(Letter, The Australian , 10 September 2008)
John McLean refers (Opinion, 9 September) to claims that 2,500 scientists who contributed to reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change support that body's conclusion that increasing human activity is very likely to result in damaging increases in temperatures. However, the IPCC secretariat itself has denied that such support exists and McLean correctly points out that the support comes from a very narrow base of scientists. He might have added that no less than 31,000 US scientists as well as a number of Australian scientists have rejected analyses that form the basis of the IPCC's conclusion. In short, if there is a scientific consensus on global warming, it runs counter to the IPCC's conclusion.
Des Moore
Director, Institute for Private Enterprise,
South Yarra Vic