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Sustainable Economy > Published by Joss Garman, August 10th 2010 at 4:52 pm

Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying”

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The Daily Mail has become the latest previously ‘climate sceptic’ newspaper to shift its editorial line to acknowledge that climate change is “real and deeply worrying”.

Temperatures-over-the-ArcticToday the paper’s science editor, Michael Hanlon, who could previously be seen as the UK’s most influential ‘sceptic,’ writes:

“I have long been something of a climate-change sceptic, but my views in recent years have shifted. For me, the most convincing evidence that something worrying is going on lies right here in the Arctic.”

After describing his trip to see the break up of a glacier in Greenland – somewhere he describes as “Global Warming Ground Zero” – Hanlon says:

“So has this remarkable week changed my mind? I still believe climate change has probably been exaggerated, but after coming here it is impossible to maintain that nothing is going on.”

Hanlon already signalled, in the Daily Mail on 24 August 2006, he was changing his position, when he wrote:

“Few scientists now doubt that human activity, the burning of fossil fuels, is having an impact on global temperatures.”

But his latest piece today lies in stark contrast to what he’s previously written.

For example, ten years ago – despite scientists’ then warnings – he wrote in the Spectator,

“As a formula, it is hard to beat – disaster, floods, middle-class greed, dollops of guilt, angst at our shiny cars and our meretricious prosperity, hair-rending guilt that we are raping the planet.

“Like the Romans, we believe the gods will punish us for our naughtiness with thunderbolts and storms, fire and ice.”

In the Daily Mail on January 15 2005, Hanlon mocked:

“Will the activities of a few pesky homo sapiens with their cars and power stations really cause the earth that much bother in the long term?”

Citing the “subtext” of a Michael Crichton novel for one of his sceptical articles, he even managed to infuriate the then president of the Royal Society and former chief scientific advisor to the government, Lord May, who said:

“It demonstrates the flakiness of the Hanlon case that he should need to rely on a sci-fi writer who has previously warned of the dangers of bringing dinosaurs back to life and of nano-robots turning the world into grey goo.

“All entertaining scare stories, all complete nonsense.”

The Mail’s shift in editorial line today follows similar moves by the Washington Post last week and tbe Canadian conservative National Post newspaper. In turn these followed a series of independent reports exonerating the scientists at the centre of manufactured controversy over so-called ‘climategate,’ and a series of retractions of the articles that formed the basis of that media controversy.

  • http://twitter.com/thedancingflea/status/20805084683 Claire Spencer

    Good summary of a promising trend. RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p

  • http://twitter.com/ldncalling/status/20805164940 Simon Mason

    RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p @xenscape

  • http://twitter.com/skinola7/status/20805253495 Chris Skinner

    RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p

  • Shamik Das

    Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p reports @jossgarman on @leftfootfwd

  • http://twitter.com/caspertk/status/20805845713 Casper ter Kuile

    RT @shamikdas: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p reports @jossgarman on @leftfootfwd

  • http://twitter.com/jossgarman/status/20805950472 Joss Garman

    Just blogged on Daily Mail's climate volte face over @leftfootfwd here: http://bit.ly/9pNT9z

  • http://twitter.com/thecharmquark/status/20806102471 Isabel Joely Black

    RT @jossgarman: Just blogged on Daily Mail's climate volte face over @leftfootfwd here: http://bit.ly/9pNT9z

  • http://twitter.com/felicityslater/status/20806140560 Felicity Slater

    Good grief! –> RT @leftfootfwd Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p

  • http://twitter.com/samuelpalin/status/20806318374 Samuel Palin

    RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9pNT9z

  • Adam Corner

    There’s a hillarious quote from Alan Hubbard half way down, who seems to have a slightly odd view of what scepticism means:

    “I used to be a sceptic about Greenland melting,’ says Dr Alun Hubbard, my host and Britain’s leading glaciologist studying Greenland, ‘but now I’m keeping an open mind.’”

    Sounds like the old ‘I used to be indecisive, but now I just cant make up my mind’ gag. Such an odd thing for a scientist to say. But equally probably quite a compelling message to be getting out to the Mail readers.

  • http://twitter.com/sarah_duff/status/20806538149 Sarah Duff

    RT @jossgarman Daily Mail's climate volte face @leftfootfwd: http://bit.ly/9pNT9z << Good grief. What next – immigrants don't cause cancer?

