Watchdog's verdict on Channel 4 climate film angers scientists

[Haqa]

• Regulator accused of letting makers off hook
• Rules were broken 'but viewers were not misled'

Channel 4 broke rules on impartiality and misrepresented the views of the government's former chief scientist in a controversial documentary that became the focal point of a furious debate over the causes of climate change, the media watchdog has ruled.

Following a 15-month investigation, Ofcom yesterday found that The Great Global Warming Swindle broke its guidelines on impartiality in the concluding part of the 90-minute polemic, which claimed man-made global warming was a conspiracy and a fraud. But despite "certain reservations" on the part of the regulator, Channel 4 was "on balance" cleared of "materially misleading the audience so as to cause harm or offence".

Linky: Watchdog's verdict on Channel 4 climate film angers scientists | Media | The Guardian

H.

[poppy]

cause harm or offence, the main points, the programme was a load of rubbish, which we all knew anyway, so conclusion was it didn't cause harm or offence.
I dont think many were taken in by the programme, it was such obvious drivel, that they say no harm done.
I think it did cause harm, and should be pursued further, it did take in some, and that itself has caused harm

[Haqa]

Given that man-made global warming IS a myth, how did the show cause harm?

H.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Haqa

Given that man-made global warming IS a myth, how did the show cause harm?

H.

Not so sure it is, wholly. You cannot do what we have done to this earth, and not expect some comeback.

I personally think it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

[Haqa]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Not so sure it is, wholly. You cannot do what we have done to this earth, and not expect some comeback.

I personally think it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

The whole myth is based on bad and biased science. Yes, we have an effect of the world around us, but the planet is still on the way out of the last ice age, so it's warming up anyway, in addition to that there is the 100-150 year cycle of warming and cooling (Which gets neatly forgotten).

Tree-ring evidence shows clearly that warming/cooling on the scale of what we are seeing now has happened many times in the life times of some of the planet's longest lived trees.

That is not to say that we shouldn't clean up our act. We don't want to poison the planet with exhaust fumes, etc, but please, if we are to be told to clean up, explain WHY honestly, don't make up grandiose lies and exaggerations to over-make the point, it just ruins your otherwise laudable position...

H.

[Sweetpea]

Yes, having studied this, I agree, BUT! The changes are happening far faster than previous evidence shows, and many believe this is because of man made effects on the earth.

[Churchill]

I think that programmes like this deliberately set out to damage greenists credibility. Even a High Court judge determined that Al-Gore's 'An inconevenient truth' was inconveniently untruthful to be given to schoolkids as reference material.

[Haqa]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Yes, having studied this, I agree, BUT! The changes are happening far faster than previous evidence shows, and many believe this is because of man made effects on the earth.

Granted, faster than the LAST time, but not outside the statistical range when viewed over the long term.

Another argument is that the change has accelerated, but this is also seen in the tree-ring and core-sample evidence. Not everytime, but nature, by it's very ... erm ... nature ... is slightly random in its adherence to patterns.

H.

[Sweetpea]

True, that is why we cannot 'pin it down'. Tree rings of the future will tell us, but will we still be here..

[Haqa]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

True, that is why we cannot 'pin it down'. Tree rings of the future will tell us, but will we still be here..

I think we need a common sense approach - Pollution is BAD, try to stop doing it!! Fossil fuels are BAD, try to stop using them. Renewable energy sources are GOOD, try to use them as much as is technically and humanly possible.

Ditch the grandiose "sci-faction" and just do what we can not to poison the planet (And for GODS SAKE stop chopping down the rain forrests!!!)

H.