My struggle to distinguish between a "climate skeptic" and "climate denier" continues. In July, I sought some clarity on these terms, which triggered over 500 comments and little agreement on an acceptable distinction between the two labels. That should come as no surprise. Do you know any climate skeptics who are fine with being called a climate denier? The term has some obvious baggage. Personally, I've resisted using "denier" because of the implied connotations. And while I recognize there is no one-size-fits-all category, I continue to use "climate skeptic" when referring to skeptic/contrarian-related positions, or persons associated with the skeptic wing of the debate. But I have this nagging feeling that I've taken the easy way out, that I have been over-relying on "climate skeptic" as a blanket term, that it does not accurately reflect a broad spectrum of voices that includes the likes of Richard Lindzen, Anthony Watts, John Christy and Christopher Monckton. Still, in terms of general usage for shorthand purposes, people involved in the discourse seem to choose either "skeptic" or "denier." These are the two terms I see most commonly used. To some degree, and in some quarters, they have become interchangeable--a blurring that strikes me as even more problematic than using one term as a catch-all. So I recently turned to my journalism colleagues for some help. Sometimes I am part of an informal email group that includes a cross-section of science and environmental writers, along with a smattering of scientists, philosophers, and wonks. On Friday, I asked the group the following two questions: 1) What is the difference between a climate skeptic and a climate denier? 2) Which term do you use as shorthand in your reporting/writing on climate change? Those that responded have permitted me to reproduce their answers here. The responses also triggered a heated exchange that is likely to be covered by some of the participants in their own blogs. More on that in a minute. Here are the unedited answers to my query from some of the journalists who responded: Bryan Walsh, Time magazine:
I've generally used the term "climate skeptic," in part because it seems more neutral as a descriptive. Nuance will be lost in any shorthand description but "climate denier" seems to pack a whole lot more judgment in a single word.
Bud Ward, editor of the Yale Forum on Climate Change & the Media:
