Paul Burtwistle writes:
Last night I watched an item on Channel 9’s 60 minutes here in Australia which covered Dr Stefan Harrison of Exeter University in the UK and his work studying the Exploradores glacier in Patagonia, Argentina.
The story contained an alarmist view regarding the sudden increase in the rate at which the glacier is receding over the last 10-20 years. The documentary does explain that the glacier has retreated a lot over the last 20,000 years but that the rate of decrease is up to 50 times greater in the last 10-20 years that it was 500 years ago and this is all due to AGW (at 5 mins 26 seconds in to “Wild Patagonia part 2″).
At 5 minutes 40 seconds in to the item Dr Harrison asked about climate skeptics and he goes on to say that they are not worth debating their viewpoint as it’s “like mud wrestling with pigs. Firstly you get covered in mud and secondly, the pig loves it” he then goes on to say he won’t debate skeptics because geographers don’t debate with people who think the world is flat and biologists don’t debate with people who think evolution isn’t happening or that the world is only 6000 years old.
You can view the whole article here (2 x 8 minute items) – http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/stories/8834229/wild-patagonia-the-glaciers-that-hold-a-dire-warning-for-earths-future .
The two articles are Wild Patagonia 1 & 2. I think some attention should be drawn to this appalling piece and I’ve already written to Channel 9 to voice my disapproval.
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Huh, I don’t know of ANY climate skeptic who thinks the world is flat or that the Earth is only 6000 years old. I wonder where he gets his information…The Daily Kos perhaps?
Well, Paul, take comfort that you’re not alone in Oz. We have the same breed of eejits over in the States. I don’t know where the virus started, but we need to begin researching for a vaccine for it, methinks.
Nor are they alone in the UK. 😉
I think he means he has experience mud wrestling pigs who, just when you think you’ve got them pinned down, always manage to wriggle from his grasp: the ‘pigs’ always seem to win!
I don’t normally judge people from photos, but I wouldn’t let Dr. Stephan Harrison mow my lawn. He looks like a Timothy Leary follower…
“I don’t normally judge people from photos, but I wouldn’t let Dr. Stephan Harrison mow my lawn. He looks like a Timothy Leary follower…”
Reality is often much worse than pic(g)s, have a look at Angela Merkel….
I think it’s more likely that “debating skeptics is too much like having to work for a living.”
Wouldn’t it be nice if we all went through life facing no hard questions?
Well, for about five minutes until everything we did failed, yes.
He doesn’t debate with skeptics because you people are morons just like the flat-earthers and creationists.
I think the good professor is speaking outside his area of expertise. I can find no evidence of him wrestling pigs in mud nor debating skeptics. It leads one to wonder how many of his other pronouncements are beyond his ken?
You have to get your hands dirty, to join the gang – that’s what “Dr” Harrison is doing.