New Scientist Climate Change Myths Primer

[cjolley]

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11462-climate-change-a-guide-for-the-perplexed.htm

Can we trust the science?
Chaotic systems are not predictable
We can't trust computer models of climate
Many leading scientists question climate change
It's all a conspiracy
They predicted global cooling in the 1970s

Is the sun to blame?
Global warming is down to the Sun, not humans
It's all down to cosmic rays

Does CO2 cause warming?
Human CO2 emissions are too tiny to matter
CO2 isn't the most important greenhouse gas
Ice cores show CO2 increases lag behind temperature rises, disproving the link to global warming
Ice cores show CO2 rising as temperatures fell
The cooling after 1940 shows CO2 does not cause warming

What happened in the past?
The 'hockey stick' graph has been proven wrong
It's been far warmer in the past, what's the big deal?
It was warmer during the Medieval period, with vineyards in England
We are simply recovering from the Little Ice Age

What is happening now?
Mars and Pluto are warming too
UPDATED: Antarctica is getting cooler, not warmer, disproving global warming
Polar bear numbers are increasing
The lower atmosphere is cooling, not warming
The oceans are cooling
Global warming stopped in 1998

What is going to happen?
Warming will cause an ice age in Europe
Higher CO2 levels will boost plant growth and food production
Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming

Why should I worry?
It's too cold where I live - warming will be great
We can't do anything about climate change

[Brian Ellis]

Interesting, Chuck. Of course, this is the usual New Scientist mixture of journalistic drivel and perceived fact but, in this case, the latter predominates largely. I suspect that Pittock's book may have been somewhat instrumental in authoring this article and its numerous sub-articles, judging from small snatches of identical language. However, the NS stuff is easier to read and for the layman to understand than Pittock, which is just the unadorned science with the uncertainties brought to the forefront.

If you remember, I started a thread giving a link to my crit of Pittock just a few days ago. The actual book review is here.

Now, let's hear Pittock's "contrarians" come to the fore, headed of course by Doc M