A few more choice quotes on the Conference

After finishing yesterday's post on the skeptics conference, I found this:

How many scientists doubt global warming? It's looking like it could be about 20 -- compared to the more than 2,500 globally who have reached the conclusion that climate change is really happening. That's pretty strong evidence of a scientific consensus.

"The meeting was largely framed around science, but after the luncheon, when an organizer made an announcement asking all of the scientists in the large hall to move to the front for a group picture, 19 men did so," the Times reported. (link)

And this:

Talking to speakers here ... [I've] found they're loosely sorted into three categories, based on their views: 1. Those who say global warming is not happening at all 2. Those who say global warming is happening, but it's not due to human activity 3. Those who say global warming is happening and it is due to human activity, but climate action will surely destroy our economy

But the more I've listened to these speakers, the more I've realized that for most of them, it's not about the science. Panels don't go five minutes without attacking Al Gore or comparing climate activists to socialists who want to destroy capitalism. Deniers are part of a political culture that frames the world in terms of left and right, so they've absorbed global warming into that broader paradigm of partisan politics.