>PJ:
Dr. Paul Reiter was a known skeptic of global warming science by the time he applied to be a member of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He was turned away, and not on the basis of his qualifications, as the following article shows (see next comment).
The process by which the UN’s IPCC was created ensured that it would be populated by those who are committed to the cause of climate change alarmism. Garbage in, garbage out.
Based on the flaws that were present at the birth of the UN’s IPCC, I would say that its eventual findings on the globabl impact of atmospheric carbon dioxide should be accorded no greater weight than those of your average supermarket tabloid.
If you want a particular outcome, you need to stack the deck. Here in New Jersey, we see this all the time.
Consider the recent machinations undertaken by the Ridgewood Board of Education and district administrators to prevent open critics of inquiry-based instructional techniques from gaining representation on our Elementary Math Planning Team.
The same charade is taking place at the state level when it comes to determining New Jersey’s K-12 math proficiency standards (or was, at least, until the NJ Coalition for World Class Math Standards started piping up).
TRB Readers should be familiar with Dr. Reiter’s story, and should remember to treat the views and conclusions of the federal government with a healthy degree of skepticism, particularly when it comes to reasons for taking your money or regulating your life.