Now even the partisan-resistant public must acknowledge what
conservatives have known for a long time: that Newsweek is
driven by a leftist agenda, even if they won’t acknowledge it
themselves.
That can’t be illustrated more clearly than by the magazine’s cover story this week, titled “Global
Warming Deniers: A Well-Funded Machine.” Science writer Sharon
Begley writes proudly and passionately in what she obviously thinks
is an eye-opening expose’ about the conspiring entities who “deny
the science of climate change.” Her Woodward and Bernstein-like
prose tracks money passages from big energy producers to
intellectual skeptics, who exist to undermine what she says is the
consensus view: that human-induced worldwide warming is a threat to
the planet’s existence. Begley bemoans the results of a new
Newsweek poll that “finds the influence of the denial
machine remains strong,” with respondents split about human
influence on the greenhouse effect. She blames the
“well-coordinated, well-funded campaign by contrarian scientists,
free-market think tanks [disclosure: that’s me!] and industry” for
creating “a paralyzing fog of doubt around climate change.”
In other words, those of you still with reservations have been
duped. What else could be the explanation, since Begley claims
rock-solid resources that uncontrovertibly nailed down the left’s
climate change dogma?
One proof she characterized as “the verdict.” It came from “a
report by 600 scientists from governments, academia, green groups
and businesses in 40 countries” that said, “warming of the climate
system is unequivocal.” What was the report? Who were the
scientists? I have no idea — apparently all that matters are the
number of experts (probably no larger than the amount of scientists
working at a large state university), the number of countries (all
friends of the U.S., right?), and the word “unequivocal.” And what
do you think were the philosophical leanings of “governments,
academia, green groups and (unidentified) businesses?” Consensus
indeed.
Upping the ante, Begley also cited the most recent update from
the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which
“was written by more than 800 climate researchers and vetted by
2,500 scientists from 130 nations” and attributed at least part of
global warming to human causes. Again, strength in numbers, but
what has the IPCC really said? If you haven’t read it yourself you
don’t really know, because Begley doesn’t dig into it.
The truth is, read any legitimate scientific study on climate —
including IPCC’s — that suggests human influence is the dominant
cause for global warming, and you will discover dozens of
qualifiers like “could,” “possibly,” “potentially,” and “may.” For
all the certainty and consensus that global warming fear-mongers
assert, those sound a lot like weasel words.
When taking that into consideration, you realize that both camps
are in the “maybe” category on climate change. It’s just a matter
of degrees (there’s a fortunate pun). But the consensus
claimers are all too happy to let the allegation “they deny the
science of global warming” to stand alone, making the undiscerning
believe that global warming skeptics reject the clear evidence that
the earth is warming. Both sides generally agree that the planet
has increased in temperature by one degree in the past 100 years;
the so-called “deniers” simply question the cause and whether there
is a need for the costly remedies that the green groups want.
But Newsweek ignores that uncomplicated nuance. Instead
Begley and her reporter helpers (including that paragon of
objectivity, Eleanor Clift) largely avoid any substantive
discussion over the scientific views both sides hold in the debate,
and instead snipe at those who doubt Newsweek’s panic
agenda. Their opponents consist of industry and associations
“representing petroleum, steel, autos and utilities,” who “sow
doubt about climate research just as cigarette makers had about
smoking research.” The contrarian curmudgeons’ scientists, like
MIT’s Richard Lindzen and Virginia climatologist Patrick Michaels,
are dismissed as obstinate folks who don’t do their own climate
research but instead “kibitzed about other people’s” (like most in
the climate change caution camp). The intellect and credentials of
the doubters are irrelevant in Newsweek’s eyes.
At the heart of it all, of course, is the deniers’ money. Begley
emphasizes repeatedly how big oil and utilities feed the opinions
from conservative think tanks. But what about the flow of cash that
sustains the nonprofit-driven eco-movement? The dollars pushing
global warming paranoia, coming from wealthy foundations like those
established by Merck, the Rockefellers and Ted Turner, dwarf the
skeptics’ resources. But Begley and Newsweek show
prejudice only against certain shades of green — both monetary and
ecological.
Begley’s piece should surprise nobody. Anyone who has subscribed
to Newsweek in recent years could not help but notice the
near-weekly articles promoting the global warming scare agenda, and
“what can be done about it.”
This story reflects Newsweek’s newest paranoia: the
“skeptics” are finally getting traction on an issue dear to the
hearts of the leftist media. Expect the attacks on the “denial
machine” to escalate.
