BREAKING NEWS from the Newsbusters Global Warming Denier Clearinghouse [6]!

Well, it was BREAKING! yesterday, anyway. Noel Sheppard [7] posted:

The meandering nonsense in the letter that Newbusters quotes includes "If you [the IPCC] believe there is evidence of the CO2 [climate change] driver theory in the available data please present a graph of it… [M]ore recent data shows that in the opposite sense to IPCC predictions world temperatures have not risen and indeed have fallen over the past 10 years while CO2 levels have risen dramatically."

Never mind that you can find plenty of relevant graphs and data [9] on the IPCC website.

That's not the point here.

First of all, we have the usual denier modus operandi known as "science by letter or petition [10]" versus "science by peer review [11]." The individuals who signed the letter did not present a peer-reviewed scientific study for consideration; it's more of a pub conversation over a few web links than "science".

Secondly - and most importantly - it is becoming patently clear that Mr. Sheppard cannot use Google [12]. Let's take a trip on the "Internets [13]" and see exactly who the letter's signatories are.

The "Nobel Prize-Winning Peacekeeper" to whom Sheppard refers is Svend Hendriksen (Nobel Peace Prize 1988 [14] , awarded to UN Peacekeeping Forces. I assume Hendriksen was one of the peacekeepers).

It turns out that Hendriksen is the publisher of a website, "The Greenland Art Review [15]", in which he presents some of his art history theories, as well as his views as a global warming denialist.

He presents a rather, um, unusual analysis of An Inconvenient Truth. He claims that the film has "Rorschach phenomenon and hidden messages" (see the pdfs on his site, as well as the image linked in his art forum post here [16]). To say the least, it's unconventional, verging on the bizarre.

As if that wasn't enough to discredit the letter to the IPCC, the other signatories don't help its credibility either.

Hans Schreuder is an analytical chemist who runs ilovemycarbondioxide.com [17].

He rants about graffiti tagging, tells us to "be good, PLANT TREES, NOT BOMBS," and says that "there is absolutely NO proof whatsoever that carbon dioxide has any influence on our climate, not even a minute one. ALL "proof" is based on theories and computer models, not actual direct evidence - cause there ain't none!" It is not clear exactly how his "calculations [18]" (much less, his education in analytical chemistry) are relevant to the "analysis" presented in the letter.

Piers Corbyn is the proprietor of weatheraction.com [19]. His specialty is predicting the weather as far as a year ahead of time; you can even buy [20] his horoscope forecasts. His techniques are apparently proprietary [21].

And last, but not least, is Dr. Don Parkes, "Prof. Em. Human Ecology, Australia". A little digging reveals a few publications [22]. Human Ecology is an interesting and relevant area of study [23] (especially in light of the world's changing climate), but it's a stretch as to how Parkes' academic career applies to the claims presented in the letter.

The letter was copied to two members of the Global Warming Denier Hall of Shame: John Christy [24] and Roy Spencer [25].

Hardly a case of scientific peer review.

More like "preaching to your own choir", and regurgitation by Mr. Sheppard.

Shameful, predictable, and tiresome.