  • http://twitter.com/withinandbeyond/status/20806783027 Phil Ord

    Worrying if this right-wing paper's right RT @leftfootfwd Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p

  • http://twitter.com/hitchineng/status/20806923440 Hitchin England

    Daily Mail: Global warming is real and deeply worrying http://bit.ly/9c2N2p via @leftfootfwd

  • http://twitter.com/emmarubach/status/20807798906 Emma Rubach

    HA! RT @sarah_duff: RT @jossgarman Daily Mail's climate volte face @leftfootfwd: http://bit.ly/9pNT9z

  • http://twitter.com/lcvoters/status/20807887302 LCV.org

    Shifting its tone, formerly skeptical newspaper now calls #climate change "deeply worrying" http://bit.ly/9Kz2R6 #agw #ftw

  • http://twitter.com/jackstone36/status/20808243611 Jack Stone

    RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p

  • http://twitter.com/cloe2050/status/20808445262 Cloe Waterfield

    formerly skeptical newspaper editor visits Arctic now calls #climate change "deeply worrying" http://bit.ly/9Kz2R6 #agw #ftw RT@LCVoters

  • http://twitter.com/neilolivier/status/20808612317 Neil Borg-Olivier

    RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p

  • http://bestblogs.labourhome.org/2010/08/10/daily-mail-%e2%80%9cglobal-warming-is-real-and-deeply-worrying%e2%80%9d/ Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” « The best Labour blogs

    [...] More… [...]

  • http://billyblofeld.wordpress.com Billy Blofeld

    The last time a Glacier calved a chunk of ice this big into the sea was 1962.

    Back when man made global warming was just a toddler.

    (Ward Hunt Ice Shelf calved a 230 sq mile chunk of ice in 1962)

  • http://twitter.com/cunningdc/status/20811264045 Ryan Cunningham

    Climate-denying UK paper The Daily Mail admits "Global warming is real and deeply worrying”: http://bit.ly/ajTuKv #climate #agw

  • http://twitter.com/duncanfwalker/status/20812097256 Duncan Walker

    @leftfootfwd finds Daily Mail has u-turned on climate change “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p

  • http://twitter.com/ambir/status/20812303931 ambir

    Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5

  • http://twitter.com/arganoid/status/20813716915 Andrew Gillett

    Hell has frozen over, but will be back to normal in about 100 years time if current trends continue http://trunc.it/aaxg2

  • http://twitter.com/politicsofuk/status/20815239283 Politics of UK

    Daily Mail: ?Global warming is real and deeply worrying? #ukpolitics http://bit.ly/azZ1Od

  • http://twitter.com/councilmantech/status/20815293148 Christine DeCoteau

    RT @politicsofuk: Daily Mail: ?Global warming is real and deeply worrying? #ukpolitics http://bit.ly/azZ1Od

  • http://twitter.com/aggilus/status/20815340803 Angel Ramos

    RT @politicsofuk: Daily Mail: ?Global warming is real and deeply worrying? #ukpolitics http://bit.ly/azZ1Od

  • http://twitter.com/ronmasoncoach/status/20815612239 ronmasoncoach

    Inter-glaciation cycles-RT @politicsofuk: Daily Mail: ?Global warming is real and deeply worrying? #ukpolitics http://bit.ly/azZ1Od

  • http://twitter.com/flipchartft/status/20815764291 Rick

    Daily Mail scientist convinced by global warming: http://ff.im/-p1GL5 Numpties in the comments thread still clinging to their prejudices.

  • http://www.therewesaidit.com Jonathan da Silva

    Whilst one cannot say for sure any one event is caused by AGW sad to note on the News that there are climate issues in Pakistan, Russia and China – aside from all the other areas of the world in trouble over recent years. Even the other total morons should be considering their position?

  • http://twitter.com/shrinkydinky/status/20818025563 Jamie

    @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p <- headlines you never thought you'd read

  • Simon

    I’ve read Hanlon in New Scientist once or twice. He’s not very bright.

  • cthulhu

    You should give Hanlon more credit, he might have said some stuff in 2005, but on the whole he is a pretty good science writer really across various topics. I saw that article in the paper today and I wasn’t surprised to be honest. Hanlon has reported on global warming before. He is nothing like say Delingpole.

    The Daily Mail doesn’t push the global warming denial line either. It could, but it doesn’t.

    So I would save the attacks for say the Telegraph.

  • Mr. Sensible

    It’s nice to see that even the Daily Mail has come to its senses on this.

    The Climate Sceptics are losing the argument, and those who believe it is a problem are winning it.

