Use of the term “denier” is accurate in some cases, says Ed Maibach, a climate communications researcher at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
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Skepticism is generally a good thing.
Other skeptics, however, argue that while greenhouse gas theory may be true, the climate is a chaotic system and there hasn’t been real-world evidence linking carbon dioxide levels to warming above natural variations.
Last December, Fellows of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry urged journalists to understand the distinction and stop misusing the “S” word.
Those who question global warming have preferred to be called skeptics, especially since there are varying levels of disagreement among skeptics about what’s wrong with global warming science. They’re ideologues who don’t care what science says about their pet issues.
Writing on the AP website, Paul Colford, vice president and director of media relations, said no change in the Stylebook was made lightly. “Avoid use of skeptics or deniers“. Inhofe. However, the agency also sought to address complaints from those who deny mankind is having a significant impact on the climate criticising the description of them as “climate change deniers“.
Despite problems with the term “doubters”, CSI expressed that the longer classification of “those who reject mainstream climate science” was acceptably clarifying.
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“It’s extremely important that the AP are doing this”, says Harvard University science historian Naomi Oreskes. Actually, you may also be likely to run into a fourth camp of people, which are those who simply don’t care or have too much vested in the status quo to even consider the possibility that they may be contributing to a situation that will eventually affect everyone on the planet. Marc Morano, who runs the contrarian site Climate Depot, told National Journal that he preferred the term “skeptic”, but that “doubter” still suggests there’s room for debate. He said AP science writer Seth Borenstein was among those who provided guidance on the change. “The general public, we fear, will still not get a clear picture of which public figures are basing their positions on reality, and which are not”. Instead of referring to these dunderheads as “skeptics” or “deniers”, AP journalists are now supposed to refer to them as “climate change doubters” or “those who reject mainstream climate science“.
