Download Class 11: Climate Skepticism

CofC POLS 405
Spring 2011
P. Brian Fisher
CLASS 11: CLIMATE SKEPTICISM
ANDEREGG, “EXPERT CREDIBILITY IN CLIMATE
CHANGE” (2010)

1,372 climate researchers and their publication
and citation data

Results:
(i) 97–98% of the climate researchers most actively
publishing in the field support the tenets of outlined by
the IPCC, and
 (ii) the relative climate expertise and scientific
prominence of the researchers unconvinced of ACC are
substantially below that of the convinced researchers

SKEPTICS DISCOURSE

“The atmosphere isn’t warming; and if it is, then
it’s due to natural variation; and even if it’s not
due to natural variation, then the amount of
warming is insignificant; and if it becomes
significant, then the benefits will outweigh the
problems; and even if they don’t, technology will
come to the rescue; and even if it doesn’t, we
shouldn’t wreck the economy to fix the problem
when many parts of the science are uncertain.”
MCKIBBEN, “THE OJ TACTIC” (2010)
doubters of climate science have launched an
enormously clever -- and effective – campaign
 Like OJ Case, just trying to instill doubt and
perpetuate it…by dwelling on the cracks in a case,
no matter how small they may be.
 Focus on IPCC errors and climategate to create
doubt play on deep-seated resistance to change.
 “In the long run, the climate-deniers will be a
footnote to history. But by delaying action, they will
have helped prevent us from taking the steps we
need to take while there's still time.”

SOME “CRACKS” IN GCC

A dozen or so errors in the 3,000 page IPCC report (2007)

“Climategate”—server at East Anglia was hacked and emails
and reports stolen from many climate scholars. Emails from
a 13 yr period.

e-mails included:



discussions of how to combat the arguments of climate change
skeptics,
unflattering comments about skeptics, and
discussions that some pundits and commentators said advocate
keeping scientists who have contrary views out of peer-review
literature
ROLE OF THE MEDIA

“Although the scientific community has know since 1995
that we are changing our climate, the US press has done
a deplorable job in disseminating that information, and
all its implications, to the public.”
--Ross Gelbspan, Boiling Point

Did the “Dueling Science Model” of Media Coverage
(equal weight) distort the perception of the science?

RG points out that only several dozen scientists ever held the
contrarian position—many of whom were not trained in
climate science, and funded by oil, coal and auto industries.
BOYCOFFS, MEDIA BIAS (2004)
Telling “both sides” can have informational bias
 Methods:

Examined articles from NY Times, LA Times, Wall St
Journal, and Washington Post
 Of 3,543 articles, examined a random sample of 636
articles

53% gave roughly equal attention to each side
 6% emphasized doubts about the claim that humancaused global warming exists, while another 6% only
included the predominant scientific view that
humans are contributing to Earth's temperature
