New Scientist

New Scientist was founded in 1956, this internationally-focused weekly British magazine aims at giving readers exhaustive information on recent worldwide developments in science from a scientific, technical and philosophical perspective. The magazine, based in London, is published in English by Reed Business Information, a Reed Elsevier subsidiary, and has US and Australian editions as well. The current Editor is Jeremy Webb, a professional physician. The New Scientist is widely read by both scientists and the general public, and often used as an information source for articles in the general press. The New Scientist website provides articles from the magazine’s weekly print edition as well as daily science updates.
www.newscientist.com

Summary / Synopsis
Governments need to urgently identify how ambition can be raised on climate
[UNEP, 21/11/2012]
 
UNEP: Created in 1972, UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme, is the highest environmental authority in the United Nations system. The Programme is an “advocate, educator, catalyst and... Suite
Greening the European Investment Bank
[Manana Kochladze, 23/12/2011]
Greening the European Investment Bank Manana Kochladze is a campaigner at CEE Bankwatch Network, an NGO that monitors international financial institutions active in Central and Eastern Europe. She is the winner of the 2004 Goldman... Suite
Fossil fuel or modern slavery ?
[Jean François Mouhot, 06/12/2011]
Fossil fuel or modern slavery ? Jean François Mouhot is historian. He has a long-standing interest for environmental and energy issues, in particular for climate change. He published one book about Past Connections and Present... Suite
Action to Curb 'Soot' and 'Smog' Pollution Could Help Limit Global Temperature Rise
[UNEP, 14/06/2011]
 
