Phew! My letter to Mr Walker last week stirred up a real hornets' nest. With four letters to respond to, I can only generalise.
Contrary to many correspondents' suspicions, I have no hidden agenda - absolutely no political affiliations (red, green, yellow or blue). I have instead spent 30 years in the DSIR/GNS Science studying tectonics and active volcanoes, and eight seasons in Antarctica, working with geologists and geophysicists. I am therefore very familiar with the science scene. Since retiring I have attended and presented numerous lectures on Antarctic, geological, atmospheric and ocean science, maintaining close contact with my colleagues. This experience has further convinced me of their personal honesty and scientific integrity. It has also dispelled my lingering doubts on the nature and primary cause of global warming and the dire consequences if emissions remain unchecked.
Misconceptions shock
From this perspective I have been shocked by the misconceptions of so many otherwise rational fellow Kiwis, not to mention the venom directed ad nauseum at scientists and politicians alike (and even the odd 'messenger” such as myself) by those convinced the science and politics of climate change are a 'preposterously arrogant myth”, a 'rort” and a 'scam”. Are they afraid the 'greenies”, communists, UN and Al Gore are angling to take over their lives? Why do they employ such underhand tactics as continually presenting manufactured observations as scientific fact? Perhaps denying climate change excuses them from accepting some responsibility for the environmental mess and imbalance our generation is still creating, predicted to so severely affect our own descendents. Don't they give a damn?
Long term trends
Very briefly: Alan Willoughby, surely so many scientists around the world, in so many different disciplines, reaching the same basic conclusion, must count for something? And I'm sure most would seriously disagree with at least seven of your statements. Bill Wilkinson, I haven't been to the North Pole yet but many of my friends have, including one whose team made the first ever winter ice thickness measurements in a traverse across the Arctic Ocean in 1969/70. (It was nearly twice as thick then!) Your son and his Russian captain are interesting but their informal observations don't disprove measured long term trends.
Mike Kuipers von Lande and Rob Smith, I seriously recommend that you read Gareth Morgan and John McCrystal's 'Poles Apart: beyond the shouting who's right about climate change?” Unlike so much of the current debate, it is extremely informative and presents both sides fairly. For up todate data I suggest you then Google up websites of established climate research centres. Mr Smith in particular will then understand who is really being stupid and making the 'fallacious claims”. Incidentally, the big temperature increases and sea level rise (of at least one metre) are predicted to seriously impact, not yet, but towards the end of the century.

Peter Otway, Pahoia.