  • http://twitter.com/haneefjkhan/status/20825310953 Haneef Khan

    Wow. The Daily Mail has actually acknowledged the threat of climate change. http://bit.ly/9pNT9z

  • http://twitter.com/noeticat/status/20825351925 Andrea Gill

    RT @HaneefJKhan: Wow. The Daily Mail has actually acknowledged the threat of climate change. http://bit.ly/9pNT9z

  • http://twitter.com/press_not_sorry/status/20836088735 Press Not Sorry

    @leftfootfwd finds Daily Mail has u-turned on climate change “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p

  • http://twitter.com/wernerpatels/status/20855447452 Werner Patels

    RT @politicsofuk: Daily Mail: ?Global warming is real and deeply worrying? #ukpolitics http://bit.ly/azZ1Od

  • Mark M

    @Mr Sensible – “The Climate Sceptics are losing the argument”. Climate sceptics, eh? Well they shouldn’t be too hard to convert. It’s fairly obvious to anyone that there’s a climate.

    There are three groups of people: 1. ‘Climate change sceptics’, who don’t believe that the climate is changing and so don’t see what all the fuss is about, 2. ‘man-made global warming sceptics’ who are happy to accept that the climate is changing but don’t believe that man has anything other than a minor effect on the rate of change, and 3. ‘man-made global warming believers’ who, of course, believe the whole thing.

  • http://twitter.com/charliebhoy72/status/20867205930 charlie brooks

    #DailyMail about-turn on climate change: http://bit.ly/ajTuKv What next? 'asylum seekers welcome', 'more foreigners for england manager' ?

  • http://billyblofeld.wordpress.com Billy Blofeld

    @Mark M

    There is also a 4th Group – that believes that the climate has become a political football for people whom misrepresent science for their own ends.

  • http://twitter.com/markpack/status/20869330582 Mark Pack

    Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” | Left Foot Forward – http://bit.ly/9raskx

  • http://twitter.com/davidangell/status/20869509381 David Angell

    RT @markpack: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” | Left Foot Forward – http://bit.ly/9raskx

  • Alan Wheeldon

    @charlie brooks Daily Mail did run a headline reading: “For Pity’s Sake, Let Them Stay!”, and it was about asylum seekers – Zimbabwean ones. Bit confusing behaviour but they still got to bash the government and Mugabe so they seemed happy to deviate for once. Maybe they were feeling guilty even. Some of the asylum seekers might have been white farmers too.

  • http://twitter.com/smallcasserole/status/20869979714 Ian Hopkinson

    Only believe DM if sustained RT @markpack Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” | Left Foot Forward http://bit.ly/9raskx

  • http://twitter.com/nikdarlington/status/20870081277 Nik Darlington

    RT @markpack: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” | Left Foot Forward – http://bit.ly/9raskx

  • MartinW

    Just like Brigstocke: a summer visit to the Arctic to see a few snowfields and glaciers, and suddenly the editor of the Daily Mail is convinced man-made global warming is happening. How about the editor visiting Antarctica next, and seeing the huge increase in sea-ice, and someone might also tell him of the extraordinary increase in continental ice right across the Antarctic massif (except for 5% in the anomlous W. Antarctic peninsula. Perhaps someone might also inform him that the 100 sp. mile piece broken off the Greenland glacier was because the glacier is getting larger (more snow/ice accumulation at its head), and the braking off is an entirely natural process. Someone might also mention the current cold temperatures in South America, cold last year in China/Mongolia, cold in Australia, etc.

  • http://twitter.com/allochthonous/status/20871085199 Chris Rowan

    Next weeks' letters will be fun! RT @SmallCasserole @markpack: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real & deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9raskx

  • http://twitter.com/wearebrightblue/status/20871881103 Bright Blue

    RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/9c2N2p

  • http://twitter.com/johninnit/status/20872579085 John

    A sinner repenteth (a little) RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5

  • http://twitter.com/jackharrybill/status/20872768533 John Sargent

    RT @Johninnit: A sinner repenteth (a little) RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5

  • mike monaghan

    I’ve spent 25 years campaigning to get peple to understand & act on global warming — seems like at last I can resign & till my garden if even the Mail has “repented”

  • jonathan smith

    One hopes the climate government “sceptics” will now also be moved to take the global climate change seriously.

  • http://twitter.com/frankejames/status/20887476186 franke james

    Joining the club R @CunningDC Climate-denying UK paper The Daily Mail admits "Global warming is real & deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/ajTuKv

  • http://twitter.com/edouard_stenger/status/20890962549 Edouard Stenger

    RT @frankejames: Joining the club R @CunningDC Climate-denying UK paper The Daily Mail admits "Global warming is real & deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/ajTuKv

  • http://twitter.com/misskatemeyers/status/20909530467 Kate Meyers

    RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 …. Fox News to follow??

