The Life and Death of a Climate Hoax

[snopes]

The “death of manmade global warming theory” lasted 70 minutes, showing the amazing power of the Web to amplify, and then dismantle, fictions at light speed.

On Nov. 7, news flashed around conservative and climate-skeptic e-mail chains, some Web sites and a couple of talk-radio programs that an important new scientific paper proved that undersea bacteria, not people, were responsible for most of the recent buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/20...a-climate-hoax

[snopes]

One of the people behind a spoof study claiming that zillions of bacteria in the oceans are to blame for global warming has owned up, saying it was meant to show that some sceptics will uncritically grab any evidence casting doubt on most scientists’ view that human activities are the main cause.

http://blogs.reuters.com/environment...oaxer-owns-up/

[Buckle Up]

Originally Posted by snopes

http://blogs.reuters.com/environment...oaxer-owns-up/

Correction in the quote:

Old:
some sceptics will uncritically grab any evidence casting doubt on most scientists’ view that human activities are the main cause.

New:
most people will uncritically grab any evidence casting doubt on most opponents' view on anything they feel strongly about, true or not.

[Troberg]

One of the people behind a spoof study claiming that zillions of bacteria in the oceans are to blame for global warming has owned up, saying it was meant to show that some sceptics will uncritically grab any evidence casting doubt on most scientists’ view that human activities are the main cause.

Which of course proves nothing at all either way about global warming. What people believe or claim have little actual impact on what's going on and why, just their perception of it.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by Troberg

Which of course proves nothing at all either way about global warming. What people believe or claim have little actual impact on what's going on and why, just their perception of it.

But people's perceptions of what's going on directly affects what they do (or don't do) about it, so it can have significant actual impact.

- snopes

[Ali Infree]

Snopes said
But people's perceptions of what's going on directly affects what they do (or don't do) about it, so it can have significant actual impact.

That is the point. The tobacco companies kept casting public doubt on every scientific study that showed their product, used correctly, would cause disease and/or death. The point of the doubt was to give cover to people to continue to smoke.
They do the same thing with their funding of lawsuits regulating smoking in public places by describing their position as a civil rights issue.

Ali "pass the dutchie" Infree