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05-04-2004, 04:38 AM
<font size=4>Activists accused of 'crying wolf' on climate </font>
CRAIG BROWN
AN ACADEMIC spat has been sparked by an Oxford research group which claims that environmentalists have been using scaremongering to gain greater funding.
In a paper titled "Crying Wolf on Climate Change and Extinction", four Oxford academics from the university’s Biodiversity Research Group have stated that these groups failed to use the full information available, in order to grab headlines and attract more donations.
The study focused on reports that appeared in the media during January, which claimed that research by Leeds University showed that by 2050, one million species would have gone extinct.
The Oxford researchers said, however, that the story was generated by alarmist press releases sent out by environmental bodies and scientists, in which only the worst-case scenario were publicised rather than the less apocalyptic alternatives.
The report said: "The origins of most of the crude generalisations and extrapolations can be traced back to the original press releases and agency wires. The first of these was the press release from Leeds University, which ran the headline: ‘Climate Change Threatens a Million Species with Extinction’."
The academics went on to cite other conservation bodies as issuing similar releases, but names the World Wildlife Fund UK (WWF-UK) in particular as using the research in their funding efforts.
More on this Story (http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=501522004)
CRAIG BROWN
AN ACADEMIC spat has been sparked by an Oxford research group which claims that environmentalists have been using scaremongering to gain greater funding.
In a paper titled "Crying Wolf on Climate Change and Extinction", four Oxford academics from the university’s Biodiversity Research Group have stated that these groups failed to use the full information available, in order to grab headlines and attract more donations.
The study focused on reports that appeared in the media during January, which claimed that research by Leeds University showed that by 2050, one million species would have gone extinct.
The Oxford researchers said, however, that the story was generated by alarmist press releases sent out by environmental bodies and scientists, in which only the worst-case scenario were publicised rather than the less apocalyptic alternatives.
The report said: "The origins of most of the crude generalisations and extrapolations can be traced back to the original press releases and agency wires. The first of these was the press release from Leeds University, which ran the headline: ‘Climate Change Threatens a Million Species with Extinction’."
The academics went on to cite other conservation bodies as issuing similar releases, but names the World Wildlife Fund UK (WWF-UK) in particular as using the research in their funding efforts.
More on this Story (http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=501522004)