UNEP: Created in 1972, UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme, is the highest environmental authority in the United Nations system. The Programme is an “advocate, educator, catalyst and... Suite
Climate change measures must be made corruption proof
[Transparency International, 30/04/2011]
Climate change measures must be made corruption proof Fondée en 1993 et présente dans 80 pays, Transparency International est une ONG qui lutte contre la corruption. Suite
Did Cancun Prove the UN Irrelevant in Tackling Climate?
[Fred Pearce, 16/12/2010]
Did Cancun Prove the UN Irrelevant in Tackling Climate? Fred Pearce is journalist specialized in the environment and development. He was born in the United Kingdom and studied geography in the University of Cambridge. His latest book is When the Rivers... Suite
Seeing REDD on Climate Change
[George Soros, 12/12/2010]
Seeing REDD on Climate Change George Soros is Chairman of Soros Fund Management and of the Open Society Institute. Photo : © AFP PHOTO / ERIC PIERMONT Suite
What to expect from the Cancun climate change conference
[Denis Loyer, 24/11/2010]
What to expect from the Cancun climate change conference Denis Loyer is a climate adviser at the Agence française de développement, AFD. AFD is France’s development bank. Suite
Europe needs to reduce emissions by 30%
[Jean-Louis Borloo, 15/07/2010]
Europe needs to reduce emissions by 30% Jean-Louis Borloo est le ministre français de l'Écologie, de l'Énergie, du Développement durable et de la Mer, en charge des Technologies Vertes et des Négociations sur le Climat depuis 2007. Il... Suite
World Cup: environmental red card?
[Nathalie Durand, 28/06/2010]
World Cup: environmental red card? A l’origine maître d’armes, Nathalie Durand enseigne l’escrime pour les valides et les handisports. Diplômée en management international du sport, elle mène depuis 1996 des études et des actions... Suite
A Hard Look at the Perils and Potential of Geoengineering
[Jeff Goodell, 01/04/2010]
A Hard Look at the Perils and Potential of Geoengineering Jeff Goodell is an author and contributing editor at Rolling Stone. His book on geoengineering, How to Cool the Planet: Geoengineering and the Audacious Quest to Fix Earth's Climate, will be released... Suite
Climate change’s secret weapon
[Khadija Sharife is a South African journalist. She is also an activist and a scholar at the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and a contributing author to the Tax Justice Network., 27/02/2010]
Climate change’s secret weapon Khadija Sharife is a South African journalist. She is also an activist and a scholar at the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and a contributing author... Suite
Why scientists must be the new climate sceptics
[New Scientist, 04/03/2010]
Why scientists must be the new climate sceptics New Scientist was founded in 1956, this internationally-focused weekly British magazine aims at giving readers exhaustive information on recent worldwide developments in science from a scientific,... Suite
The UN to the Rescue on Climate Change
[Michel Rocard, 20/12/2010]
The UN to the Rescue on Climate Change Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister of France and a former leader of the Socialist Party, is a member of the European Parliament. Suite
Copenhagen - Historic failure that will live in infamy
[Joss Garman, 20/12/2009]
Copenhagen - Historic failure that will live in infamy Joss Garman est un militant écologique britannique. il est chargé de campagne à Greenpeace et a aussi participé à la fondation du mouvement Plane Stupid qui s'oppose à l'extension du trafic aérien.... Suite
Copenhagen is not the end of a noble idea
[Olivier Milhomme, 21/12/2009]
Copenhagen is not the end of a noble idea a été conseiller éditorial de la fondation GoodPlanet. Suite
Copenhagen: Seattle Grows Up
[Naomi Klein, 13/11/2009]
Copenhagen: Seattle Grows Up Figure du militantisme altermondialiste et surtout anticapitaliste depuis la sortie de No Logo en 2000, Naomi Klein est une journaliste engagée. Elle concentre son travail sur les dérives du... Suite
Provocative New Study Warns of Crossing Planetary Boundaries
[Carl Zimmer, 23/09/2009]
Provocative New Study Warns of Crossing Planetary Boundaries Carl Zimmer travaille comme journaliste spécialiste des questions scientifiques et environnementales. Il a rédigé 6 livres et s’intéresse à des domaines aussi variés que la recherche dans les... Suite
Why Cutting Carbon Emissions is not Enough
[Achim Steiner, 01/09/2009]
Why Cutting Carbon Emissions is not Enough Achim Steiner est le directeur exécutif du Programme des Nations Unies pour l'Environnement (PNUE). Auparavant, il a exercé de hautes fonctions à la Commission mondiale des barrages puis à l'Union... Suite
Coral Reef Emergency and Copenhagen
[Pavan Sukhdev, 01/09/2009]
Coral Reef Emergency and Copenhagen Pavan Sukhdev est un économiste et banquier indien qui a notamment travaillé pour la banque centrale allemande en Inde. Il a été chargé par la commission européenne de diriger une étude mondiale sur... Suite
From Carbon Insolvency to Climate Dividends
[Claus Leggewie, 20/08/2009]
From Carbon Insolvency to Climate Dividends Claus Leggewie is director of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities in Essen (KWI) and a member of the Global Change Council of Germany (WBGU). Photo : Stefan/wikipedia under Creative... Suite
Methane controls before risky geoengineering, please
[New Scientist, 25/06/2009]
Methane controls before risky geoengineering, please New Scientist was founded in 1956, this internationally-focused weekly British magazine aims at giving readers exhaustive information on recent worldwide developments in science from a scientific,... Suite
The Failed State of US Climate Change Policy
[George Monbiot, The guardian, 26/06/2009]
The Failed State of US Climate Change Policy George Monbiot is a well-known investigation reporter and columnist for the British newspaper “The Guardian” as well as a member of the BBC Wildlife magazine’s advisory board. He is also the author... Suite
Focus on deforestation in the climate-energy negociations
[Olivier BOUYER, 31/12/2008]
Focus on deforestation in the climate-energy negociations Olivier BOUYER est Ingénieur du Génie Rural, des Eaux et Forêts. Il a participé à la conférence de Poznan (en 2008) avec la délégation française comme chargé de mission “effet de serre et forêt””... Suite
The Other Carbon Economy
[Vandana Shiva, Resurgence, 01/05/2008]
The Other Carbon Economy Vandana Shiva (India): Physicist, epistemologist, ecologist, and Indian feminist with a PhD in the philosophy of science. She founded “Navdanya,” an association which works to protect biodiversity... Suite
Carbon offsets deliver where it matters
[Martin Wright, BBC, 23/07/2007]
Carbon offsets deliver where it matters Martin Wright is the editor of Green Future Magazine, and occasional judge for the Ashden Awards for sustainable energy. Suite
Look, no carbon footprint!
[Fred Pearce, New Scientist, 09/03/2007]
Look, no carbon footprint! Fred Pearce is journalist specialized in the environment and development. He was born in the United Kingdom and studied geography in the University of Cambridge. His latest book is When the Rivers... Suite
If you go down to the woods today…
[Adam Ma’anit, 30/07/2006]
If you go down to the woods today… Adam Ma’anit is co-editor of the New Internationalist. He is the committed author of numerous publications on economic, social and environmental policies in Europe and Great-Britain. He has worked... Suite
GM crops may reduce greenhouse gases
[New Scientist, 29/01/2007]
GM crops may reduce greenhouse gases New Scientist was founded in 1956, this internationally-focused weekly British magazine aims at giving readers exhaustive information on recent worldwide developments in science from a scientific,... Suite

