Your Opinion: Climate change consensus

Dear Editor:

I expected that it would not take long for one of the usual contributors to join the effort to confuse climate with weather. The two are not the same. Also, Mr. Sampson clearly fails to understand the difference between short term variances and data anomalies. I would refer him to my submission printed on Jan. 9.

Also, I don't want this to deteriorate to my one scientist versus yours because that lends credence to the concept that there is significant debate in the scientific community about this issue. There is not.

I do wish to note that Sampson's referral to celebrities demonstrates a common practice when presenting a weak argument, that being misdirection. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck do not provide the substance to the debate. They only provide attention to the issue. And Mr. Pielke is the exception not the rule as will be addressed below.

Contrary to Sampson's presentation here are the supporters of the thesis that climate is changing and we are responsible. A 2011 independent study of all climate scientists found that 98 percent - yes, 98 percent - of them support the thesis that climate is changing and we are responsible.

The following scientific organizations endorse the consensus: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Astronomical Society, American Chemical Society, American Geophysical Union, American Institute of Physics, American Meteorological Society, American Physical Society, Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, British Antarctic Survey, the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences, the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Royal Meteorological Society, the Royal Society of the UK and twelve other international scientific organizations.

The academies of science from 19 countries agree with the consensus and 13 have signed a joint statement endorsing the consensus, including Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The consensus is also endorsed by a joint statement by the Network of African Science Academies including the African Academy of Sciences and academies from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Sudan. Academies from Australia, New Zealand and Poland have also endorsed the consensus.

I see and raise your Pielke with the above. Sampson could make light of this by some nonsense about alphabet soup but that is as weak as his celebrities list.