Fake climate change paper - November 09, 2007
SEE ALSO - INTERVIEW: author of spoof paper speaks
Arguments over global warming have taken a strange turn. There’s a big hubbub in the blogosphere over a fake paper purporting to refute “manmade global warming theory”.
The paper itself appears to have been removed from the web, but google’s cache of it is still there [*Not anymore, but see below - Ed.]. There’s a cache of the “editorial” that goes with it as well. The paper concluded “We have no choice but to conclude that the recent increase in global temperatures, which has caused so much disquiet among policy makers, bears no relation to industrial emissions, but is in fact a natural phenomenom.”
However the listed authors and their departments don’t seem to exist. The listed editorial board is similarly suspect. These facts are causing some amusement at the Register, as well as on various blogs. One theory is that this spoof is the work of UK author David Thorpe (Desmog blog, Prometheus). However Thorpe has denied this:
Let's be clear. I did not write the content of the site. Someone else did. I designed the site because I was asked to by someone who knew I would be sympathetic to the joke. I appreciate it looks as though I wrote it. I even wish I had written it, because it's very funny. But I didn't.
This does seem to have been a just a joke, played on some of the more outspoken (or less careful) critics of climate change argument. However they are already repurposing it to show themselves in a good light. “I, along with a ton of other bloggers, and even Rush Limbaugh fell for what has turned out to be a complete hoax,” says Peer Review Florida. “Despite the the fact that the paper I used as the lead in to a discussion was false, it remains true that global warming advocates have a religious zeal about defending their beliefs on the subject and those who dare disagree are scorned.”
We await with interest the other papers listed to appear in the journal...
[*Google’s caches have disappeared but you can now get a PDF of the paper. See also this post from one of those who assisted the spoof.]
Image: NASA
Comments
Two things... One, the point of something like this wasn't to shame those who deny global warming exists. It's to shame those who jump on evidence of what they believe without verifying it. Second, I love the comment about how those who believe in global warming have a "religious zeal" about defending it, since those who deny global warming exist are generally right-wingers (who are generally religious types).
Posted by: Brian | November 9, 2007 09:37 PM
It would sem that critics of the theory of Global Warming having a fondness for the taste of their own feet. I found the Peer Review Florida quote in the article quite amusing :“Despite the the fact that the paper I used as the lead in to a discussion was false, it remains true that global warming advocates have a religious zeal about defending their beliefs on the subject and those who dare disagree are scorned.”
The author of that quote just described himself and the opponents of Global Warming. Is it any wonder people heap scorn upon them?
Posted by: Marcus Guse | November 10, 2007 12:21 AM
the alleged registered owner is a fellow purportedly at Okinawa Univ. mentioned before David Thorpe in the Internet registration data but he also is a fake as there is no host named okinawa.ac.jp.
There is no institution with the exact name Okinawa University so that too is part of the hoax.
I wonder if it's illegal to provide fraudulent info when registering an internet site name?
Domain ID:D21379999-LRMS
Domain Name:GEOCLIMATICSTUDIES.INFO
Created On:02-Nov-2007 14:50:19 UTC
Last Updated On:09-Nov-2007 11:27:43 UTC
Expiration Date:02-Nov-2008 14:50:19 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Tucows Inc. (R139-LRMS)
Status:TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:turLDvUkPFjmOK1C
Registrant Name:Hiroko Takebe
Registrant Organization:Dr Hiroko Takebe
Registrant Street1:Climatological Department, Okinawa University
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Okinawa
Registrant State/Province:Okinawa
Registrant Postal Code:OK-184NJ
Registrant Country:JP
Registrant Phone:+81.9845791066
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:hiroko.takabe@okinawa.ac.jp
Admin ID:tuT6jKg9v6VinjbX
Admin Name:David Thorpe
Admin Organization:David Thorpe
K
Posted by: David Jaye | November 12, 2007 04:16 AM
Do you have a copy of the paper? I had no chance to read it and Google has just removed it from its cache.
See you, and keep the nice work
[Post updated with PDF link 20/11/07 – Ed.]
Posted by: V for vancouver | November 20, 2007 06:26 AM