Taken By Storm
Encyclopedia
Taken By Storm is a book about the global warming controversy
by Christopher Essex and Ross McKitrick
.
The authors argue that politicians and others claim far more certainty than is justified by the science:
The authors argue that public policy
discussions have abandoned science and resorted to ad hominem
attacks:
Global warming controversy
Global warming controversy refers to a variety of disputes, significantly more pronounced in the popular media than in the scientific literature, regarding the nature, causes, and consequences of global warming...
by Christopher Essex and Ross McKitrick
Ross McKitrick
Ross McKitrick is a Canadian economist specializing in environmental economics and policy analysis. He is professor of economics at the University of Guelph; a senior fellow of the Fraser Institute, a Canadian free-market public policy think tank; and a member of the academic advisory boards of the...
.
The authors argue that politicians and others claim far more certainty than is justified by the science:
- We believe there has been no conspiracy to dupe the public and the people in question have nothing but the best of intentions. It appears instead that a lot of well-meaning people got locked unwittingly into a game that requires them to speak as if they are absolutely certain about matters upon which certainty is inherently impossible. Many prominent players have staked their reputations on positions that cannot be supported by science or sound policy analysis. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/1552632121
The authors argue that public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
discussions have abandoned science and resorted to ad hominem
Ad hominem
An ad hominem , short for argumentum ad hominem, is an attempt to negate the truth of a claim by pointing out a negative characteristic or belief of the person supporting it...
attacks:
- Global warming ceased to be a subject of scientific debate years ago. Watch how critics jump straight to an examination of motives or credentials rather than the substance of an author’s argument whenever books like this one are published. The argument, it seems, is that what you say, whether it is true or not, matters less than the way you say it or who you are. Scrutinizing the messenger rather than the message may be an effective political ploy; but what we are engaged in is not, at its heart, a political question. Our society has already done substantial harm to itself by not grasping this crucial point. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/1552632121
External links
- Taken By Storm: The Troubled Science, Policy and Politics of Global Warming ISBN 1-55263-212-1
- http://cpbl.econ.ubc.ca/web/library/takenByStormReview.html