| | Actually, there is some intellectual dishonesty there.
I do appreciate the citation to actual temperatures that contradict dire warnings. I also accept as stated that Earth is in fact warming albeit ever so slowly. However, I also point out that as processes, weather and climate are complex and not well understood. Accurate five-day forecasts are a challenge. So, warming here or snowing there or draught or hurricane here or there may or may not be data in support of this as opposed to data contradicting that. All we know is that it changes.
My particular problem with John Tierney's honesty is this:
Today’s interpreters of the weather are what social scientists call availability entrepreneurs: the activists, journalists and publicity-savvy scientists who selectively monitor the globe looking for newsworthy evidence of a new form of sinfulness, burning fossil fuels.
John Tierney is likely the single source for the term "availability entrepreneurs." Most of the Google hits point back to this one article. Other hits cite other right wing sources such as The Acton Institute.
On the other hand, I have been accepted to graduate school in sociology and I never heard of this term before. Google "sociology availability entrepreneur" and you get nothing useful. However, there is another term, moral entrepreneur. Google "sociology moral entrepreneur" and you get multiple sources that say approximately the same thing because this is a known term of some recognized standing. It refers to crusaders like Ralph Nader, who build causes. "Moral entrepreneur" is term known to social scientists. "Availability entrepreneur" is a neologism.
It is an interesting and useful label. I like it. However, it is not something that "social scientists" call "...the activists, journalists and publicity-savvy scientists who ..." If it is something that John Tierney made up, then he should take credit for it.
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