Revenge of the climate scientists, but is it too late?

700 climate scientists are scheduled to speak out against climate skeptics but only after they've been dealt several blows.

Mon, Nov 08 2010 at 11:57 AM

Related Topics:

Global Warming, Climate Change, Climate Talks, Congress, Climategate, Energy Policy

SUN SETTING ON SCIENCE: Even with facts on their side, climate scientists have been losing the argument that climate change is man-made. Now they plan to fight back. (Photo: Nasa Marshall Space Center/Flickr)

The number of people who deny that climate change is man-made is increasing, and climate scientists are beginning to fight back.

The Los Angeles Times reports that one effort to respond to deniers is about to be announced and another effort is not far behind. The American Geophysical Union, the nation’s largest association of climate scientists, plans to announce today that 700 climate scientists will be speaking publically about global warming and how humans are contributing to it. This announcement comes a few months after climate scientist John Abraham of St. Thomas University in Minnesota publicly refuted global warming denier Lord Edward Monckton.

The Los Angeles Times article quotes Scott Mandia of Suffolk Community College in New York saying, "We are taking the fight to them because we are … tired of taking the hits. The notion that truth will prevail is not working. The truth has been out there for the past two decades, and nothing has changed."

The response is taking shape during difficult times for climate scientists. Last year hackers obtained thousands of e-mails from climate scientists and used those e-mails to claim that scientists were fabricating evidence about the seriousness and causes of climate change. The controversy became known as “Climategate.” Five different independent panels investigated the e-mail controversy and concluded that the scientists had not doctored or misrepresented the facts. Still, the damage was done.

In the months after “Climategate," polls began to show that Americans were becoming increasingly skeptical of climate change. The midterm elections resulted in Republicans making huge gains, with a field of anti-climate change candidates. As Republicans prepare to sort out committees in the House of Representatives, it's likely they will be make life more difficult for climate scientists.

U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, who is infamous for apologizing to BP for their oil spill, is hoping to chair the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he has pledged — along with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) — to investigate the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of greenhouse gases. Rumors of Republicans having climate scientists testify before congressional committees are also flying around in Washington.

It's clear that Republicans have climate change in the crosshairs — a reality that undoubtedly has influenced the formation of these rapid-response climate teams.

Unfortunately, these teams may be too little, too late. They will serve as a useful tool for educating the public about the facts and the opposition’s misinformation campaign, but they are forming after midterm elections pummeled environmental causes and a year after the devastating Climategate scandal.

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

Previous Post
It's good to be green in Maryland politics

Next Post
Green programs in limbo after election

You might also like:

Join the conversation

Comments: 3

justanonymous Nov 08 2010 at 5:36 PM

Just go to the AGU's website and you'll see that they are "NOT" coming out as an advocacy unit.

Also, this guy Abrahmson is a mechanical engineer. So a mechanical engineer is refuting a politician. hmmmmm.

just more worthless chatter.

Log in or register to post comments
Report This Post

Mel Gerst Nov 08 2010 at 1:26 PM

The documentary movie "Cool It", narrated my the AUTHOR himself of "Cool It" the book, is opening in theaters this Friday. For the FEW of the 700 that don't know the name of this Danish author . . . they will next week. The best the 700 can do to protect their careers is to read the the FACTUAL SCIENCE of the deniers. The real "deniers" are the "700". The next best thing the 700 can do is totally scrap the IPCC, and create a new organization that has NOTHING to do with politics (ie governments).

.... More

And finally the 700 should form a committee that IMMEDIATELY challenges (with press releases) any of their own that make outrageous claims that they know to be false and/or "misleading".

Log in or register to post comments
Report This Post

genealogymaster Nov 08 2010 at 12:11 PM

The 5 "so called" inquiries were little more than whitewashes. They never investigated much of anything. If you place as much importance on climate science as you say you do, how can an investigation be done in just a few days? With the change in Congress we will see a proper investigation so we can finally get to the bottom of the matter. Anyone who reads the released emails from the CRU knows that something was going on much more than some awfully worded emails. If the scientists can't take

.... More

the FOI requests then get out of the business. If you can't release all of your data for scrutiny what good is it?