Now that Monckton has been exposed as a fraud, who's left to represent the global warming denial movement?

At a recent US Congressional hearing on global warming, Christopher Monckton was chosen as the sole representative for the global warming 'skeptics' side. He seems to have become the face and representative of the global warming denial movement.

Unfortunately for deniers, he's also been exposed as a fraud. Monckton has already been exposed for falsely claiming that he is a member of the House of Lords. Now Prof. John Abraham undertook the task of investigating a lecture Monckton delivered in October 2009 - one which he often repeats.

"The results of Abraham's investigation are astonishing: not one of the claims he looks into withstands scrutiny. He exposes a repeated pattern of misinformation, distortion and manipulation."

"Some of Monckton's assertions are breath-taking in their brazen disregard of facts. He has gravely misrepresented papers and authors he refers to, in some cases he appears to have created data, graphs and trends out of thin air: at least that was how it appeared to Abraham when Monckton gave no references and his graphs and figures starkly contradicted the published science.

The lecture, like all those Monckton gives, looked and sounded like science: lots of charts and graphs, plenty of numbers and citations, all delivered with an air of authority and finality. Abraham's hard grind demonstrates that it was a long concatenation of nonsense."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2010/jun/03/monckton-climate-change

In just one example, Monckton claims NASA's David Hathaway had shown that any recent warming we have experienced is largely due to sunspot activity. Prof. Abraham contacted Hathaway, who stated “I did not then, nor did I ever, suggest that solar variability plays a dominant role in climate change.”
http://www.skepticalscience.com/Monckton-Chronicles-Part-II-Here-Comes-the-Sun.html

Now that Monckton's presentations have been exposed for falsifying data and grossly misrepresenting climate science studies and their authors, and that Monckton has been exposed as a climate science fraud, who's left to represent the global warming denial movement?

2010-06-03T09:08:36Z

Ottawa - we did let the climate scientists respond to their attacker (Monckton). That's the whole point of the question.

2010-06-03T10:24:38Z

Ottawa - when the climate scientists Monckton refences say he's lying about them, and when their studies contradict his claims about them, how exactly do you expect he could possibly defend himself?

It's like saying somebody who commits perjury should be allowed to explain why they lied in court. That's fine if you want to give Monckton 'the last word', but it won't make him any less guilty.

2010-06-03T12:07:18Z

"Al Gore's tripe was filled with more crap than Monckton"

If you believe that, it's you who doesn't care about the truth.

pegminer2010-06-03T08:56:50Z

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I don't understand your question, why would being a fraud and liar disqualify him from representing the denial movement? Sounds like he represents them very well.

Linda M2010-06-04T03:52:27Z

Unfortunately my friend, we humans in the west have become accustomed to our cars and the fuel that runs them, our air conditioners, our plastic toys, mobile phones, computers, fossil fuels for our energy and our wealth. etc.
Personal comfort comes first these days - don't worry about the comfort of our diminishing wildlife and fish stocks - of course we all continue to think on a daily basis that all is ok and the world is so big that we couldn't possibly cause the changes that are predicted.
We trust scientists with our lives when we get sick or have an accident. Scientists were key in inventing all of the things that we have to keep us comfortable in our own little world.
Yet now when scientists tell us that we have a major problem on our hands - no one wants to listen to them because it may mean that we have to give up some of our comforts or pay extra for carbon credits or similar.
We will no doubt be giving up comforts and no doubt paying extra for fuel and energy - once the effects of us trashing the Planet start to hit (as it has already in many countries) then the costs will really start to rise - in ways we probably can't even imagine.
I think debate is healthy and it is right to question what is put before us, but now I think it is too late and there is too much evidence to keep denying we have a problem.
The sceptics are threatening the future of my children - It is an urgent matter - so I wish they would all just piss off.

Noah H2010-06-03T10:46:34Z

The only part of this that counts is the data. Opinions don't count. What counts is the reason for the CURRENT climate change, not the reasons for warming or cooling in the past. Warming and cooling can happen for several reasons. In our time the reason for ALL of the changes noted comes from the gross amount of man made CO2 and other gases that we've pumped into our paper thin atmosphere since the beginning of the Industrial Age. The sun isn't 'hotter', volcanoes aren't a factor, the continents haven't moved appreciably since the early 1800s and nobody is fibbing about the scientifically collected, peer reviewed data accumulated by thousands of scientists from a hundred countries. We've created in a short historical time frame a robust 'greenhouse effect' that traps heat energy. The results of this effect are explained by straight line heat and atmospheric physics. Why people are afraid to admit that physics don't lie, don't express an 'opinion' and have no politics is a great mystery. I'm certain that the oil and coal folks would like this issue to go away, but even if it did 'go away' the rising heat index and accompanying climate change won't.

juano192010-06-04T12:41:39Z

Some cranks manage to get paid for being endearing. I think that this one is clever enough to scheme his way into another con. I do not see anyone else being able to make a living by playing the endearing eccentric on this issue however. Michael Creighton managed to get some mileage out of it while he could. Love those space monkeys, they were a hoot.

Anonymous2010-06-03T17:48:25Z

Exxon
BP
Politicians under the special interest thumb, just as Monckton is.
It's the same 'ol, same 'ol. Whomever will spend the most on disinformation will spook the herd towards the wolves.

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