3 shots in the form of 'opinion' are fired at mainstream science leading up to the release of AR5.

For the semblance of balance why not fire 3 shots at the contrary science?

A true agnostic would be able to do both.

AR5 will stand by the science, despite opinion pieces published on sites like this.

I would add this to the editor's sage advice:

All of you wiseacres might be prepared to write the AR5 off, but I don't think others with a consideration for facts and judgement would.

With the ABC and Fairfax doing such a good job of boosting the IPCC boosters, I don't see any reason to go searching for pro-IPCC material. Happy to publish if it turns up, and not, if it doesn't.

I'll judge the IPCC on what it contains, when I see it. Previous reports aren't encouraging, but you never know.

Frosty, D. Duck,

Yes/no:

Have world temperatures risen by barely a degree in the last century ? Yes/no ?

Have sea-levels risen by barely two inches in the last 120 years ? Yes/no ?

Have world temperatures more or less plateaued in the last sixteen years ? Yes/no ?

The questions would stand, even though the questioner is Murdoch himself, or anybody else. It's not a different world for you and for 'deniers', it's all the same world that we share. So if temperatures or sea-levels go up or down, they do so whether you or I or anybody wants them to.

So what might your answers be ? If yes, then I suggest another question, assuming that ALL the rises have been caused by increases in man-made CO2 emissions:

Can global warming, if it's occurring, and at the above rates, be countered by human activity, massive tree-planting and increased irrigation of crops (plants love CO2, and the more CO2 in their environment, the more efficiently they use water), and by more use of renewable energy ?

I know it's fun to run around like headless chooks, particularly if we can show that Murdoch and capitalism are to blame for it all - b@stards - but is it just possible that we can do something about it ? Whatever 'it' is ?

Come to think if it, capitalism already is - or is General Electric a socialist plot ?

Joe

Hi Don,

I feel OLO owes you and many other wrtiters an appology. We now have so many self indoctrinated proselytisers on OLO that any meaningfull debate is snuffed out within 10-15 posts.

Their modus operandi is to first shoot the messenger, then to share with us their adopted opinion, start link wars with their favourites, to abuse, string together platitiudes, lack the ability to rationalise, offer no original thought on any subject and refuse to acknowlege even when they are proven wrong,.

We have recently experienced posters who don’t even read the links they provide and simply snipe from the sidelines rather than contribute and intellectual content.

It’s a modern syndrome that seems to defy any explanation other than the possibility that we have created an entire generation of twitter/facebook level Googleheads.

I offer no appology for others but for me, I am sorry that your skills, professionalism and stimulation of debate have been stunted by cretins.

GY, please consider ways to get the debates back to an intellectual level beyond year six

Anyone interested in the AGW debate should have a look at the creationist talking points website. The operation and practices of the two groups is identical and general from the same conservative context. The fact is that the author (history) and nobody else on this site have any expertise that would allow them to review the material let alone have a valid opinion.
The fact that you can go on the net and find a few climate scientists how don’t think AGW is a problem should not led people to the misunderstanding on the state of the fields view on the matter.

A similar search on evolution, smoking, relativity, quantum mechanics, homosexulaity and even geology will find scientist who disagree with the mainstream scientific consensus.

This is why this debate has been referred to as the rights war on science; it has become a political obsession to disprove all these new fancy ideas.

Get use to it guy’s, reality has a left wing basis!

spindoc,

Link wars?

"I offer no apology for others but for me, I am sorry that your skills, professionalism and stimulation of debate have been stunted by cretins."

I offered a link to an op-ed written by Michael Mann - climate scientist, Professor and Director of Penn State Earth System -on the release of AR5

I don't see any other opinion here from a climate scientist (except perhaps one)....it's all layman opinion, including that of the author who isn't a climate scientist.

He refers to Curry and I refer to Mann.

Why am I wrong to do that (through a link) - and why is it right for him?

Neither of us are climate scientists.