Global Warming and climate gate

PAULWATSON

Hi Guys,

just interested in your opinions, how can climate science recover from the utter carnage that resulted from the climate gate affair. Is there any hope of regaining credability?

El Siglo

PAULWATSON wrote: »

Hi Guys,

just interested in your opinions, how can climate science recover from the utter carnage that resulted from the climate gate affair. Is there any hope of regaining credability?

I assume you're referring to the UEA Climate Research Unit Controversy? I wouldn't pay attention to it, research is research. If it had been something that had made it into the literature then I would be annoyed, but emails amongst people? The data is what counts the most, if you have the data and the methods nailed down then stuff like that doesn't make a difference. It's like the media circus when there's a big trial, disregard it and look at the evidence.

riffmongous

I think the best thing to do now is to make more of an effort to educate the general public about the basics of climate. Show people that it's just an extension of meteorology and not as murky as some people like to make it out to be

El Siglo

riffmongous wrote: »

I think the best thing to do now is to make more of an effort to educate the general public about the basics of climate. Show people that it's just an extension of meteorology and not as murky as some people like to make it out to be

It's not just an extension of meteorology though, it's a lot of things; geochemistry, glaciology, etc... It's one of these things that when it has the potential to hit ones wallet it attracts a lot of negative press.

The only reason that it ever gets "murky" is when the likes of Lord Monckton et al. like to trump their own opinions. If you're not a scientist and you have no education or research experience in the field, then your contribution is as valid as the dog on the street.

riffmongous

I would like to see a poll done and see what ordinary people honestly think about climate science, not necessarily about global warming or climate change but the science and scientists themselves. Most of the people I've spoken, to who don't come from a scientific background, I would consider as being skeptical.

And I really don't think the climate scientists themselves understand this, or at least that was the impression I got while I was studying. And so no real effort is made to to explain things to the general public

El Siglo

riffmongous wrote: »

I would like to see a poll done and see what ordinary people honestly think about climate science, not necessarily about global warming or climate change but the science and scientists themselves. Most of the people I've spoken, to who don't come from a scientific background, I would consider as being skeptical.

And I really don't think the climate scientists themselves understand this, or at least that was the impression I got while I was studying. And so no real effort is made to to explain things to the general public

Well I think Al Gore made a fairly concerted effort to explain it to the general public and there does be a fair amount of documentaries etc... that have made the effort to explain things to people. It's just when the likes of Lord Monckton etc... tend to skew the facts to pander an agenda. I found most climatologists I've encountered have made a fairly good effort to explain things, I mean the likes of John Sweeney or Rowan Fealey have been on the news quite often in fact.