IPCC Reports – Deniers Rant

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has delivered its verdict, and as the BBC has reported, “The impacts of global warming are likely to be ‘severe, pervasive and irreversible’, a major report by the UN has warned”. Moreover, “Warming is leading to more volatile weather patterns that are already reducing crop yields”. So that means it’s serious.

Serious enough, in fact, for the denialist fringe to go into overdrive. One hates to go directly to the D-word, but here we have people who can no longer be called “sceptics”, as they are not in “show-me” mode, but already in “It’s not happening and anyone who says it is is a liar” mode. Typical is Anthony Watts, who tells “now the screaming begins anew ... it’s alarmism on steroids”.

This is the usual denialist schtick: the other lot are the screaming extremists, and the poor sceptics are the voice of calm reason, being overwhelmed by the World Government Conspiracy. Sadly, this is disproved by the aggressive yet easily debunked Steven Goddard of the pretentiously titled Real Science blog. He takes the assertion that climate change is “already affecting the food supply”.

“Food supplies have been steadily increasing. These people are being paid to spread bullshit, and it stinks” he tells, then shows a graph of world grain production. So let’s take this nice and slowly, just for Stephen. Grain is not the only foodstuff in the world. And many people live a subsistence existence, so it’s little use to them that there may be lots of grain somewhere a long way away.

In any case, depending on someone else to provide that supply is exactly what the IPCC is banging on about. But let us move on to another voice of calm, Marc Morano at Climate Depot: “UN’s Pre-Determined Political ‘Science’: ‘Government officials and scientists’ are ‘wrangling over every line’ of new UN IPCC report – This is supposed to be a science process?”. Yes, that’s real calm for you.

Lots of quotation marks to show that the science is, by inference, suspect. After all, it’s “pre-determined”. But good to see Morano toeing the line, which is that it isn’t happening, or if it is, there’s nothing to worry about. This brings us to today’s star turn, James “saviour of Western civilisation” Delingpole: “Global warming will cause war, pestilence, famine and death, says new IPCC report inevitably”, he tells.

It’s the usual Del Boy style: say lots of outrageously wrong things that aren’t being said by the IPCC, then tell everyone to chill “the costs could be offset by just a month's global economic growth”. A meaningless concept. Growth of what, from where? If he means a month’s world GDP, how does that same world manage while all its resources are diverted elsewhere? What happens next time?

Behold the deniers’ best shot. And it’s a truly lame effort. No change there, then.