Climate Hysteria – a letter published on the IHT

The following letter of mine has been published top on the International Herald Tribune on October 16, 2006

Title: Climate Hysteria

[Dear Editors] 

Your editorial criticizes Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma for dismissing media “hysteria” about global warming (“Hysterical climate doubters,” Oct. 13)

But panic and frenzied reporting about global warming is indeed the norm, with a barrage of stories on disappearing species, uncontrollable pests, rising seas, floods, droughts, heat waves, fires, violent storms, scarce food and forecasts of millions of human deaths

“Global warming hysteria” is unfortunately what appears on the pages of countless newspapers and publications. The real debate is whether that hysteria is justified and if it serves any purpose apart from scaring people

Maurizio Morabito England

The original was bit longer and a tad less harsh 😎

Dear Editors

You criticize Sen James Inhofe of Oklahoma for “dismissing media ‘hysteria’ ” about global warming (“Hysterical climate doubters”, IHT, Editorial, Oct 13)

But panic, frenzied reporting about global warming is indeed the norm, with a barrage of stories on disappearing species, uncontrollable pests, rising seas, floods, droughts, heat waves, fires, violent storms, scarce food/jobs/resources, and forecasts of millions of human deaths

On your very pages, Nicholas D Kristof lamented the catastrophist stance of mainstream environmentalim (“I Have a Nightmare“, IHT, March 12, 2005). And a left-leaning UK think-tank has explicitly compared it to adults-only horror movies ( “Warm Words: How are we telling the climate story and can we tell it better?“, IPPR, July 2006)

“Global Warming Hysteria” is unfortunately what appears on the pages of countless newspapers and publications

What is really a matter of debate, is if that “hysteria” is justified, and if it serves any purpose apart from scaring people

Some people answer yes on both counts