• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

RealClimate

Climate science from climate scientists...

  • Start here
  • Model-Observation Comparisons
  • Miscellaneous Climate Graphics
  • Surface temperature graphics
You are here: Home / Archives for Book review

Book review

Handbook in Denialism

4 May 2011 by rasmus

It would not surprise me if the denialists would deny the existence of the new book by Haydn Washington and John Cook (skepticalscience.com) ‘Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand‘. Somehow, I don’t think they will read it – but they are not target group of this book either. Anyway, denialism is, according to the book, a common human trait – we should all know somebody who deny one thing thing or another.

Furthermore, denial is not the same as being skeptical, either, and Washington and Cook argue it is quite the opposite. Hence, the term “skeptics” for these deniers can be described as Orwellian “doublespeak”“newspeak”.

Denial is apparently caused by our lizard brainstem. What coincidence then, when talking about fossil fuels from plants from the era of huge long dead lizards (the fossil fuels are not made of the dinosaurs), that denying evidence for anthropogenic global warming (AGW) is linked to that lizard part of the brain. So, what about using the labels ‘reptiles’ or ‘dinos’? Washington and Cook opt for ‘deniers’, and so will I hereafter.

[Read more…] about Handbook in Denialism

Filed Under: Climate Science, Reviews Tagged With: Book review

Primary Sidebar

Search

Search for:

Email Notification

get new posts sent to you automatically (free)
Loading

Recent Posts

  • Unforced variations: Nov 2025
  • High-resolution ‘fingerprint’ images reveal a weakening Atlantic Ocean circulation (AMOC)
  • Unforced variations: Oct 2025
  • “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Time and Tide Gauges wait for no Voortman
  • Lil’ NAS Express

Our Books

Book covers
This list of books since 2005 (in reverse chronological order) that we have been involved in, accompanied by the publisher’s official description, and some comments of independent reviewers of the work.
All Books >>

Recent Comments

  • Thomas W Fuller on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Thomas W Fuller on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Thomas W Fuller on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Thomas W Fuller on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Thomas W Fuller on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • David on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • David on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Piotr on Unforced variations: Nov 2025
  • Ray Ladbury on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Geoff Miell on Unforced variations: Oct 2025
  • Geoff Miell on Unforced variations: Oct 2025
  • JB on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Radge Havers on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • BRIAN C DODGE on Unforced variations: Nov 2025
  • Nigelj on Unforced variations: Oct 2025
  • Mal Adapted on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Susan Anderson on High-resolution ‘fingerprint’ images reveal a weakening Atlantic Ocean circulation (AMOC)
  • Susan Anderson on High-resolution ‘fingerprint’ images reveal a weakening Atlantic Ocean circulation (AMOC)
  • Mal Adapted on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Susan Anderson on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Matthew R Marler on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Susan Anderson on Unforced variations: Oct 2025
  • Tomáš Kalisz on Unforced variations: Oct 2025
  • MA Rodger on Unforced variations: Oct 2025
  • jgnfld on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • jgnfld on Unforced variations: Oct 2025
  • Pete bridge on Unforced variations: Oct 2025
  • MA Rodger on Unforced variations: Oct 2025
  • Thomas W Fuller on “But you said the ice was going to disappear in 10 years!”
  • Scott Nudds on Unforced variations: Oct 2025

Footer

ABOUT

  • About
  • Translations
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Page
  • Login

DATA AND GRAPHICS

  • Data Sources
  • Model-Observation Comparisons
  • Surface temperature graphics
  • Miscellaneous Climate Graphics

INDEX

  • Acronym index
  • Index
  • Archives
  • Contributors

Realclimate Stats

1,385 posts

11 pages

247,960 comments

Copyright © 2025 · RealClimate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists.