"Hamish" wrote in message
...

"Peter Duncanson" wrote in message
news

There is also the problem that specialists can form incorrect views of
matters outside their specialisms.


Specialists often have incorrect views of matters within their
specialisations. To get promotion in the field you have to have a reputation
of have a 'sound' knowledge of the topic. Which generally means
conservative opinions, or being the leader in the field. There is no place
for radical thinkers yet to achieve status.


Yes. If you look at what the New Scientist is saying;

"He estimates that over time this activity laced the atmosphere with about 40
parts per million of carbon dioxide and 250 parts per billion of methane,
enough to produce nearly 0.8 °C of warming before 1700, around the dawn of
industrialisation. If he is right, that just about equals the warming humans
are thought to have caused since then."

One can estimate that if 40 ppm of CO2 can cause a 0.8 °C then the 100 ppm
increase since then, must increase global temperatures by 2.0 °C. Note that
this estimate does not include future emmisions.

This sort of radical thinking is not welcome in Britih universities.

Cheers, Alastair,