COP15 and Climategate - By Christopher Essex

In his opening remarks at COP 15 in Copenhagen, the current head of the IPCC told the world that sceptics fuel doubt about climate change. Amazing: sceptics doubt things. But truly amazing is that he used the term “sceptics” rather than “deniers.” These guys have become almost polite since Climategate. The IPCC head also said there may have been a plot to discredit the IPCC, by persons willing to engage in “illegal acts.” No doubt Scepticism Inc.’s covert black operations unit is behind the Climategate leaks. Meanwhile the political wing of Scepticism Inc. has carefully worked out subtle talking points: Is there really a problem at all? Who says? Oh yeah, how do they know?

What? You thought there’s something more to scepticism’s talking points than simple questions that any reasonable person would ask? But that’s all it ever was about. There is no political wing of some mystery faction. Scepticism isn’t an ideology. There is no hidden agenda. There are no meetings to plot talking points and define positions. It’s not funded by anyone. Not the oil companies. Not the coal companies. There is no plot or lobby group. It’s simply the normal stuff of thinking with your own head. Scepticism is simply human, and hitherto socially acceptable. However, for many years now on climate, those who practiced the honest sceptic’s trade as scientists have felt more and more like they are on the run from a pack of crazed hounds.
Recently, a US Democratic Party strategist, James Carville, was ranting about the “pollution lobby.” Is any one actually in favour of pollution? Are people really organized and paid to encourage more pollution? Does this make any sense at all? Then there are the more general allegations that there are scientists being paid to lie that the world is not about to end. How does that make any sense either? “Yeah, give me a few grand and I will stop those people from saving my life!” But it sounds like sense in the current zeitgeist, because good, wholesome scepticism has been relentlessly depicted as a political faction instead of the bread and butter of rational thought. That is precisely what the head of the IPCC was doing. Read more.