Letter to New Scientist

Here is my letter to New Scientist magazine, complaining about Roger Harrabin’s opinion piece, debunked here :-

http://www.joabbess.com/2010/06/25/roger-harrabin-two-degrees-short-of-accuracy/

Dear New Scientist,

Thank you for the refreshingly challenging opinion article about Climate Change scepticism authored by Roger Harrabin (“Take the political heat out of climate scepticism”, 18th June 2010, Issue 2764).

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627645.300-take-the-political-heat-out-of-climate-scepticism.html

Your publication of this piece demands me complain about Roger Harrabin’s tactics of attempting to undermine Climate Change science by his careful insertion of fudged arguments into his writing.

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Global Warming versus Climate Change

What’s the difference ? Why is Global Warming not the same as Climate Change ? And why do we call Global Warming “anthropogenic” ? How do we know recent Global Warming is caused by mankind’s activities ?

So, what is Global Warming ?

1. Carbon Dioxide is a Greenhouse Gas

Without Carbon Dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere (air), the temperature at the Earth’s surface would be something like 30 degrees Celsius colder than it is now.

This is a well-established fact, about which there there is no dispute. Well, OK, some people dispute it, but the fact that they dispute it does not alter the data.

It’s also a well-established old fact : the original science about the Greenhouse Effect was done over 100 years ago :-

http://www.aip.org/history/climate/
http://www.aip.org/history/climate/summary.htm

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Mini Hockey Sticks (3)

Yet another vindication for Michael Mann’s work on the legendary “Hockey Stick” comes from an analysis of global warming by decade from the World Meteorological Organisation.

Alongside this, some of the research from sea floor sediment drilling has now been published, and it should make you sit up and pay attention.

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