From ssi@ucsusa.org Sun May 22 12:54:20 2005
Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 14:11:25 -0400
From: SSI Mailbox 
Subject: SSI Notice: Crichton's Thriller State of Fear: Separating Fact
    from Fiction


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******************* SSI SPECIAL NOTICE  *****************
 
We are pleased to announce a FAQ webpage on Michael
Crichton's State of Fear. Crichton's latest book has
characters debating data (complete with graphs and
footnotes) and concepts that cast doubt on the validity of
global warming evidence. This doubt is echoed in the
author's message at the end of the novel and in public
interviews. Readers may understandably take away some
misconceptions from his book. To clear up these
misconceptions, we have selected some representative cases
to discuss.
 
State of Fear has generated a lot of media and given a voice
to climate skeptics. Global warming skeptics seized on the
book and many of the misleading arguments presented in the
book are being echoed in many forums - from the op-ed
section of the Washington Post to the Senate floor. Our
webpage "Crichton's Thriller State of Fear: Separating Fact
from Fiction" examines a few of the book's arguments by
evaluating the scientific data presented and bringing in
additional resources to paint a larger picture of climate
change.
 
This FAQ was prepared by Dr. Brenda Ekwurzel, UCS's Climate
Scientist. Helpful comments were provided by Raymond T.
Pierrehumbert at the University of Chicago. We hope this FAQ
will be a useful resource both in countering the claims in
State of Fear as well as climate change skepticism more
broadly.
 
View Crichton's Thriller State of Fear: Separating Fact from
Fiction at:
<
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_environment/global_warming/page.cfm?pageID=1670
>
 
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