Bishop Hill Ward versus Tol
Apr 3, 2014 Climate: Sceptics Climate: WG2 Climate: Ward Media I am somewhat in awe of Channel Four news. I mean, Bob Ward writes a post criticising Richard Tol on an obscure page on the LSE website and Jon Snow, Cathy Newman et al leap into action to interrogate Tol on air. Not only that, but Ward is invited on to put his own case to Tol and Newman repeatedly accuses Tol of "having an agenda" because he is an unpaid adviser to GWPF while Ward, the paid mouthpiece for a wealthy environmentalist, is given a free ride. All that from a blog post!
I must say, the interview was distinctly uninformative, with Newman and Ward apparently trying to suggest that because Tol's paper is the only one showing benefits from warming (there are only two that have examined the case of warming of 1°C), his allegation of scaremongering by the IPCC is wrong. If ever there was a non-sequitur this is it. As Tol points out, the other studies for warming of a few degrees show net harm that is indistinguishable from zero. Calls for panic are indeed over the top.
Reader Comments (58)
Transcript by Alex
I did like the description of Jon Snow as being " a man of ocean-going pomposity"
I don't know much about C4, but the station seems similar to MSNBC here in the U.S. due to the progressive bias.
Interesting that a current MSNBC poll asking "Do you see climate change as a threat to your life or well-being?" is reporting 83% say "NO!"
Perhaps C4 should ask their viewers the same question.
"Poll: Do you see climate change as a threat to your life or well-being? | MSNBC"
Here in Ireland yesterday, RTE radio trotted out the country's 2nd and 3rd most credulous ecoloons versus Tol. Of course Sir Admiral Professor Bob Ward was cited as Gospel by one of them. Tol managed to get in the last word - if you have the patience to listen to an hour's worth of mostly drivel:
It's currently the top link not the one labelled "climate change".
Iapogus, I have returned and read your comments. We need a strategy to penetrate the MSM with knowledge.
Tol claims that the segment was heavily edited - presumably not to his advantage.
And yes, his exchange of emails with Ward might be interesting reading.
Does he have clear evidence that Ward deliberately lied?
> Does he have clear evidence that Ward deliberately lied?
His lips were moving.
Anthony Watts has already posted this, but I agree that Richard Tol should have counterpunched on the subject of agenda.
"In what way do I have an agenda different than Bob Ward's or yours? I think people need to hear all sides of the story. Don't you?"