All those scientists may still be wrong

On Sunday, Al Gore’s film about climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, won two Oscars. Today, the Royal Society starts a two-day event showcasing the science of climate change according to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Both the film and conference are based on an understanding that the science is settled. It isn’t. But, in the meantime, the environmental bandwagon rolls on, and no self-respecting politician wants to be left without a seat.

Over the past century, the average global temperature rose by about 0.6C. This doesn’t sound a lot, but represents changes noticeable to all of us. At the same time, levels of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) in the atmosphere have also risen, due, almost certainly, to our increasing use of fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas. All else being equal, this would be expected to lead to some moderate warming, as experienced.

The mainstream view, promulgated by the IPCC, is that this moderate warming is enhanced by the extra water vapour that higher temperatures put into the atmosphere. This positive feedback leads, in theory, to a much greater temperature rise and has led to speculation about runaway global warming.

Telegraph