Bishop Hill Chris Rapley goes all fair and balanced
Mar 24, 2010 Climate: other Media Chris Rapley used to be the director of the British Antarctic Survey, a position he used to great effect as part of the campaign to scare us all into believing in global warming.
He now runs the Science Museum in London and seems to have altered his views somewhat:
The Science Museum is revising the contents of its new climate science gallery to reflect the wave of scepticism that has engulfed the issue in recent months.
The decision by the 100-year-old London museum reveals how deeply scientific institutions have been shaken by the public’s reaction to revelations of malpractice by climate scientists.
The museum is abandoning its previous practice of trying to persuade visitors of the dangers of global warming. It is instead adopting a neutral position, acknowledging that there are legitimate doubts about the impact of man-made emissions on the climate.
What is more, he has come over all reticent about his own views on global warming, refusing to offer an opinion one way or the other.
The times they are a-changing.
Reader Comments (12)
http://bibleencyclopedia.com/slides/luke/15-7.htm
Just wondering how long before he is bullied into saying that AGW does exsist.
Perhaps there is indeed one honest man left.
I think we should applaud him - not for his views necessarily - but for his intellectul courage. This is a big and very visible step to take. He will need at least a tin hat once the scientific Establishment get hold of the story.
I'm not really convinced he means this. CR was a very vocal advocate of AGW in the past. It may just be that the punters at the museum are not impressed any more.
I went to the Science museum last Autumn. The AGW exhibition was in the same area as one concerning GM crops. For the latter, there was space given to doubters and quotes ranging from sensible to deranged against the science. All told it was fairly sensible.
In contrast the exhibition for AGW was all scare tactics. The classic poster children were there to sway the kids. "Think of the Polar Bears". The staff around were totally ignorant of anything outside the consensus view. The one I talked too was unaware of any criticism of the hockey stick and knew nothing about Antarctic ice increases.
I’m not sure if the Prof has changed his personal views on global warming, maybe it is simply what he says it is “that the museum needed to remain neutral in order to be trusted.” Trusted! Phew! There’s a distance to go on that one Prof. but it’s a wobble in the right direction.
I think I remember reading a report saying that the Science Museum had provided a facility for visitors to leave comments on their AGW exhibit and was embarrassed by the high proportion of comments stating that the exhibit was a load of cobblers (or words to that effect).
There's an general election in the offing, you know. He may have to kowtow to different geezers.
Perhaps the Science Museum's 'Prove It' campaign has worked - just not quite in the way that he expected!
@dearieme
Unless you are expecting that UKIP forms the next Government, Rapley has nothing to fear there.
The Tories and Dims are even more pathetically deranged than the current lot.
This is what happens when someone is released from their obligations to `champion` a cause.
As a director of the of the BAS he was of course obliged to adopt the catastrophist viewpiont. Securing as much political support and hard cash for his organisation as possible, to hell with anything else.
I`d suggest that now his customers are are an increasingly sceptical public,he`s doing exactly the same for is new employers.
Integrity? I say `follow the money` or at least the salary.
I followed the voting in the poll at the time, it was reported on a special website.
The numbers of those who were unconvinced by the "evidence" remained about 30% above the number of "believers" throughout the period of the Survey.
Even when George Monbiot used his Guardian blog to provide a link DIRECT to the poll site the sceptics won out in the end!
Reeesult!