Bishop Hill HSI in ECOS
Jun 29, 2010 Books Climate: HSI ECOS, the magazine of the British Association of Nature Conservationists has published a review of The Hockey Stick Illusion. You can download a draft of the review here. It's written by Peter Taylor, the author of Chill.
This book will have repercussions. It is well written, though demanding of constant focus, well laid-out and thoroughly referenced. It should be read by every believer in the authority of scientific institutions – but of course, that is not likely. Montford has done a great service to science, to history and to a public grown sceptical of the scare stories upon which vast amounts of research funding, carbon trading and energy technology subsidies depend. That story cannot now claim that the 20th century warmth is unprecedented.
Reader Comments (11)
If the Warmist mule won't budge, try lighting a fire under it, then banging its head with a two-by-four. "What's this, you fixin' to kill my mule?" "No, sir-- he'll move, but first we gotta get his attention."
Will you be returning the favour and reviewing Taylor's work 'Shiva's Rainbow'?
I'd be particularly interested in the 'sceptical' take on his opinion that the homeopathic amounts of Plutonium in all our bones are the doorway to a higher consciousness. This is of course because Plutonium is named for Pluto - which astrologically represents upheaval and transformation.
Interesting to see it on a site like BANC's and good that they are giving house-room to the debate, although they do seem to equate scepticism with conspicuous consumption.
This looks for once like an environmental outfit worthy of the name. When I read the review, I had the mental image of our familiar media enviro-journalists choking on their coffee and toast as they opened this among their morning post. But I doubt they actually subscribe.
Peter Taylor is unique. I know of no other enviornmentalist with his credentials who publically states that CO2 is probably not responsible for a majority of the warming since the Little Ice Age. His favorable review should carry much weight. Buy his CHILL.
It's important to be clear here. There is a fundamental inaccuracy:
"That story cannot now claim that the 20th century warmth is unprecedented."
If that read 'cannot now claim to prove', I'd be much happier. Let's not go overboard here - a full acceptance of everything Steve McIntyre has done, for example, would do no more than to return our assessment of our knowledge to appropriate levels of uncertainty. Nothing is thereby disproven other than unjustified assertions of proof themselves.
The Hockey Stick Illusion shows that the conclusions drawn were not justified by the evidence provided, but it did not even attempt to show whether or not they were true. That kind of work has to be left to the climate scientists; the auditors are just there to make sure they actually do their job.
Don, I don't think Taylor is unique. There are quite a few environmentalists who are AGW skeptics. Two high-profile examples are Bjorn Lomborg and David Bellamy.
PaulM, you are right. I overstated my point, something I try not to do since that is what alarmists do.
I can`t find the review on the site, do you have a direct link?
Mark
I don't think it's online. I got the submitted copy direct from Peter.
Ok andrew, thanks