Overview

It was not only Bj rn Lomborg who has been exposed to attacks from believers in doom and gloom. We have also been targeted by them, and particularly by the same person who played such a prominent role in the Lomborg affair. After having suggested to Hans Labohm s employer that he should sack him, which failed for obvious reasons, the omnipresent Jeff Harvey changed tack and came up with more serious comments, which not only show his expertise in his scientific field biology but also his firm commitment to his convictions, which seemed to justify his special passionate style of scientific discourse which was, until then, unfamiliar to us. It makes fascinating reading in various respects.

Dear Dr. Labohm,

I would like to respond to your article (jointly authored with D. Thoenes) which appeared in the Volkskrant (Saturday 7/6) entitled, Europa hecht ten onrechte aan Kyoto (Europe unjustifiably attaches importance to Kyoto), which paints, in my view as a senior scientist, a very misleading impression about the issue of global warming. I will tell you why.

First of all, like many contrarian articles, your piece apparently attempts to make controversy where there is broad scientific agreement. The IPCC report, undertaken by some 2,000 of the world s leading atmospheric scientists, provides compelling evidence that humanity, primarily through the combustion of fossil fuels, is disrupting the carbon cycle which operates over immense temporal and spatial scales. The consequence is that the planet s buffering capacity is being compromised, resulting in the...