan Stewart. He was in combative form on Saturday’s Marian Finucane Show on RTE radio. The subject of his interview was the one hour documentary film special, ‘A Burning Question’, which airs this Tuesday (29th) at 10.10pm … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics
Tagged climate, collapse, Duncan Stewart, hoax, Media, sceptics
12 Comments
Sunday Times shows its hand. Again.
Last April, I gave a lecture to the Met Society of Ireland in Glasnevin. A Sunday Times reporter was in the audience, though she did not make herself known to me, ask any questions or attempt to speak to me … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics
Tagged Arctic, climate change, IPCC, Media, sceptics, Sunday Times
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Exposed: climate change doubter with PhD only in spin
Looking to a statistician or economist for expert guidance on complex scientific matters makes about as much sense as consulting a neurosurgeon or a hairdresser for advice on investing in some arcane corner of the derivatives market. However, when it … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sceptics
Tagged Bjorn Lomborg, Climategate, CRU, deception, denial, Howard Friel, skeptic
47 Comments
Argument versus Proselytising: Developing and defending a rational debate on energy and survival.
The debate on climate change faces a number of inherent handicaps. Human nature is perhaps the most important. At our best, we deal reasonably well with the present and the immediate future. If next Christmas seems remote, our abilities to … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Sceptics, Sustainability
Tagged Climategate, CRU, denial, Energy, Peak Oil
3 Comments
Heavy weather for climate science
You would think that people whose business is the weather would be pretty informed about climate change. The reality is a great deal more complex. In the US, weathermen, for many the very public, trusted face of science, are split … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics
Tagged forecast, John Coleman, Met Eireann, meteorology, Pat Kenny, sceptics, Sunday Times
7 Comments
Doing our best versus doing what’s required
Yesterday afternoon, I was one of a panel of four from the ‘environmental’ field who met under the ageis of Common Purpose with a group of around 25-30 senior figures from the world of business, finance, the semi-state sector and … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Sceptics, Sustainability
Tagged advocacy, Al Gore, climate, IPCC
5 Comments
Attack on climate science has its OJ Simpson moment
Bill McKibben has been at the forefront of efforts to alert the public to the dangers of climate change for more than two decades. Today he fronts 350.org, a website dedicated to setting a global CO2 ceiling of 350ppm. Below, … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sceptics
Tagged bill mcKibben, China, Coal, Energy, Monckton, sceptics
2 Comments
