Skepticism and the science of climate change

Skepticism plays an important role in science, for a theory is valid in so far as it has not been disproved. Scientists indeed are trained skeptics, as pointed out by Tim Flannery in his book The Weather Makers, and "...this eternal questioning of their own and others' work may give the impression that you can always find an expert who will champion any conceivable view." Industy and politicians have certainly recognized this and used it to their advantage, as many have read scientific skepticism as full-scale controversy and have presented it this way to the public in order to confuse the issue. Meanwhile, consensus in the scientific community on global warming has been growing for 3 decades.

One major goal of the recent IPCC summary report was to convey the rock-solid scientific consensus across the multitude of countries represented. Don't expect this however, to silence the critics. They are masters of spin, not science. "They have no alternative narrative for the state of the climate and merely hop from one perceived uncertainty to the next: cosmic rays or little ice ages, urban heat islands or the social pathology of climate scientists." [Quoted from NewScientist, Februrary 10, 2007, "Consensus is not enough."]