Petition raises questions

Supporting his denial of climate change, David Limbaugh reported that 31,000 scientists signed a petition of doubt. The Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine (Skeptical Malarkey?) has long promoted the skeptic position on climate change. It publishes articles of a quasi-scientific nature supporting the skeptic view and claiming they are peer-reviewed -- although OISM has no expertise to do so.

The OISM Petition Project has been around for years. Petitions have been circulated accompanied by bogus and flawed but authentic-looking articles promoting the skeptic view. The latest signature list surfaced amid OISM fanfare in March 2008 and is promoted unquestioningly by all the usual skeptic sources funded by corporate energy that Limbaugh seemingly uses for his misinformation.

There is debate in the relevant scientific literature neither about the existence of climate change nor the high probability that human activities are implicated. Skeptics never quote any scientific publications because such do not exist. Since evidence regarding climate change has advanced considerably in the years since this petition first surfaced many early signatories have since become convinced but have not bothered to withdraw their signatures.

Furthermore, few of the signatories are either climate scientists or possess any expertise in a relevant field. Many names are fictitious. Finally, others belong to individuals who misunderstood the petition and have since demanded that their names be removed. Despite repeated skeptic assertions, there is no debate in the relevant scientific literature. Limbaugh's list is a crock. Debate only occurs in an ill-informed mass media promoting illusions.

ALAN JOURNET, Cape Girardeau