Among the many conservative think tanks faithfully pushing the skeptic message in Washington, D.C., few are as prominent—or, should I say, infamous—as the Heartland Institute. The “independent” research and non-profit group has the dubious distinction of having organized the first major denier-palooza, the “International Conference on Climate Change,” last year. Despite a less than stellar showing, and an even more lukewarm follow-up in March, it’s hoping that the third time will be the charm.

The likes of Senator James Inhofe, Lord Christopher Monckton and Anthony Watts will be descending on the Washington Court Hotel this week to discuss the “widespread dissent to the asserted “consensus” on the causes, consequences, and proper responses to climate change.” Its ostensible purpose will be to “expose Congressional staff and journalists to leading scientists and economists in the nation’s capital” and demonstrate that “global warming is not a crisis and that immediate action to reduce emissions is not necessary”—which it calls the emerging consensus view of (the handful of) scientists outside the IPCC.

Solomon's New Book Full of Hysteria, (Imagined) Persecution, and Fraud

National Post stringer Lawrence Solomon's book-length version of his newspaper series on purported climate change deniers is just as unconvincing - and misleading - as the original Post articles. But at least he admits his motivation for writing it: he's an anti-nuclear, anti-mega-hydro guy watching the environmental tide turn against him.

"If he [Bob Carter] has any evidence that [global warming over the past 100 years] is a natural variablilty he should publish through the peer review process," said Graeme Pearman, a former former CSIRO climate scientist. "That is what the rest of us have to do."

A well-stated and simple point refuting the words of the well-known and very vocal global warming denier Bob (RM) Carter. Often at DSBlog we have quipped that if the so-called "skeptics" are so "skeptical" why don't they get into a lab and prove it. Last time I checked, that's what scientists do. Anything else is just arm-chair quarterbacking.

While you're here, why not sign up for DSBlog's weekly newsletter?

Despite beginning the year with a chilling La Niña, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) advises that 2006 was the fifth-warmest year in recorded history and the hottest year in the U.S.

Check the attached graph and see if you buy the Dr. Bob Carter's contention that global warming ended in 1998.