There is a hilarious letter in today’s Times from three FRS
professors about my recent artilce on ocean acidification.
Despite conceding the factual truth of my article in detail,
they tell me to brush up on chemistry then give no examples of me
getting anything wrong.
They concede my point that any shift of acidity will be within
natural ranges. Thanks. But say it could be much larger `in the
future’. No numbers, note. They mean in several centuries.
They concede my point that some organisms make shells form
bicarbonate. Thanks. But they say falling carbonate levels could
dissolve shells. At what levels?
They concede that it is `true’ that there is no net effect of
carbon dioxide on organisms. Thanks. But say there will be `winners
and losers’.
They mutter about `unpredictable consequences’ of `change’. No!
You don’t say.
All this is very, very different from the exaggerated claims
that I was attacking. It is a huge retreat, under a smokescreen of
insult.
I’m rather pleased.