Sir, – In recent weeks there has been an intensification of the long-running climate contrarian campaign of myth and misinformation. One of the most common claims is that espoused by Patrick Cooke (September 27th) that “There has been a reduction in the warming trend from 1998 to 2012”.
In fact, when all data – including ocean heating, air, land, and melting of ice – are taken into account, it is clear there has been a significant increase in global warming over the past 15 years. While it’s true the surface warming trend from 1997 to 2012 is lower than the average projection, this is easily accounted for by the cooling effect of ocean cycles on surface temperature during this period. Heating effects of such cycles also caused warming to exceed projections in the previous 15 years. Over time, these effects tend to average out, though temperatures are increasing slightly faster overall than had been anticipated.
There is no scientific controversy as to whether anthropological global warming is real and potentially catastrophic. Self-styled “sceptics” are nothing of the sort: to reject all evidence and arguments that contradict your world view, while failing to apply critical thinking to any claims that seem to support it, does not constitute scepticism in any useful sense of the world.
The unanimous agreement achieved by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from so many scientists on a subject of such complexity and importance is unprecedented (Front page, September 28th); its latest report has been subject to one of the most rigorous peer review processes in the history of science and is quite possibly the most exhaustively researched scientific document ever published.
Despite its conservative nature, the report warns with greater confidence than ever before of the devastating and possibly irreversible effects if carbon emissions are not reduced. We ignore these findings at our peril. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN PATTERSON,
Lower Rathmines Road,
Dublin 6.