Climate Change: a Rhetoric of Risk

Are climate change sceptics unfairly ignored?

Benny Peiser is a social anthropologist best known for his work on the portrayal of climate change. The founder of CCNet, a leading climate policy network, Peiser is co-editor of the journal Energy and Environment and director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation.

Following the BBC's recent decision to uphold a complaint against comments made by climate change sceptic Lord Lawson on the Today programme, we spoke to Peiser about scientific consensus and climate change in the media.

 

The BBC's head of editorial complaint recently said that Lord Lawson’s views are not supported by any evidence from such things as computer modelling scientific research; thus, they should strengthen their editorial procedures to avoid misleading the public.

Do you think there is such a thing as a unanimous scientific consensus about climate change today?

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Laurence 17 September 2014

How can you point the finger at a green lobby without also pointing out the more powerful and well-funded fossil fuel lobby?
Renewable energy would be required and desirable even without the climate change threat because oil and gas are finite and ever more difficult to extract. The unconventional fossil fuels have devastating impact on the environment. Although purporting to be objective, your critique is of one side of the debate only and partisan in favour of 'business as usual'.

Russell Seitz 8 August 2014

Congratulations on your discovery of the performance art of Benny Peisner , but shouldn't you give equal time to mainstream climate pataphysicists like Viscount Monckton , and the<a href="http://vvattsupwiththat.blogspot.com/2014/04/going-for-baroque.html"> Baroque school of WUWT?</a>