One problem with being a slacking blogger is that by the time you get around to writing about something, everyone else has already covered it. So I don't have much new to say about Joel Achenbach's crucial Washington Post piece on the remaining climate-change skeptics.
Some folks are angry that Achenbach gave the skeptics a microphone and refused to pass judgment on them. Others say that by simply giving the skeptics room to make their case in their own words, he skewers them better than any direct attack could, since these wackjobs discredit themselves.
Matt McIrvin and Brad Delong are in the former camp. John Quiggin and Kevin Drum are in the latter camp. As, I suppose, am I. I never trust my perceptions of these articles in the popular press, though. To folks who have followed the debate, these skeptic outliers look like clowns, yes -- we don't need that pointed out. But what about "normal people"? I have no idea.
(See also Achenbach's discussion of the piece and his segment on bloggingheads.tv wherein he discusses it.)
One thing I will say: I don't think it will matter much if the far right's token scientists are finally and totally discredited (much in the way I don't think it matters much that conservative intellectuals have abandoned supply-side economics). These token experts are useful but not necessary. The far right has built a completely insulated, impervious alternate media universe (FOX, talk radio, etc.) through which information is filtered. It doesn't matter if global warming is accepted by all the experts; as long as conservative commentators, radio hosts, and talking heads are willing to spread disinformation -- and have we found any limits yet? -- the disinformation will keep circulating. If experts could quash this stuff once and for all, it would have happened long ago.
Comments
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TokyoTom Posted 10:48 pm
01 Jun 2006
However, the spin cannot last forever, as Katrina and a long hurricane cycle are now upon us, together with undeniable evidence of climate change. There are real cracks in the armor, and the Administration knows it. It cannot be a mistake that Paulson, who has so much personal reputation wrapped up in cliamte change and environmentla matters, was brought on as Treasury Secretary.
My concern is that the Administration may try to dodge mitigation and simply move to adaptation - which leaves fossil fuels and industry offf the hook for paying true costs for GHG emissions, and public subsidies for others. This is certainly what newly converted "skeptics" are trying to push, but I'm not sure Americans will buy it. If the government says "wait, there's this problem that we need to spend money on to get ready for", Americans can be expected to say that, well, if it's that important, then maybe we ought to see if we can avoid the problem as well.
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amazingdrx Posted 11:13 pm
01 Jun 2006
The CEI "hitlerizing" Gore over his movie with their ad that compares CO 2 emmissions to truth, justice, the american way, motherhood, apple pie... That's good propaganda!
Easy to see through. Confirming the founders instincts about free speech.
I prefer not to argue over this myself, I merely state that the debate has moved on to what should ve done to stop climate change. Let the wing nuts who still do not take it seriously jabber on alone flapping their gums at each other.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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kmp Posted 1:17 am
02 Jun 2006
He really is a tragic figure and of course, wouldn't it be wonderful, in so many ways, if he were right?
Alas, I fear it is not to be. As a scientist myself I understand how easy it is to get all worked up over data and what it means. This is why we become scientists - because getting all worked up over data is fun. On this particular issue, though, I find I just don't care why the Earth is warming. Sure, 95% of me believes that it is directly related to the burning of fossil fuels, however, there is maybe 5% of me that thinks there exists a possibility that it is a natural phenomenon, or that it is some combination of both. Frankly, I just can't get all worked up over the argument.
The bottom line, IMO, is that the lifestyle we are living is not sustainable. Oil will run out eventually; so will coal. Corn, sugar cane, switchgrass; these alone cannot produce all of the energy we require in our current lifestyle. Certainly there are few (Fred Smith the noted exception) that would argue that the burning of fossil fuels is good for our planet. So it would seem that making the change to renewable forms of energy and addressing the amount of energy we use in our daily lives are tasks that need to happen, regardless of global warming, sooner or later.
So why not start making the change to a sustainable lifestyle now? Even if the burning of fossil fuels were not warming the Earth, we would still be assigning to our grandchildren or great-grandchildren the task of completely transforming our energy culture, as fossil fuel energy sources will eventually run out.
It is indeed tragic that we feel the need to argue over whether or not the Earth is doomed rather than work to make changes that are going to be necessary anyway.
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Mr Green Posted 2:00 pm
02 Jun 2006
The only difference is we work independantly from main-stream science. You don't need a computer, or data to figure out that the Climate is not what it was 10 years ago. Think back to prior 1995, then think of every year after that....why are they different but the same?
Honestly, we should/could have saved the planet the last time we had a so called "Oil Crisis", 30 years is a long time... to figure out if we should actually act instead of continue to complain.
How can we stop something we depend on?
Yes we have had the technology for decades... but our Empire we call a "Government" has monopolized every one of Earth's resources. Our entire economy profits from what we take and consume from our Planet. The more of them we waste the better the Empire does, it creates more jobs, more cashflow, more taxes.
We pollute the water we drink, the air we breath, the food we eat. Everyone one of our problems are caused by the effects of something SOMEONE did, or does. This double edge sword will get the best of us, and until we are all willing to give up our so-called important requirements to sustain life... Nature will shift and balance in correction.
http://mrgreen.biz/CarbonGood/
Exxon is so dedicated to funding CEI's lies on global warming (Is that really a suprise?)
http://mrgreen.biz/PollutionPipeline/
Bush Proposes Space Pollution Pipeline to ease transportation costs (What is next?)
Mr. Green is a non-profit group, dedicated to the truth about our environment!
The industrialization age came and left with great force, it is now time to shed light on the information age and clean up our filth for the generations to come.
We all have a simple choice to make... be part of the problem, or the solution!
http://www.MRGreen.biz
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