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The Scotsman questions the credibility of
Professor Boulton as a member of
Sir Muir's Climategate UEA Inquiry
James Irvine
Editor: www.land-care.org.uk
Filed 14Feb10
©www.land-care.org.uk
It is bad enough for the reputation of UK science when the scientific integrity of one of its research units is called into question. But this is particularly so when such an important matter as climate change is involved. Already the UK politicians - and globally - are embarking on massive economic changes that are largely dependent on trusting the scientists' statements. Not only that, but the UK wants to lead the world in the implementation of such radical changes to our way of life.
But there seems to be little short of farce in the selection of the 'independent' committee chaired Sir Muir Russell (1). Sir Muir was a former top civil servant at the Scottish Office and subsequently at the Scottish Executive before becoming Principal of Glasgow University (2).
If the resignation of Dr Philip Campbell, Editor-in Chief of Nature, from Sir Muir's committee within six hours of being appointed was not bad enough, the position of a second of the initial five member team is being seriously questioned (3, 4). This time it is the Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). The RSE claims to be Scotland's National Academy, independent and non-party political, created in 1783 by Royal Charter for "the advancement of learning and useful knowledge." It is essential that it lives up to its mission statement.
The RSE has run a number of public meetings relevant to climate change, few of which have given any scope for serious debate on the scientific evidence while tending to be alarmist. The most recent example is the lecture given by Bob Watson, Professor at the University of East Anglia and currently Defra chief scientific adviser (5). The lecture was sponsored by, among others, Scottish Natural Heritage. Why a UK Government employee requires to be sponsored by a Scottish Government agency seems a little surprising, when the RSE already gets substantial financial support from the Scottish Government.
In my view, Professor Watson's lecture was more of an evangelical sermon on the dire consequences of global warming and how we all have to change our ways to save mankind, rather than any convincing effort to even mention the opinions of rather more sceptical scientists along with the evidence which they consider relevant. This unfortunate situation is capsulated in the final sentence of the report on the lecture commissioned by the RSE (6)
"After the conclusion of the talk, Professor Watson was asked, perhaps inevitably, what he thought of the arguments being put forward by climate change sceptics. “We need sceptics to challenge us,” he replied. “but what they say needs to be based on scientific evidence, not ideology.”
I doubt if climate scientists John Christy of the University of Alabama at Huntsville (7) or Richard Lindzen of MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts (8) would agree. Nor for that matter Zbigniew Jaworowski (9), who reckons the ice core data on CO2 is seriously flawed: the basis for much of the modelling that claims to predict climate change and why disaster is so imminent.
One can hardly blame the RSE for inviting the defra chief scientific adviser to lecture. It is important that the public know what advice he is giving to government. Nor can the RSE be held responsible for what the defra's chief scientist says. However, the RSE Secretary (Professor Boulton) should have ensured that one way or another a more balanced presentation of the science of climate change was presented by the Society either on the same or some other occasion.
©www.land-care.org.uk
References
1. Comment (2010). Scotsman leader pokes fun at Sir Muir's inquiry into the UEA Climate Unit
e-mail allegations
See HOMEPAGE, filed 12Feb10, www.land-care.org.uk
Click Here to Read
2. University of Glasgow (2010). Biography of Sir Muir Russell.
Click Here to Read
3. Fyall, Jenny (2010). Senior Scots scientist in climate probe row.
The Scotsman 13 February 2010
Click Here to Read
4. Leader (2010). Controversial choice for climategate committee.
The Scotsman 13 February 2010
Click Here to Read
5. Watson, Bob (2010). Video recording of public lecture by Professor Watson, Defra Chief Scientific Adviser, at the Royal Society of Edinburgh on 10th December 2090
"The technology - policy changes to address climate changes and biodiversity loss."
Click Here to View
6. Watson, Jeremy (2010). Report on The Royal Society of Edinburgh Environmental Choices Lecture 'The technology–policy challenges to address climate changes and biodiversity loss'.
Professor Bob Watson, Chief Scientific Adviser’s Secretariat, Department for
Environmental Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA),10 December 2009
Click Here to Read
7. Roop, Jenny (2009). Global warming skeptic tells group that cure is worse than problem
Huntsville Times, November 11, 2009.
Click Here to Read
8. Lindzen, Richard S (2009). Resisting climate hysteria. A Case Against Precipitous Climate Action.
Quadrant Online, July 26, 2009
Click Here to Read
9. Jaworowski, Zbigniew (1997). Another global warming fraud exposed. Ice core data show no carbon dioxide increase.
Click Here to Read
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