Lord May under the cosh

Lord May was on the Daily Politics today, being grilled by Andrew Neil on the floods and the evidence - or the lack of it - that they are going to get worse. Cue much wriggling and discomfort from the noble lord. There was also a session on science in the media, with May joined by Steve Jones and Geoffrey Lean.

This is generally good stuff. I was bemused by May and Lean agreeing that science reporting is generally good. This is not my impression at all. May says that An Inconvenient Truth was "maybe a bit over the top" and describes Bjorn Lomborg as a "complete charlatan".

The video should be here in due course.

Comments

[osseo]

Thanks, EM.

I agree that the response to the floods is inadequate (or worse). But I (like Lomborg) remain in favour of tackling actual problems that are happening now, rather than possible ones that may happen in 50 or 100 years time. If we spent less on windmills we'd have more to spend on flood prevention.

I have no more confidence in the Stern Report than in most other financial projections. His discount rate is not credible.

As to your specific points: Sea level is rising, but how fast are we losing agricultural land (the Somerset Levels apart)? Population is stabilising (peak children). There are prospects for improving nuclear fission, maybe even fusion (though that is a difficult nut to crack). Lomborg is for putting money into research. For example, nitrogen fixation by GM would solve the fertiliser problem.