The Skeptical Science list of skeptic arguments is one of the larger compilations going around, currently numbering 91 different arguments. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Whenever I encounter a skeptic argument, I add it to the database which currently contains 242 skeptic arguments. The 91 are those which I've found the time to research and write a summary of what the peer-reviewed science says on the topic. Now all 242 arguments have been categorised and displayed on a new Global Warming Links page. And just to open up a potentially huge can of worms, you can add to the list of skeptic arguments yourself!
There's more to this list than just the skeptic arguments. Besides each skeptic argument, you'll notice a green and red number. The green number denotes the number of web pages about that skeptic argument that endorse man-made global warming (let's call them pro-AGW). The red number denotes the number of skeptic links. This is the guts of Global Warming Links - a resource of global warming links expressing both sides of the debate.
Sometimes Skeptical Science is accused of being unbalanced. This criticism is certainly true in terms of the links collected so far. There are substantially more skeptic than pro-AGW links. This is because I've been collecting skeptic links for years, since before I started Skeptical Science. However, I've only been collecting pro-AGW links since I started developing the Links page a few weeks ago. So I would encourage anyone if they encounter a webpage or blog post about a particular skeptic argument to submit it in the Add New Link form.
I've also added two other interesting pages which are linked to from the top of Global Warming Links. There's Last Week which lists the most popular skeptic arguments submitted over the last week. This should be useful for keeping track of the latest, most popular skeptic arguments. The problem is currently there are only a handful of articles submitted over the last week so it's not a terribly comprehensive representation yet. Hopefully the list will fill up in quick time. There is also Last Month which lasts the most used skeptic arguments over the last 30 days.
Even while developing the Links page, I've found it an immensely handy resource. Whenever I encounter an informative webpage addressing a specific skeptic argument, I quickly go to Add New Link and submit the URL. That way, it's filed away for future reference, categorised and ready at my fingertips. My hope is that as the directory fills up with links, when people need to research a particular argument, they'll have a collection of useful links all gathered in the one place focused on the topic at hand.
Of course, the reason I'm doing this is because a single person can't keep track of every skeptic argument ever used. So I'm hoping Skeptical Science readers will over time help build a comprehensive list of arguments and links. Giving the online community access to my database, meticulously and lovingly constructed for years, is not an easy step for a control freak such as myself. So it goes without saying that the submissions will be moderated - both arguments and links. Any user caught spamming or submitting frivolous arguments or links will have their user account disabled. But if you submit proper links, your contribution will be very much appreciated. Remember, both skeptic and pro-AGW links are welcome.
UPDATE: to make the Links page easier to get to, the LINKS navigation in the header now links to the Links page. The old links page can now be reached via a link at the bottom of each page.
Posted by John Cook on Tuesday, 2 March, 2010
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