Looking back at all the silly articles posted on OLO trying to debunk global warming, the Internet has been a valuable tool.

The Internet makes it very easy to check the credentials of various authors and those being quoted. From our desks we can check the so-called facts by looking up the websites of reputable organisations like the Bureau of Meteorology. Without it, it would be impossible for a single person to uncover all the misinformation and nonsense offered by climate sceptics.

When the statements about Canberra's climate were made, I could verify both the 1968 heatwave, but also find the expert analysis which looked at the climate overall. It meant that Richard Castles could not get away with using the singular event to suggest that Canberra was hotter in the past. Indeed, Canberra was hottest in 2006.

Perhaps this is why Richard Castles describes the Internet as spreading news and information like a virus.

To Castles it is a virus.

To the rest of us, its finding out the truth.