Respected climate scientist; or spin-doctor with an agenda?

Last week saw the publication of a booklet entitled "Nine Facts about Climate Change" by Ray Evans. He argues that global warming is a "scam", "arguably, the most extraordinary example of scientific fraud in the post-War period". Before we even read what he has to say, lets stop and ask - Who is this man, Ray Evans?*

From SourceWatch:

Ray Evans founded the Lavoisier Group, a group of climate change sceptics in 2000. The group is closely related to the mining industry. Ray's personal links with the mining industry are strong - he was an executive at Western Mining Corporation (WMC), an Australian uranium mining company that operates the Olympic Dam uranium mine in South Australia.

Ray has been described as Hugh Morgan's right hand man. Hugh Morgan was the CEO of WMC, the president of the Business Council of Australia and is currently a member of the Reserve Bank. Hugh is a vocal climate change sceptic and opponent of the Kyoto Protocol. He has been in the news lately, with his new venture - Australian Nuclear Energy. Interestingly, Hugh delivered the Lavoisier Group's inaugural speech.

Ray is also involved in other political pressure groups. Along with Peter Costello, he founded the HR Nicholls Society - an organization dedicated to reducing the power of unions and the reform of Australia's industrial relations system, and he is the secretary of the Bennelong Society, an organization formed to "promote a conservative view of aboriginal policy".

What's missing from Ray's CV? Any scientific qualification whatsoever. He's no climate scientist! He's your garden variety spin-doctor with vested interests, a dubious source for "facts" on climate change, I'm sure you'll agree.

As mums, most of us aren't familiar with the science of climate change. We don't have easy access to peer-reviewed scientific articles written on the topic, and even if we did, we probably wouldn’t have the time to read them, and we probably wouldn't understand them without some scientific training. We rely on someone else to survey the scientific literature for us, distil it and present it in a form that is relevant and easily digestible by the layperson. Who can we trust to enlighten us? The important thing is to maintain a healthy scepticism of our own. Ask

Who are you?
What are your credentials?
What are your sources?
What do you want me to believe?
If I believe your argument, how does this benefit you?

If you want to get facts on climate science from real live climate scientists try Real Climate for starters.

*An excellent, albeit old article on Ray and his group of climate change sceptics can be found here.