Cato’s ’scientific’ rebuttal on climate change

http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2009/04/01/catos-scientific-rebuttal-on-climate-change/

1:36 pm April 1, 2009, by Jay

The libertarian CATO Institute sent out a blast email a while back seeking scientists willing to sign their names to a petition disputing President Obama’s claim of a scientific consensus on climate change. They got 116 to respond, and CATO has now published that petition in major national newspapers.

Interestingly, 25 of those who signed the petition describe themselves as either retired or professor emeritus. And through the magic of Google, you find that many of those on the Cato petition work in disciplines rather far afield from atmospheric science and climatology.

There’s Susan Crockford. She’s a “an archeoanthropologist who specializes in the evolutionary theory of the domestic dog.” Craig Idso is a geographer by training. Peter Salonius is a soil microbiologist. Neil Hutton is a retired petroleum geologist. Ross McKitrick is an economist by training who works at a right-wing “think tank” in Canada. Bob Breck is a New Orleans TV weatherman. David Kean of New Zealand is a retired geologist. John Reinhard is director of clinical services at Ore Pharmaceuticals.

Now, think of the thousands, tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands or even millions of people around the world who could be described as “scientists” by the definition apparently applied by Cato. Out of that population, Cato was able to find 116 to dispute claims of a scientific consensus on climate change and the importance of taking action.

You have to ask: Is that really the best Cato could do? And if it is, why would Cato broadcast its glaring lack of success to the world at large?