A terrific editorial today in the Nations most influential Newspaper – The Australian:
Science must always be contested – even climate change
IF climate change is real — and “if” is the operative word — every aspect of the phenomenon needs to be picked over and analysed with the utmost rigour. It is too important for anything less. But in parts of the community, rigour and climate change have become mutually exclusive terms.
Distressingly large numbers of people have elevated climate change to something verging on a fundamentalist religion. True believers draw comfort from endlessly repeating the dogma to each other. Those who demand proof are shunned as heretics.
This approach might be fashionable, but it is dangerous. It is a reversion to a pre-enlightenment mindset that rejects the essence of the scientific method. And without the mental toughness of science, any public policy on climate change will have all the effectiveness of burnt offerings.
The Editor delivers a stinging criticism of the Fairfax Media’s Sydney Morning Herald:
The Sydney Morning Herald gave prominence in May last year to a scientific study that said climate change had led to high winds over the Southern Ocean, which reduced its ability to soak up carbon dioxide. It was an important story that deserved prominence, because it looked like one of the world’s great carbon sinks was in trouble.
And if that were true, it meant the only way to compensate would be to reduce carbon emissions, according to a scientist quoted by the Herald.
Unfortunately, “bad” facts have now emerged. But you would never know it if you relied on the Herald to keep you informed about the climate change issue. A scientific study published this week challenged the notion that the Southern Ocean carbon sink was in trouble. This study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, was judged so important that the CSIRO issued a media release that summarised its findings.
It’s great to see the respected media starting to call the rest of the mainstream media to task over the scandalous global warming propaganda campaign that has been shamelessly waged by the likes of the ABC, Fairfax Media and the Courier Mail over the last few years.
One wonders if it wasn’t for internet communities like Agmates (yes all of you) if we would have ever got to the stage where respectable Media like the Australian, that values Journalistic standards is now calling for ethical and balanced reporting on the issue?
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