Why scientists must be the new climate sceptics

10/03/2010 12:56 pm

This is a depressing time for climate scientists. They've spent over a decade battling oil industry propagandists who said that the world was not warming. By careful and persistent argument they dismissed the misinformation. Now all the old questions about the validity of climate science are being trotted out again. As one researcher put it to me: "Long-dead arguments have been dug up and are wandering around like zombies."

The source of the problems has been well documented: the leaked emails from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, UK, followed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's acknowledgement that it had published an exaggerated claim about the melting of Himalayan glaciers.

Yet this is not the whole story. Yes, the UEA scientists and the IPCC made mistakes, but nothing in either case undermines the science proving that global warming is human-made. So why is the new wave of scepticism so vociferous?

I believe we're seeing the blowback of the decade-long battle with the sceptics. Climate scientists have been on a war footing for so long that they are no longer as open to criticism as they should be. Take the reactions of the UEA and IPCC to the damaging stories about them: both organisations initially insisted they had no case to answer and backed down only after further media coverage.

Newspapers should not have to force researchers to be transparent, self-critical and self-correcting: these attributes are essential to science. When they are missing, people lose trust.

Who do you trust?

This loss of trust is reflected in media coverage of the issue. Newspaper editors suddenly seem to want to publish stories about flaws in climate science, however inconsequential. And for good reason: rightly or wrongly, people feel climate researchers are not being honest.

Ironically, the situation is made worse by scientists' earlier success in countering the sceptics' misinformation. Politicians, businesses and religious leaders now broadly agree about the dangers of climate change. This consensus can be made to appear conspiratorial, and that makes an easy target for opponents of climate science. Racist political groups have done the same with immigration: here's what the powers that be don't want you to hear, they say. It is a powerful message, especially when the powers that be are telling us that lifestyle changes are needed to tackle climate change.

The consensus can appear more suspicious when trivial objections to climate science prompt aggressive responses. Last November, architecture journalist Amanda Baillieu wrote a column in Building Design that questioned whether the building industry should support cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. It was tame stuff, yet it prompted a torrent of criticism, some of it offensive. That was unnecessary, and ultimately harmful to the cause Baillieu's critics were fighting for. Now Baillieu is presenting herself as a brave soul, fearlessly standing up to climate science orthodoxy – despite having presented no evidence to challenge global warming.

True scepticism

Science needs to fight back, but not just by attacking its critics. Scientists need to reclaim the badge of "scepticism". They need to show that although the essentials of global warming are settled, the field itself is alive with debate and revision, as all science should be. They need to tell the public that there are things in the science that are open for debate, even if those things do not detract from the case for action.

Without a more open attitude, there is a real risk that the public's doubts about climate science will deepen. And it can take years for a field to recover its standing once people feel that they have been mislead. It has happened in Britain with genetically modified crops and nuclear power. In this case, we cannot afford any more years of mistrust.

[New Scientist

Why scientists must be the new climate sceptics

by Jim Giles

© New Scientist- 2010

]