I returned to this article about 24 hours after I first read it to take a closer look. This is a re-review: In her critique of the global warming orthodoxy, Debra Saunders connects some embarrassing inconsistencies and glitches in evidence that is used to support climate change theory. Beyond that, this piece falls short of providing a convincing case for global warming skeptics. To point out a few of her own inconsistencies: She quotes David Bellamy as saying in every year since the mid-90s world temperatures have gotten colder. Really? IPCC statistics indicate otherwise. Regardless, annual temperatures are less significant when you look at climate trends. Pan out to the beginning of industrial revolution and the trend is ... More »

Saunders is a Republican activist and commentator who studied Greek and Latin in college. The article comes across as being from an uninformed partisan without scientific credentials who selectively quotes odd "scientists" who pop up as warming deniers. She uses the odd argument that if 99% of trained scientists agree that human-caused global climate change is a problem, that means they must be wrong.

For those whose minds remain open to scientific evidence that conflicts with global warming orthodoxy, Debra Saunders presents an overview of the topic that conscientious folk can use to deepen their understanding of the issues. As someone who is convinced that the development of clean energy is a good idea, Saunders, like many others, questions the extreme position that catastrophic climate change is in play.

Even an opinion piece should pass the smell test. This one doesn't. When I tried to verify some of the cited facts, I found that they didn't hold water. For instance, "official data" do not show that temperatures have been falling since 1998, although they do show that 1998 was warmer than subsequent years. I couldn't locate a source that said Arctic ice increased in 2002 -- everything I found said the opposite. And has the Global Warming Petition been signed by 31,000 scientists? I don't really know. But a sampling of the online names suggests that a substantial number of those signers identify themselves as MD or DVM. Am I quibbling? That would be a legitimate claim if these points weren't the main thrust of the ... More »

Insightful opinion about controversies surrounding climate change. The author suggests that scientists and the news media tend to favor the orthodox view that global warming is man-made -- and downplay findings from scientists that defy this position, even when they have reasonable evidence to back their claims. The author presents a fair and thoughtful argument, and cites credible experts and factual to support her points. A very worthwhile read.