Why was climate change scuttled?
So why were the climate change figures removed from this chart? Panelists are forbidden from discussing how they arrived at such decisions, but steering committee chair Irwin Shapiro of the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics says he recalls no discussion about anthropogenic climate change. “Personally, I was concerned with the ‘apples–oranges’ mixtures of comparison,” he says. “Specifically, some data included were rooted in actual statistics, whereas others were based upon assumptions, with some being shakier than others. The end result was a compromise to which Mark took strong exception at the time the draft report was about to be sent for review.” Panel member Michael A’Hearn of the University of Maryland, College Park, says that no single person made the decision to remove the climate figures: “I think it was a majority opinion, but not a unanimous one.” He added: “I don’t think there was any disbelief in anthropogenic climate change, as such. I suppose there may be some
