Deniers So Far Mum Over IPCC's Conclusive Science on Global Warming

The headline news this weekend over IPCC's final synthesis report on global warming is everywhere. Grist captured the story most succinctly: "IPCC says debate over, further delay fatal, action not costly." What's amazing is that the denial machine appears to have shut up, temporarily. In February, when the IPCC released the first part of its report, the American Enterprise Institute offered $10,000 to scientists and economists to debunk the report. Remember that? This time, their silence is really satisfying. I took a tour of their web sites and blogs this morning, and found not a peep!

All that's there are tired stories that look like stories more tired than ever, while Revkin on Dot Earth puts the spotlight on the Bush administration's refusal to embrace the report. There's James Connaughton, lead White House environment official, twisting in public with no cover from Exxon-paid hacks.

You know they're not taking this lying down. They're figuring out how to transition the strategy that has worked so well for so long -- intentionally casting doubt on the science -- to another equally dishonest campaign. Most probably, it'll be fear-mongering over higher taxes and economic ruin. But for now, let's savor the silence.

And gloat just a bit over this. If you go to the Heritage Foundation web site, and plug in "IPCC" into the search box, the top story in the database is one dated February 7, 2007 called "Don't Rush To Judgment on U.N.'s IPCC Global Warming Summary." In its first paragraph, the story contains this incredible sentence:

.....caution is warranted in drawing policy conclusions based on this summary, as the full scientific debate over the IPCC report has not begun.

If that were true, the IPCC has done an incredible job over the last 10 months -- and in yet another way proved themselves deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize -- because the scientific debate is now over.

It is still the weekend, and they may start popping off on IPCC soon, but at least we know they've laid low during this first news cycle. If you want to take your own tour, these links will get you started. Plug "IPCC" into the search box yourself.

American Enterprise Institute

Competitive Enterprise Institute

Cato Institute

John Locke Foundation

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