Oz Government Science Advisor Slams "Almost Infantile Debate" About Climate In Mass Media

[hatrack]

A SCIENCE adviser to the federal government has described the debate in the media over the basics of climate change science as ''almost infantile'', equating it to an argument about the existence of gravity.

Speaking at a Melbourne summit on the green economy, Professor Will Steffen criticised the media for treating climate change science as a political issue in which two sides should be given a voice. While there were uncertainties about the pace and impact of change, he said, the core of climate science - that the world was warming and the primary cause since the middle of the last century had been industrial greenhouse gas emissions - should be accepted with the same confidence as the laws of gravity and relativity.

''It's a no-brainer. If you go over the last couple of decades you see tens of thousands of papers in the peer-reviewed literature, and you have less than 10 that challenge the fundamentals - and they have been disproved,'' Professor Steffen said after an address at the Australian Davos Connection's Future Summit.

''Right now, this almost infantile debate about whether 'is it real or isn't it real?', it's like saying, 'Is the Earth round or is it flat?' is a hugely important question and yet we are not having a rational discourse in the media in Australia on this question. That is my biggest frustration.'' He called on the media to focus on areas where there was not a consensus, including the link between climate change and the south-east Australian drought and how rapidly sea levels would rise.

EDIT

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-debate-almost-infantile-20100524-w81e.html

[hvn_nbr_2]

1. Sensible person slams "Almost Infantile Debate" About Everything In Mass Media

Just making a more general point.

And a K&R.

[hatrack]

2. "Lindsay Lohan - Out-Of-Control Or Hog-Wild? Don't Miss Our Panel Debate!!"

True enough.

[petronius]

3. The rumors about Ms. Lohan are a hoax perpetrated by a vast cabal of

journalists, judges, drug-testing labs, law enforcement, and industry insiders...

[depakid]

4. Good thing Professor Steffen doesn't read papers like the Oregonian

Not only do they publish outright fabrications by whatever crank shows up- but the comment sections are riddled with people so appallingly (and willfully) ignorant that it causes one to lose any faith that they had left in humanity.