The fanciful world of the "Friends of Science"

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There is no doubt that science would be made easier by throwing out the concept of ‘peer review.’ I am sure many scientists curse from time to time the rigorous questioning of their peers, the need to re-visit completed work and the possibility that years of research may be for naught based on the scrutiny of theirย colleagues.

That being said, the peer-review process of science plays an extremely important role in ensuring that conclusions drawn by research are in fact sound before being touted in the scientific community. Without peer review, science could easily fall into the category of opinion.

The Friends of Science, a Calgary-based cadre of climate skeptics who we have reported extensively on, delivered a statement today in the National Post via their appointed spokesperson, Albert F. Jacobs. This letter serves as a great example of the fantasy world the FOS promotes when it comes the concepts of science andย peer-review.

Jacobs points out in his letter to the editor that โ€œthe mandate of the FOS is to compile, review, share and debate available science that relates to the causes of climate change.โ€ He urges readers to visit their website to โ€œโ€ฆ learn about what we reallyย do.โ€

Such a visit shows thatย FOS offers up a host ofย opinion pieces, commentary and a very small number of peer-reviewed papers – all dedicated to the argument thatย the world’s bestย climatologists are misguided, thick-headed or so lacking in integrity that they would invent an worldwide environmental scare story to help them bulk up their research budgets.

Here is a link to the FOS‘s list of scientific references, and here is a quick breakdown of some of what you will find there:

A speech by notorious climate change skeptic Sallie Baliunas and her testimony at Sen. Inhofe’s Committee on Environment and Public Works.

An opinion piece with graphs and flashing lights by the late John L. Daly.

A couple of pieces by Hansen et al. that were published in the highly regarded Proceedings of the National Academy ofย Science.

(These have been widely misinterpreted to indicate that climate change is not occurring. For example, in one paper, the talk about the success in reducing non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions and conclude this: โ€œCombined with a reduction of black carbon emissions and plausible success in slowing CO2 emissions, this reduction of non-CO2 GHGs could lead to a decline in the rate of global warming, reducing the danger of dramatic climate change.โ€ Which is to say, if we act responsibly we may be able to reduce the risk.)

An opinion piece by Richard Lindzen in from the Wall Street Journal, as well as some Senate Committee testimony.

Two opinion pieces by the Hockey-stick obsessed Ross McKitrick, appearing in the right-wing Fraser Institute Forum newsletter.

A dead link to another Fraser Forum piece penned by Willieย Soon.

A controversial paper by New Zealand academicย Chris de Freitas, published in the Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology at a time when his brother, Talisman Energy geologist Tim de Freitas, was the editor.

All in all, of the 26 FOS โ€œscientific references,โ€ onlyย nine appear in a peer-reviewed journals.ย And numerous of these do not support the FOS contention that climate change remains unproven.

Mr. Jacobs claims that the โ€œFOS is providing insight into climate change,โ€ but it seems that instead the FOS is providing a window into a fantasy world where scientific proof takes the form of opinion articles, speeches, misrepresentations and familial nudging and winking.

ย 

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Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a โ€œGreen Heroโ€ by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the โ€œTop 50 Tweetersโ€ on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevinโ€™s research into the โ€œclimate denial industryโ€ and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Kochโ€™s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea partyย networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a โ€œCertified Expertโ€ on theย political and community organizing platformย NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the worldโ€™s best e-Content and innovative ICTย applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

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