Have you ever been at dinner parties, at the pub or talking with your in-laws and the topic of global scientific conspiracy comes up over climate change? For me, I usually say something like ‘I can assure you there is no debate on the fundamentals of climate change within climate science community - you are hearing these rumblings from non-experts that are political ideologues’. No matter what you say, sometimes figures and clearer explanations of all the classic denialist arguments like ‘The world is cooling’ or ‘It’s the sun’ or SMH’s Paul Sheehan ‘It’s the urban heat island effect‘are needed. By the way Paul, I dont think there are concrete jungles in the ocean and its warming in concert with the land (see figure below) - sorry, no conspiracy here.
Anyway, Skeptical science has launched a new Climate Science iPhone app which may be useful next time you are sitting down to someone like Sheehan or other commentators who somehow believe thousands of climate scientists are conspiring against the world.
Tracy Bowden at the 7:30 Report did another piece on the eternal entertainment of the eccentric Lord Monckton who claims that climate scientists are part of a grand conspiracy to dupe the world. I was interviewed as part of the story and can be viewed here.
Penny Sackett, the chief scientist was interviewed and was spot on when she talked about the politicisation of science and the dangers of this in our society - listen in to what she has to say.
An example of this politicisation of science can be viewed at Andrew Bolts comments on my interview - this guy just cant accept any evidence beyond himself. Take a look at how Bolt tries to say I’m somehow a spokesperson for the ‘left’ in my quote about Monckton.Here is my quote from the interview:
Lord Monckton is a former political adviser for a UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. I think it’s very dangerous for us to take scientific advice from someone like that.
Then Bolt says this in his blog:
But check instead the truly pathetic kind of arguments - mere political sloganeering from the Left - advanced by McNeil, who calls himself a scientist
Andrew, I know you cant help yourself in politicising science when it doesn’t suit your world view, but the point I was trying to make was that taking ANY advice from ANY political advisor (left or right) on scientific development is immensely dangerous, just as it is for Bin Laden to take advice on the evils of western liberal democracies from his own ideological cave. Are you going to accept Lord Monckton to do brain surgery aswell? He must be an expert in that too right? It may be an ideological decision and make you feel good before the surgery but just slightly on the stupid side. Thats why the politicsation of science from the likes of Bolt, Lord M et al is so dangerous in growing the worlds future all-round prosperity.
