And round and round and round we go...

The correlation between the warming of land and sea in both hemispheres and the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide over the last century and a half is near perfect. A correlation, even a strong one, is not proof, but it is exceptionally powerful evidence, particularly in light of the fact that we know precisely how carbon dioxide operates as a greenhouse gas. To deny that human activity hasn't been a major driver, or even the main driver, of warming is akin to denying that China exists or claiming that there's no salt in the oceans. If you choose to deny it, you are either in the pocket of powerful carbon corporations or you are a fool who thinks that standing out from the crowd by being different just for the sake of it makes you look clever. When we say the science is settled we are not saying that anthropogenic warming is true, because science doesn't work that way. We are saying the probability of its being false is so small as to make it negligible. And to deny it for either of those reasons makes you wicked, because your deliberate ignorance or crass dishonesty is contributing recklessly to increasing a mortal threat to the planet.

But there's always one, as we shall no doubt shortly see...