The Great Global Warming Muddle
Courtesy of www.badscience.net: I knew C4's recent "polemic" The Great Global Warming Swindle had been roundly criticised for scientific inaccuracies, but I'm still flabbergasted by the extent to which the film-maker distorted the evidence - take a look at these graphs.
Of course, some scientists are now warning that some claims about the impact of Global Warming exceed what can be purely justified by the evidence. This is perfectly reasonable and indeed the basis on which the scientific community ought to operate, and the online story is fine. However it's a bit of a shame that BBC News 24's soundbite approach to the story left the impression that they were casting doubt on global warming itself, not merely the extent of it. (In fact one of the scientists explicitly says in the online version: "I've no doubt that global warming is occurring".) So a story in which scientists warn against confusing the public ends up being itself a cause of confusion. Typical.
Of course, some scientists are now warning that some claims about the impact of Global Warming exceed what can be purely justified by the evidence. This is perfectly reasonable and indeed the basis on which the scientific community ought to operate, and the online story is fine. However it's a bit of a shame that BBC News 24's soundbite approach to the story left the impression that they were casting doubt on global warming itself, not merely the extent of it. (In fact one of the scientists explicitly says in the online version: "I've no doubt that global warming is occurring".) So a story in which scientists warn against confusing the public ends up being itself a cause of confusion. Typical.