Is the unprecedented counterattack against AGW deniers by the NAS a positive turning point for science truth?

Perhaps it represents an awakening within the scientific community; a realisation that in order to get a message across it is necessary to be more pro-active.

Traditionally scientists have published papers that are then printed and circulated within the scientific media. Sometimes the mainstream media pick up a story and run with it, other times they don’t.

In order to present a façade of impartiality the mainstream media often report both sides of a story and will often give disproportionate credence to one side in order to appear unbiased (or they may just publish any old rubbish to stir up controversy).

Consequently, the mainstream media does not accurately reflect the scientific position – far from it. The University of California conducted some research in which they examined a random selection of reports about global warming. Of the 928 scientific papers examined none of them doubted the human influence on the climate. Of the 3,543 popular media articles examined some 53% had doubt in them.

There is a balance that needs to be redressed and perhaps the NAS are taking the first steps to address this.

I think it may be. It's good to see the United States' top scientists coming together to defend the integrity of scientific research against the lying slanderous attacks from politically motivated AGW deniers.

Hopefully this will encourage more scientists to defend climate science research against these scumbags.

I like it. I think it's really about time that they started standing up for themselves. Yes, it's noble to turn the other cheek. At some point, however, it's nobler to stand up for yourself and your fellows and not allow lies to go unanswered, especially on a subject so important.

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1) Sorry, global cooling and concerns over it were not myths:

http://thedogatemydata.blogspot.com/2009/12/climat...

2) To respond to linlyons, how are tax cuts "unrealistic" anyway? Tax revenue climbed in the four years following the Bush tax cuts.

3) Also to respond to linlyons, I don't know about the "Swiftboat" ads. I don't watch much TV apart from soccer. I watch House now because my GF watches it - good show. She watches 30 Rock too - slightly funnier than the Office but I usually opt out. But I digress. John Kerry didn't lose the 2004 election because of "Swiftboat ads" - he lost the election because he's a stiff, a stuffed shirt, a phony, a politician's politician, and totally in the pockets of the unions. That's not just what I think - it's what other Massachusetts Democrats think.

Also to respond to linlyons - comparing Arizona to the KKK is silly, and it's dishonest. We have a problem in this country, particularly in border states, with illegal immigration - people who are not supposed to be here, who are not here legally. That has nothing to do with race or ethnicity. It has to do with legality, with security, and with the drain on our system. When we had a lot of young Irish illegals on Cape Cod, it wasn't as big a deal. Why- because they were white? No. Because they were young people who came to find Summer work, took that work only from college students who were much rowdier and got drunker before they drove on rte 28, and because they went home at the end of the Summer rather than try to stay here, have kids and go on the dole. And because that was pre- 9/11 when we weren't as concerned with knowing who was coming over our borders.

How ironic.

Engaging in politics to stop a "political assault".

This is why most Americans now reject the opinions of these so-called 'scientists".

Unfortunately, no. Most deniers are so wrapped up in their politics that they only see scientists as politically motivated. They neither understand nor care about science or scientific truth and so being in the NAS will not impress them. Most are almost completely ignorant of science, or understand it so poorly that they would be far better off not knowing anything about it. I have yet to see a single denier on here that had a good understanding of mathematics or physics. Bravozulu gave pretty decent answers to my geology questions, but I think that's only because they had nothing to do with AGW. When they start thinking about AGW, whatever knowledge of science gets warped by their politics.

EDIT: Ottawa Mike seems to be mixing up two completely different things, an article from two years ago by Ramanathan and another guy, and this statement in Science by over 250 NAS members. Doesn't seem at all like the same thing to me, and I don't see how the Pielke link refutes anything in the current statement. Yes, there is advocacy, because many scientists have come to the conclusion that mankind is pushing the Earth in a dangerous direction, just like when your parents advocated that you shouldn't play in traffic or use dangerous drugs.

250 out of how many thousands?

I note that they STILL can't even get the LOCAL weather predictions correct for more than 12 hours at a time, more than 50% of the time; and you expect me to believe that they KNOW what they are doing!!

Science is, in most cases, simply theories, not proven facts, often called "best guess".

You are just as opinionated as most who think they are right.

The motto is, "my mind is made up, don't try to confuse me with facts."

No, I feel these scientists are really putting their neck out with statements like this. They are transforming from science to activism and political advocacy.

This report in particular is quite alarming with statements like: "...planet-wide catastrophe.", "escalation of political assaults" , "warned that any delay ", "dangerous risk for our planet", "can no longer be debated", "act aggressively".

Actually, what I find most alarming about this is scientists actually making statements like this one. And on top of that, we really don't know what exactly goes on within the NAS (or other scientific bodies for that matter) which gives rise to such alarming proclamations. You may well know who Roger Pielke Sr. is and here is his take on advocacy of the NAS: http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/a...

Pielke says this is advocacy. Several warmers here refuse to admit that. They say NAS is all about science. Well, that's hard to swallow given the empirical evidence for all to see.

While I am not sure I would call this an unprecedented counterattack against deniers I would also like to point out that all of the 250 scientists are from NAS so clearly they are all going to have the same agenda.

I respectfully disagree with your observation. 1) 250 scientists in the US is not statistically significant compared to those throughout the world who are in dissent. 2) please see my response to the yahoo question regarding the flaws in growing hysteria perpetuated by those who have more to gain by making people fear their environment rather than accept and adapt.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201005...

And, it's no longer "global warming". The crowd has attached itself to the "climate change" mantra because there is growing evidence that areas of the earth are actually cooling causing significant climate disturbances in other parts of the globe. My point being, no one scientist worth their education can conclusively say what is happening. Is it man made? Is it the earths natural balance shifting? Is it both? Is there really anything to be concerned about at all? Please read my sources on the other yahoo question/answer. Thank you.