MIT Atmospheric Science professor Richard Lindzen has an article in today's Wall Street Journal on who is really being silenced on the debate over global warming -- the skeptics.

There's a slashdot discussion on the article here. After reading Lindzen's article, I found this slashdot comment to be the most enlightening.

"Science" and "Nature" are hack journals nowadays. The only reason that one publishes in those is for publicity. Pure and simple. I haven't seen an article pertaining to atmospheric science come through there that I haven't been able to poke significant holes in for years now. (I speak mainly for atmospheric science articles in those journals. Other articles may be fine... I don't know.)

The real science happens in the less-public journals. And, believe it or not, the actual science always leads to more questions than answers. There are details that aren't covered in science news coverage that are vital to making valid conclusions in these issues. But, the nature of the "publish-or-perish" funding makes careful science difficult to do.

So, we're left with more questions than answers.

In many ways, the global warming scare industry is not much different from the embryonic stem cell research industry -- both are perverting science in an effort to get more money for their research. If, as I tend to believe, any substantial global warming is caused not by humans but by the natural cycles of the sun, then throwing money at "research" into the human effects is little different than propaganda. Likewise, embryonic stem cell researchers make outrageous claims and false promises in an effort to steer money into their pockets -- to often taking money from other more promising avenues of research.

One thing is for sure about global warming: We still don't know enough to warrant a drastic, and economy-crippling, change in our use of fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases.