The New York Times has a great article in tomorrow's edition about how an interest group heavily funded by the oil and auto industries called the Global Climate Coalition was able to muddy the waters on manmade global warming, overriding scientists who said proof of this "greenhouse effect" was now beyond any doubt. Just who were these crackpot scientists that the industry-funded group ignored? Its own scientists. That's right -- even scientists who were getting paid by the likes of Exxon-Mobil were telling their funders -- privately, of course -- that denying manmade climate change was a joke.
You shouldn't surprised that the Global Climate Coalition (nice name, by the way) ignored all this and went ahead and used pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo to create enough "reasonable doubt" on the issue for the public and our elected pols to put off any tough choices on global warming. What's disturbing (although, again, not all that surprising) is the role that supposed "journalistic ethics" played in spreading this Big Lie, by cluelessly giving these charlatans equal play with the established science on the issue.
The story notes:
Some environmentalists have compared the tactic to that once used by tobacco companies, which for decades insisted that the science linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer was uncertain. By questioning the science on global warming, these environmentalists say, groups like the Global Climate Coalition were able to sow enough doubt to blunt public concern about a consequential issue and delay government action.
George Monbiot, a British environmental activist and writer, said that by promoting doubt, industry had taken advantage of news media norms requiring neutral coverage of issues, just as the tobacco industry once had.
“They didn’t have to win the argument to succeed,” Mr. Monbiot said, “only to cause as much confusion as possible.”
Except this is one case where the "media norms" may prove catastrophic, maybe not for me but for my children and eventual grandchildren. Several media critics -- but most notably journalism guru Jay Rosen from NYU -- have been focusing on the dangers of a kind of mindless "he said, she said" journalism that rules inside-the-Beltway reporting, sometimes to trivial effect but sometimes with great consequence, on topics like the financial crisis. But climate change may be the textbook study here.
Journalists have to weigh many things in striving for the truth -- but the ultimate mile marker must always be objective facts where they exist, and not a juggling act of talking heads, especially when one of the heads doesn't even believe its own baloney it's putting out there.
It is funny when the study supports the left the facts speak for themselves, but when the study opposes the left it is fuzzy science. Will, show me the facts. If man truly has control over the climate and there is a dire emergency the world will be with you. Otherwise, man-made global climate change is nothing but a speculative scam. I guess you can call me a denier.— yes- @ yes: It's hard for you to see what's going on with the climate with your head stuck up your *ss. Man does not have control over the climate, but he can control what he puts in the atmosphere. And, since you probably call yourself a "conservative", what is wrong with actually conserving resources and looking for alternatives for when we run out of oil?— Some Boca Dude
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
The environmental manipulators view the questioning of science as some sort of criminal act. Isn't the starting point of science itself to question? The science says that temperatures were rising during the 1990's, the science now says temperatures are cooling. Ironically the rising and falling of temperatures coincide with the activity of the sun, which is now at a very low point. "Climate change", or whatever the left is calling it today, has happened in cycles for eons before man had any measurable envoronmental impact on the Earth at all. Temps wold get cold, we would have ice ages, then temps would get warm and the ice would recede. How could this be accounted for? Were mammoths passing alot of gas, clogging up the atmosphere? No, it's the cyclical nature of our climate. Man has only had a measurable impact on the environment for what, 150 years since the Industrial Revolution? That is a miniscule amount of time in the life span of the earth. It's would be like trimming 100 million from a 3.5 trillion dollar budget. When the leading advocate of man-made climate change is a politician, people are going to be skeptical. The political motivations behind the climate change movement are so transparent it's laughable. People don't like political manipulation disguised as a feel good movement. People aren't buying in, they see through the nonsense, and that's what annoys the left.— jmc- Seriously Will, this is just totally leftest b.s. on your part. Sorry but I cant even try to sympathize with your point on this. I am in the "green" industry, and while man made global warming is a nice pitch to get people to go green, it has no really proof in science behind it. Essentially the "hockey stick" graph made popular by Al Gore that tries to like CO2 emissions to rising temperature is a self fulfilling expertiment. Temperatures are rising, and CO2 emissions have gone up, we are "pretty sure" CO2 emissions cause warming, so since there is a corelation between the lines it must be fact? This is science at its worst. It assume the theory is right before it is proven. I could say, well blowhard blog number have increase, and temperatures have increased, so clearly the blowhard blogs are causing global warming. Man made climate change COULD be true, but its just as likely, if not more likely that it isnt true. From going through the evidence, solar activity and natural warm/cool cycles of the Earth are the most likely cause. Read the evidence. The website http://climatedebatedaily.com provides good reports on both sides of the arguement. Much like Perez Hilton, the Global Warming syndicate just say, "if you dont agree with us, your an idiot" great way to keep up the intellegent debate.— Greg S
Has it ever occurred to you that if it really was "proven science" then there would be no room for reasonable doubt? After all, 2+2=4, right? That can be proved. Let me ask this. What is an industry to do when scientists abandon science in a rush to obtain funding?— rudytbone- Comment removed.
- Doesn't matter if thousands of hard-working, middle-class Americans lose their jobs along with Will, eh batboy? Just the thought of Will losing his job will drive you to read each and every word he posts, and leave comment after comment, for months on end now, how much pleasure you'll derive if his employer should fold. Did it ever occur to you, after you laughably so wrong about the election, that maybe you should get out of the prediction business and resolve some of your anger issues?— Talking point sleuth
- Comment removed.
- LOL! You're on here day after day, thread after thread, expressing your glee at the idea of Will losing his job along with thousands of hard-working, middle-class Americans. It's in the archives, batboy. The fact that you think you can blame someone else for your hatred speaks volumes.— Talking point sleuth
- Comment removed.
- It seems rather arrogant to think that, given all the massive changes in the earth's climate that have occurred throughout time, that mankind is all of a sudden the most powerful and destructive force on this planet's climate. Cars today produce 95% LESS emissions than they did decades ago, Big Macs no longer come in styrofoam containers; we're doing okay! http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/01/06/br_r_r_where_did_global_warming_go/— Vandy
- B.atk, the word hate called, it wants you to stop beating it to death. "Of course, not having a shred a credibility" As for this quote, wow, just wow. Two days ago the case was closed on torture, it INDISPUTABLY worked because Hayden said so, and not because of any empirical evidence. Now, a large group of scientists have said there is such a thing as man made climate change, and nope, no way it could be true or even worth considering.— RG
- Wow, its amazing how quickly off topic these things get. Instead of talking about global warming true/false and left wing conspiracy to promote / right wing conspiracy to cover up, we quickly get into name calling by blog addicts. Awesome, this bickering is as much at fault for the decline in politics and journalism as the biased reporters who post the stories in the first place. Can we just have some legit debate on the issues, and not grade school name calling. Welcome to adulthood people, join the club whenever you are ready.— Greg S
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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