Former Environment Secretary to deliver keynote speech

[3rdRock]

Owen Paterson, who was sacked as Environment Secretary in this week’s Cabinet reshuffle, is preparing to speak publicly of his doubts that climate change is man-made.

His decision is a foretaste of the trouble Mr Paterson, who is firmly on the Right of the Tory party and a staunch Eurosceptic, could cause for David Cameron.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 15807.html

When will they ever learn?

[UndercoverElephant]

Never. The "climate skeptics" have already changed their tune from "it's not happening" to "it's not caused by humans", and from there they won't be shifted. Their views are driven by politics/greed, not science, so it doesn't make any difference what happens in the future, either to the climate or to climatology. Paterson will go to his grave denying climate change is caused by humans, and most people like him really do believe what they are saying. Such is the power of the human mind to find evidence to support whatever it finds desirable to believe is true.

What the thinker thinks, the prover proves, as Robert Anton Wilson put it.

[kenneal - lagger]

Lord Lawson has said his think-tank is “open-minded on the contested science of global warming”, but “deeply concerned about the costs and other implications of many of the policies currently being advocated”.

The science is only, in the main (except for 3% of scientists), contested by a bunch of journalists, historians and economists. What the hell do they know about the intricate details of the science that has been pored over by the 97% of scientists who all agree.

If you're willing to listen to someone who's major tenet is the possibility and desirability of continuous economic growth in a finite environment you need your head examined.

[emordnilap]

Anyone see episode 6 of Years of Living Dangerously?

It focuses on the Heartland Institute, painting them in a mildly negative light. Certainly not harshly enough by a long shot, imo. In its (Heartland's) approach to what is the biggest threat to humans ever, it is pure evil.

[biffvernon]

(except for 3% of scientists),

I dunno where this 3% myth comes from. I don't believe they exist - at least not amongst practising climate scientists publishing in proper scientific journals.

Go on, see if you can name a single climate scientist who does not accept the central idea that human produced greenhouse gases are causing global warming.

[emordnilap]

Never. The "climate skeptics" have already changed their tune from "it's not happening" to "it's not caused by humans", and from there they won't be shifted. Their views are driven by politics/greed, not science, so it doesn't make any difference what happens in the future, either to the climate or to climatology. Paterson will go to his grave denying climate change is caused by humans, and most people like him really do believe what they are saying. Such is the power of the human mind to find evidence to support whatever it finds desirable to believe is true.

What the thinker thinks, the prover proves, as Robert Anton Wilson put it.

Owen Paterson gets his facts wrong in pro-GMO push

He will claim that millions of lives could have been saved if GMO Golden Rice had been available in their diet, adding that “it could have been already for several years, but for the ongoing opposition of well-financed anti-GM activist groups and their ceaseless campaign to frighten people and pressure governments to keep Golden Rice off the market.” Paterson blames Greenpeace for leading the opposition to GMO Golden Rice.

The problem with this picture is that it is utterly, ludicrously wrong – and Paterson knows it. As several people have pointed out to him on social media, GMO Golden Rice recently failed its field trials and it hasn’t been shown in tests to be safe to eat or efficacious.

This man is clearly a menace to society. He gets so much wrong.