NewsBusters has just learned that a British "climate activist" was responsible for getting the BBC to radically alter its
article last Friday.
On Monday, Jennifer Marohasy, the director of the Environment Unit at Australia's Institute of Public Affairs, received and published an e-mail exchange between the article's author, Roger Harrabin, and a climate activist affiliated with the British Campaign Against Climate Change:
From Jo, April 4, 2008
Climate Changers,
Remember to challenge any piece of media that seems like it's been subject to spin or scepticism.
Here's my go for today. The BBC actually changed an article I requested a correction for, but I'm not really sure if the result is that much better.
Judge for yourselves...
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from Jo Abbess
to Roger Harrabin
date Fri, Apr 4, 2008 at 10:12 AM
subject Correction Demanded : "Global temperatures 'to decrease'"
Dear Roger,
Please can you correct your piece published today entitled "Global temperatures 'to decrease'" :-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7329799.stm
1. "A minority of scientists question whether this means global warming has peaked" This is incorrect. Several networks exist that question whether global warming has peaked, but they contain very few actual scientists, and the scientists that they do contain are not climate scientists so have no expertise in this area.
2. "Global temperatures this year will be lower than in 2007" You should not mislead people into thinking that the sum total of the Earth system is going to be cooler in 2008 than 2007. For example, the ocean systems of temperature do not change in yearly timescales, and are massive heat sinks that have shown gradual and continual warming.
It is only near-surface air temperatures that will be affected by La Nina, plus a bit of the lower atmosphere.
Thank you for applying your attention to all the facts and figures available,
jo.
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from Roger Harrabin
to Jo Abbess ,
date Fri, Apr 4, 2008 at 10:23 AM
subject RE: Correction Demanded : "Global temperatures 'to decrease'"
Dear Jo
No correction is needed
If the secy-gen of the WMO tells me that global temperatures will decrease, that's what we will report
There are scientists who question whether warming will continue as projected by IPCC
Best wishes
RH
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from Jo Abbess
to Roger Harrabin ,
date Fri, Apr 4, 2008 at 10:37 AM
subject Re: Correction Demanded : "Global temperatures 'to decrease'"
Hi Roger,
I will forward your comments (unless you object) to some people who may wish to add to your knowledge.
Would you be willing to publish information that expands on your original position, and which would give a better, clearer picture of what is going on ?
Personally, I think it is highly irresponsible to play into the hands of the sceptics/skeptics who continually promote the idea that "global warming finished in 1998", when that is so patently not true.
I have to spend a lot of my time countering their various myths and non-arguments, saying, no, go look at the Hadley Centre data. Global Warming is not over. There have been what look like troughs and plateaus/x before. It didn't stop then. It's not stopping now.
It is true that people are debating Climate Sensitivity, how much exactly the Earth will respond to radiative forcing, but nobody is seriously refuting that increasing Greenhouse Gases cause increased global temperatures.
I think it's counterproductive to even hint that the Earth is cooling down again, when the sum total of the data tells you the opposite. Glaringly.
As time goes by, the infant science of climatology improves. The Earth has never experienced the kind of chemical adjustment in the atmosphere we see now, so it is hard to tell exactly what will happen based on historical science.
However, the broad sweep is : added GHG means added warming.
Please do not do a disservice to your readership by leaving the door open to doubt about that.
jo.
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The Rest Here: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/04/07/climate-activist-got-bbc-change-global-temperatures-decrease-article