Posted on 04/25/2007 3:58:52 PM PDT by Hal1950
LONDON (AP) -- A group of British climate scientists is demanding changes to a skeptical documentary about global warming, saying there are grave errors in the program billed as a response to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth.
The Great Global Warming Swindle" aired on British television in March and is coming out soon on DVD. It argues that man-made emissions have a marginal impact on the world's climate and warming can better be explained by changing patterns of solar activity.
An open letter sent Tuesday by 38 scientists, including the former heads of Britain's academy of sciences and Britain's weather office, called on producer Wag TV to remove what it called "major misrepresentations" from the film before the DVD release -- a demand its director said was tantamount to censorship.
Bob Ward, the former spokesman for the Royal Society, Britain's academy of science, and one of the letter's signatories, said director Mark Durkin made a "long catalog of fundamental and profound mistakes" -- including the claim that volcanoes produce more carbon dioxide than humans, and that the Earth's atmosphere was warmer during the Middle Ages than it is today.
"Free speech does not extend to misleading the public by making factually inaccurate statements," he said. "Somebody has to stand up for the public interest here."
Durkin called the letter "loathsome."
"This is a contemptible, weasel-worded attempt to gag scientific criticism, and it won't work," he said. "I don't believe they're interested in quality control when it comes to the reporting of science -- so long as it's on their side."
Durkin acknowledged two of the errors highlighted by the scientists -- including the claim about volcanic emissions -- but he described those changes as minor and said they would be corrected in the expanded DVD release.
But the scientists do not want the DVD released without edits to completely remove the material they object to -- something Ward said would fatally weaken the film's argument.
"The fact is that it's a very convincing program, and if you're not very aware of the science you wouldn't necessarily see what the errors are," Ward said. "But the errors are huge. ... Without those errors in, he doesn't have a story."
Ward has also complained to Britain's media regulator, which said it was investigating the matter. British broadcast law demands impartiality on matters of major political and industrial controversy -- and penalties can be imposed for misrepresentations of fact.
The decision to broadcast Durkin's documentary on Channel 4 was an unusual move in a country where the role of man-made carbon emissions in heating the globe is largely taken for granted and politicians regularly spar over which party has the greenest environmental policy.
As for the former vice president, Gore has been hired as an adviser to the British government, which plans to send copies of his film to schools around England.
Funny how this is the first mention of this movie I have seen in the mainstream media. Actually, not funny but disgusting....
38 scientists afraid of getting blackballed by those who politicize the facts?
Will they be removing the errors from Algores film. Let's start with his claim to be the "Former President-Elect of the United States".
I don’t recall the media doing much to question Al Gore’s film then or now.
Treekisser hissyfit alert!
“As for the former vice president, Gore has been hired as an adviser to the British government, which plans to send copies of his film to schools around England.”
Well that explains the majority of the censorship these guys are trying to throw down on Durkin.
Blasphemy! Off with their heads!
British broadcast law demands impartiality on matters of major political and industrial controversy -- and penalties can be imposed for misrepresentations of fact.
He is sending it directly to schools to avoid the risk of penalty for broadcasting his lies on the British airwaves.
Thought control is alive and well on Airstrip One.
38? Wow, that’s not too impressive given that we’re talking about a concensus view here. LOL.
Great! This is a perfect opportunity to put the lying British Globull Warming propagandists out of business. Of course the law is implemented by the same government that just hired Gore as its leading Globull Warming liar. Catch 22.
Can they then explain to us in simpleton language how Greenland got its name and how the Vikings crossed the North Atlantic with wooden sailboats that would not survive the trip in todays climate?
I’m afraid removing Al Gore is out of the question.lol
Hey, scientists deserve to become rich too even if it means lying and bending the truth.
Credibility is meaningless anymore unless one can become as rich being credible as they can being incredible.
Follow the money...
Scruples and honesty of though have been beaten out by the clamoring of whats really important.
Being rich and powerful by selling personal dignity and individual value to the highest bidder.
Such whiners they are. Most of the current argument supporting vast amounts of resources being expended to stop what is a very very very small contribution to the overall CO2 levels is focused on melting Ice in Greenland and models who’s only corollary would be a a program that could predict the stock market for the next hundred years. If someone tried to sell you such a program you would probably laugh and call it a scam. The problem I have is that the Global Warming proponents are going far beyond the evidence and historically when science does this it is almost ALWAYS wrong.
Re#7 Nope. Their bias is so transparent—for those that care to look elsewhere for news...
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