British climate change denialism (2)

Conservative blogger Ian Dale (again - keep it coming!) points us towards a CCD piece in The Spectator (a Conservative magazine) blog by Melanie Phillips. She lauds the findings of the International Conference on Climate Change at length, and brands climate change ‘a scam’. A multibillion dollar one, at that.

That’ll be the scientific conference whose invitation letter stated:

“The purpose of the conference is to generate international media attention to the fact that many scientists believe forecasts of rapid warming and catastrophic events are not supported by sound science, and that expensive campaigns to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are not necessary or cost-effective.”

So not to test hypotheses against data? Not to stand on the shoulders of giants to see further? No: to generate media attention. That’s a PR event, not a scientific conference.

Melanie Phillips is an evolution denier who supports the teaching of creationism in schools.  That makes her an idiot who doesn’t understand science in my book, but the fact that she has a column in  reaa nationally newspaper and blogs for a widely-read conservative magazine makes her a dangerous idiot. She studied English (a noble pursuit) at university and appears to have no scientific training beyond school in the 1960’s. I think we can discount her opinion on a science as complex as climate science as uninformed.