The Nyet Set

Russian skeptics bet British scientist $10K that earth will cool

Guess this counts as putting your money where your mouth is: Two Russian climate-change skeptics have bet a U.K. climate scientist $10,000 that the earth will cool over the next decade. Solar physicists Galina Mashnich and Vladimir Bashkirtsev believe that changes in sunspot activity are a more significant factor in climate shifts than greenhouse-gas emissions. Since the sun is expected to be in a less-active phase over the next few decades, they believe global temperatures will drop, and they're willing to wager against Brit climatologist James Annan. The three scientists have agreed to use data on average global surface temperatures recorded by a U.S. research center to figure out who's right. The climatologist is already counting his winnings. "There isn't much money in climate science," Annan says, "and I'm still looking for that gold watch at retirement."