BBC – Science Under Attack

Part 2 – Climate Science and S. Fred Singer

I think that today, there is a new kind of battle.
It’s not just a clash of ideas, but whether people actually trust science.
One of the most vocal arguments currently raging, is about climate science.

Dr Paul Nurse, head of the Royal Society, looks at the ongoing war on science, with a major focus on climate.

Part 3 – Tree Rings, the “Nature Trick”, and James Delingpole

Part 4 – Delingpole continued – Press reports on climate, and the difficulty of translating Science

Part 1 is mostly introduction.
Part 5
Part 6

6 thoughts on “BBC – Science Under Attack”


  1. The narrative’s takeaway lines were:

    “We’re at a time where point of view holds sway over peer review”, Dr. Paul Nurse, head of the Royal Society.

    “You know, I am an interpreter of interpretations [of peer reviewed science].” James Delingpole, the Telegraph’s lead “Climategate” reporter – Winner of the 2010 Bastiat Prize, a journalism award for politically right-wing Libertarian commentators – author of the book “Welcome To Obamaland: I’ve Seen Your Future And It Doesn’t Work”.


  2. Brilliant – thanks for posting this, only half an hour ago I was unsuccessfully trying to watch this on the BBC website!


  3. Isn’t it interesting that Delingpole doesn’t get that he is the one with a political agenda. I like how he says he’s been following the climategate story for a year. Seems more like he’s been inventing it for a year.


  4. Hahaha, the end of part 3 is a laugh riot.

    “Yeah, ummm. Should we talk about, should we talk about climategate because I uh you know uh uh uh I don’t, I don’t accept your analogy uh really. I, I uh really think it’s uh… sigh, uh.

    But then Mr. Delingpole recovers a little bit at the beginning of part 4.

    “I think it is really easy to caricature the position of climate change skeptics as the sort of people who don’t look left or right when crossing the road or who think that the quack, you know, the quack cure that they’ve invented for cancer is just as valid as the one chosen by the medical establishment. I think it is something altogether different, and I do slightly resent the way you are bringing in that analogy.

    Mr. Delingpole has no business doing scientific reporting anywhere on this Earth. The “interpreter of interpretations” line is the biggest copout ever for being incompetent.

    Great find. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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