Burned by Global Warming

The editor of the scientific journal Remote Sensing recently stepped down. His crime? Publishing a paper that raises questions about anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming. The paper, coauthored by renowned climatologist Dr. Roy Spencer, reveals that many climate models include inflated temperatures because they misrepresent the role of clouds.

Amid a raging controversy, the journal’s editor, Wolfgang Wagner, stepped down, admitting his “regret.” In part because of the public outcry and pressure, Wagner now says the paper was “flawed” and he should not have published it.1

For their part, the authors of the paper stand by their claims. Dr. Spencer points out, “The editor never contacted me to get my side of the issue. He apparently only sought out the opinions of those who probably could not coherently state what our paper claimed, and why.”2

As this situation reveals, the debate over global warming—as with all of science—has a great deal to do with worldviews and biases. Dissenting voices often get drowned out for the sake of what is “politically correct.”