Former "hurricane hunter" and Weather Underground chief meteorologist Dr. Jeff Masters responds to the Wall Street Journal opinion piece publication of a global warming skeptic.
You've probably seen all of the efforts over the years by ExxonMobil and others trying to assuage concern over human alteration of the climate. The Wall Street Journal piece was written by a scientist who has been employed by such economic entities.
Dr. Masters describes also some of the public relations dynamics of these responses from "skeptics."
Dr. Masters has a knack for writing insightful blog pieces at his site on meteorology, climate and public policy....in addition to observations of current weather and climate phenomenon.
http://www.wunderground.com/...
The piece starts....
An opinion piece titled, "Climate of Fear: Global-Warming Alarmists Intimidate Scientists Into Silence" appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, criticizing the "iron triangle" of of climate scientists, advocates and policymakers responsible for raising the alarm over the threat posed by global warming. The article's two main points:
1) Climate scientists who are raising alarms over global warming are exaggerating the danger in order to get funding.
2) "Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their grant funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves libeled as industry stooges, scientific hacks or worse. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science that supposedly is their basis."
[SNIP .... MORE at the Weather Underground blog site]
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=341&tstamp=200604