Just reading the websites "Friends of Science" and "How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic," particularly the responses in the latter, give me a headache. They exemplify just how controversial the issue of climate change really is and I hate to criticize the World Wide Web but having access to hundreds of different non-scientific perspectives really only makes progress harder and the truth more difficult to decipher. Friends of Science appears to be a Canadian organization that believes the sun is the source responsible for climate change. Therefore it is essentially impossible to stop. Though they claim to have no affiliation with any outside organization or company I find this impossible to believe. Especially given they discredit alternative forms of energy, such as wind power. After a little snooping, according to Sourcewatch, it appears they receive substantial funding from “anonymous” that just so happens to be the oil industry. Even though they have a “Scientific Advisory Board” it is crucial to discover their ties and the influence that has over their message. As well as who makes up this "Scientific Advisory Board" and whether they are credible or not.
On the other hand, “How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic” is a listing of various responses to the people that challenge climate change. All the responses are by Coby Beck, who appears to be an independent blogger and has no scientific background. With that being said he does link to scientific sources when making his claims. One of the most interested parts of this blog were peoples responses to it. Some were extremely critical of the claims, thereby being climate skeptics and others reinforced his beliefs. Because I believe in climate change and know the affiliation with oil the first website has I am more inclined to believe the second. But it still seems a bit too unprofessional to take too seriously. Neither of the websites are very striking or convincing because of their message, format, and in the case of the first, affiliation.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Friends_of_Science
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