Climate change iPhone app launched
Australian scientist supplies answers to sceptics
By Darren Pauli | Computerworld Australia | Published: 10:08, 19 February 2010
An Australian scientist has created an iPhone application to help debunk climate change sceptics' theories.
The free app, called Skeptical Science, provides users with an attributed scientific response to 100 common sceptic arguments listed in three categories. It then logs the event to build a socio-geographic map of sceptic hotspots.
For instance to the argument "It's just a natural cycle", the app displays the response "the 1500 year cycles, known as Dansgaard-Oeschger events, are localized to the northern hemisphere and accompanied with cooling in the southern hemisphere. In contrast, current global warming is occurring in both hemispheres and particularly throughout the world's oceans, indicating a significant energy imbalance".
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Information is fed from skepticalscience.com, a climate change website of peer reviewed data maintained by solar physicist John Cook, who commissioned a Melbourne company to design the app.
It has already ruffled the feathers of members of climaterealists.com since its launch early this week. A post on the site says:
"A WARNING! There is an iphone app trying to put down what we have to say under the heading of 'Skeptical Science'.
We need as many of you as possible to promote that this iPhone app is yet another attempt to discredit 'Climate Realists'.
We can only hope the general public can see through this as a cheap trick to prop up the FAILED SCIENCE OF MAN MADE CLIMATE CHANGE."
The designer of Skeptical Science is considering releasing an Android version and adding functionality for Facebook and Twitter.