  • http://twitter.com/dazmando/status/20918157613 Darren Bridgman

    @blackbarbie_ even the #dailyfail has changed it's mind on global warming "Global warming is real & deeply worrying” http://bit.ly/ajTuKv

  • Dick H Clegg

    A project of CFACT
    Left-wing Env. Scientist Bails Out Of Global Warming Movement: Declares it a ‘corrupt social phenomenon…strictly an imaginary problem of the 1st World middleclass’
    Exclusive New Video: Calls cap-and-trade an ‘horrendous scam’ — Joins other left of center scientific and activist dissenters

    Source: Climate Depot

  • http://twitter.com/revkin/status/20942840552 Andy Revkin

    RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/debmorello/status/20944157603 Debbi Morello

    RT @revkin: RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/honeyberk/status/20944211862 Honey Berk

    RT @Revkin: RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/scribeguy/status/20946930164 Michael Hawthorne

    RT @Revkin: RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/bobryanabc7/status/20950748790 Bob Ryan

    Daily Mail longtime climate change naysayer flips

    http://ff.im/-p1GL5#agw

  • http://twitter.com/f_penteado/status/20952747547 Fernando Penteado

    RT @Revkin: RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/shanahanmike/status/20956616534 Mike Shanahan

    RT @Revkin: RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/tamsinchan/status/20957905370 Tam Chandler

    No! Slow learner at Daily Mail??> Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/jongelbard/status/20958571578 Jon Gelbard

    I guess the heat wins RT @Revkin: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/siriluk_por/status/20960335248 Siriluk Sriprasit

    RT @Revkin: RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/bhalchandrapai/status/20965289403 Bhalchandra Pai

    Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5

  • http://twitter.com/petemyers/status/20969106325 Pete Myers

    RT @Revkin: RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/tometaxu/status/20972350152 Walker

    RT @revkin: RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/pdxculture/status/20972432218 Brian

    RT @petemyers: RT @Revkin: RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5

  • http://twitter.com/cleanenergy4u/status/20976824324 Anne Blair

    RT @revkin: RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail longtime skeptic flips: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5 #agw

  • http://twitter.com/geographyjim/status/21048397608 geographyjim

    RT @leftfootfwd: Daily Mail: “Global warming is real and deeply worrying” http://ff.im/-p1GL5. Shame it took a lengthy flight to realise it.

  • http://leftbrainrightbrainblog.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/the-daily-mail-climate-turnaround/ The Daily Mail climate turnaround «

    [...] This is 5 day old news to anyone who follows the left-wing bloggers like Sunny Hundal and Left Foot Forward, but some of us only have time to follow stuff up on the [...]

  • http://www.hannahnicklin.com/2010/08/imagine/ Hannah Nicklin » Imagine

    [...] Even the DAILY FREAKING MAIL has changed it’s stance to ‘global warming is happening, and it is our fault‘ [...]

  • http://www.hannahnicklin.com/2010/08/imagine-2/ Hannah Nicklin » Imagine

    [...] DONATE HERE Meanwhile the hottest weather on record in Russia has wiped out ONE THIRD of their grain crops. They’ve had to impose a ban on grain exports, which will raise prices across the world, hitting the poorest, hardest. That previously linked article comes with a handy explanation on how both are caused by a shift in the jet stream, the instability of which has been linked to climate change: “The World Meteorological Organization says this “unprecedented sequence of extreme weather events … matches IPCC projections of more frequent and more intense extreme weather events due to global warming.”  NASA says July 2010 is “What Global Warming Looks Like.” ” (source) Even the DAILY FREAKING MAIL has changed it’s stance to ‘global warming is happening, and it is our fault‘ [...]

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/08/telegraph-forced-to-retract-lies-and-smears-about-climate-scientist/ Telegraph forced to retract lies and smears about climate scientist | Left Foot Forward

    [...] set back for the climate denial movement in recent weeks. In other blows: • Left Foot Forward reported how the Daily Mail u-turned on climate change, accepting: “Global warming is real and deeply [...]

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/08/world%e2%80%99s-most-famous-climate-sceptic-global-warming-a-%e2%80%98chief-concern%e2%80%99/ World’s most famous climate sceptic: Global warming a ‘chief concern’ | Left Foot Forward

    [...] Foot Forward recently highlighted that Britain’s most influential climate denier, The Daily Mail’s science editor Michael [...]

  • http://www.jossgarman.com/?p=669 Telegraph forced to retract lies and smears about climate scientist | Joss Garman

    [...] set back for the climate denial movement in recent weeks. In other blows: • Left Foot Forward reported how the Daily Mail u-turned on climate change, accepting: “Global warming is real and deeply [...]

  • http://www.jossgarman.com/?p=670 World’s most famous climate sceptic: Global warming a ‘chief concern’ | Joss Garman

    [...] Foot Forward recently highlighted that Britain’s most influential climate denier, the Daily Mail’s science editor Michael Hanlon, [...]