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NOW On BBC World Service (Radio): The Importance Of AGW Skepticism
Just started (00:30GMT, Oct 25) on BBC World Radio: “Letter from…Clive James reflects on the importance of scepticism in every walk of life”
UPDATE: The programme lasted around 8 minutes.
UPDATE #2: Thanks to Alex for pointing to the programme transcript.
Very quick summary of the relevant points:
- It is notable that on the issue of man made climate change the language used is hard to distinguish from the language used centuries ago against heresy
- Whoever shows skepticism is called a “denialist” – a nasty word that suggests equivalence to denying the holocaust
- In Australia somebody suggested that climate change skeptics are worse than Holocaust denialists, as this time it’s the whole human race that is at risk
- But the Holocaust has actually happened, the destruction of the Earth by man made climate change hasn’t
- The number of skeptical scientists in on the increase. But Mr James claims he knows next to nothing about the subjects
- The one thing he knows is that many of the commentators don’t know much either, since they keep saying that the science is settled. And it is not.
- Now fewer are repeating that assertion. and their voices are raising harder, as if protecting their faith
- Skeptics are accused not to care about the future human race. That is the opposite of the truth. Modern medicine for example raised from skepticism
- At the end of the day, no matter what effort is put in protecting a conjecture, a theory must suit the facts
Categories: AGW, Catastrophism, Climate Change, Global Warming, Omniclimate, Policy, Science, Skepticism
BBC, BBC World Service, Clive James, Culture, Dissent, Freedom, Global Warming, Science, Skepticism
The Unbearable Nakedness of CLIMATE CHANGE 
Just clicked on the link & it seems to be working again, although WordPress’s snapshot shows 404: Page Not Found. Weird.. There are some comments now on the BBC page, although out of 11 comments, they’ve selected 9 that are critical (to a greater or lesser degree) and 2 that are supportive.
My own comment, which they haven’t included (and probably won’t, now) was: “An excellent short essay by Clive James – lucid, rational, humorous and to the point. Speaking out against the zealots is not easy, especially for anyone in the public eye, so – well done.”
There’s a transcript of this excellent short essay here on the BBC’s website.
thank you Alex. I have updated the blog with that link.
Alex, your link doesn’t work, either here or at Harmless Sky. I found the article via this site
http://www.joabbess.com/2009/10/24/clive-james-lighthearted-ignorance/
which is almost as funny as Clive James, though unintentionally.
Having Clive James on board will do scepticism more good than a thousand peer-reviewed articles
Geoff’s page points to the more direct link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8322513.stm
This sort of thing happens in my local paper all the time. Usually it’s when a Republican(s) make the ruling Democrats look like damned fools (which they are) and some high up editor finds the report filed and printed after the fact.
The editor makes some dodgy cuts to the peice (removing salient, incriminating, or embarassing facts, that magicly make the Dem look almost sane) then refiling it with a fresh web address.
Do they do this because they are incompetent to add an update to an existing post? Possible.
But the one sided nature and result that people who enjoy Democrats looking like the fools they are, and linked the original copy will be stuck with a dead link, tends to make practice highly convenient toward the original goal of the editor.
Color me sceptical.
thank you nevertheless, papertiger…it was a good laugh. When Junior will come home talking about global warming, I know now what to start from…
Clive shows great insight on this topic, being an Australian who professes to know “next to nothing about the subjects.” It is a precise logical view of the proponents of AGW.
No need to thank me . You’re welcome.
Wasn’t it an Englishman who produced the Act on CO2 commercial to fright the bejeesus out of the children?
Found an antidote for you Omni. The Cap and Trade Bedtime Story from Minnesotans for Global Warming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BptZ7CXHziA (1:01 minutes long)
No comments on this commercial so far at youtube.
Personally I think that’s because we Yanks haven’t had our kids exposed to the Act On Co2 commercial. Maybe it will play better over in the mother islands.