QOTD

[geekchick]

Our results have been misused as “evidence” against global warming by Michael Crichton in his novel “State of Fear” and by Ann Coulter in her latest book, “Godless: The Church of Liberalism.” Search my name on the Web, and you will find pages of links to everything from climate discussion groups to Senate policy committee documents — all citing my 2002 study as reason to doubt that the earth is warming. One recent Web column even put words in my mouth. I have never said that “the unexpected colder climate in Antarctica may possibly be signaling a lessening of the current global warming cycle.” I have never thought such a thing either.

Our study did find that 58 percent of Antarctica cooled from 1966 to 2000. But during that period, the rest of the continent was warming. And climate models created since our paper was published have suggested a link between the lack of significant warming in Antarctica and the ozone hole over that continent. These models, conspicuously missing from the warming-skeptic literature, suggest that as the ozone hole heals — thanks to worldwide bans on ozone-destroying chemicals — all of Antarctica is likely to warm with the rest of the planet. An inconvenient truth?
[...]
The disappointing thing is that we are even debating the direction of climate change on this globally important continent. And it may not end until we have more weather stations on Antarctica and longer-term data that demonstrate a clear trend.

In the meantime, I would like to remove my name from the list of scientists who dispute global warming. I know my coauthors would as well.

           - Peter Doran in The New York Times, July 27, 2006

(link from Andrew Tobias via yesthattom)

Comments

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I know I've tried to stay away from this topic :-) but I like the quote you posted. The one thing that annoys me about several people who are screaming about global warming is that they think that everyone who holds some skepticism about certain aspects of the issue is doubting that global warming is happening at all. I have no doubt it is happening. What I am annoyed about are dogmatic arguments I've seen that humans alone are causing it, or worse, even narrower arguments that we in the United States alone are causing it. I have no doubt we are contributing, and things need to be done to minimize that.

Sorry. I'll get off my soapbox now. :-)