new to the group, but I read your post and wanted to chime in. Anybody who denies our planet isn't going through a severe and drastic climate change is a fool. However, where the argument lies with a lot of individuals who put in a lot of time research article and studies after another. And I'm just going to present the facts to you, it's up to you to confirm to yourself what I'm about to say is factual and I hope you do so. So here's the argument, there's no denying that humans have cut down forest polluted and trashed are planted... It's sickening it's very aggravating but specifically the gases is like CO2 have been very predictable in the amount of fair rides since the Industrial Revolution. Simply because we can get pretty close to how many gallons of tool was bought the average MPG of a vehicle so on and so forth. And like I said in the past the levels of CO2 and are emissions have been right in line. But you're recently something is happening. CO2 levels, basically overnight, jumped from in line with our pollution to the point we're either everybody who owns a car on this planet is waking up secretly in the middle of the night to put an extra three times the mileage on their vehicle then they would have normally in a year or there's something happening that governments and research agencies are not fully disclosing. I'm not sure if you heard about the magnetic pole reversal our planet goes through every 22 thousand years... If you haven't you should look it up, every 22 thousand years on the dot, Pretty much our planet has experienced a pole reversal, well we're a few thousand years past that point, the Magnetic North Pole right now is moving so fast it's actually changed where the sun sets. Since our planets rotation has changed a little it has placed the track the sun travels throughout a day much closer to the Arctic Circle. Which is melting ice at 8 alarming rate. If I may suggest something, stay away from mainstream news articles for which you gather your information from. If you search for the specific agencies involved in the climate change studies you'll be able to read there report verbatim. And then you'll understand, because when the scientists writing the reports is just as flabbergasted with the results as those hearing it for the first time might be then you know that... what's happening on our planet right now with 26, 500 year storms the past decade, all the flooding, seismic waves, volcanic eruptions, and the Seas Rising from the planet warming... is being caused by something... But what?? Well I'll leave it up to you and whether or not you want to research any further as to what that something is, but the truth is quite literally Stranger Than the fiction. All that being said, Humanity and our wasteful, throw away type of economy, certainly is not helping and it is adding to the speed but it's not adding very much in comparison the main culprit, and it's not of this planet.... 

I can say whatever I want to say, that's why i'm living in america. According to the first amendment, as long as i'm not spreading lies I know are not true (and not to start a argument, but i'm pretty sure global warming is bull) and i'm not declaring clear and present danger (shouting fire in a crowded theater), and i'm not threatening anyone, i can say whatever I want. The KKK exists (which i'm sure many of us whish wasn't true), as long as they adhere to the guidelines above, they are completely legal. 

You say that it's true, so saying it's not hurts the environment, which hurts everyone in turn, but you're being just as closed minded as everyone who sees different from you. 

If I say that hot dogs are sandwiches, and you should be censored because you say they're not, according to you that's acceptable. You would then argue, but that's not hurting anyone, and to that i would reply that arguments over the subject would then lead to fights, which could lead to bodily harm. Sound fair to you?

Don't get me wrong, HaD.io is a private organization and can legally do so if they please, but this is a platform where we share our views and politely discuss them, not shoot down anyone who doesn't agree. 

Politics should stay out of hackaday.io. If Hackaday is turning into a censoring place then I am out of  here.

👍🏻

Many people have voiced objections below, so I'll just tack a few more theses to the chapel door.

1) Climate change is now a political position that's linked to one political side. Banning "the other side" amounts to banning a political speech.

More specifically, the climate change position reads: "humans are wrecking the climate, and the only thing we can do is *this*", and the "this" in that sentence is a political agenda. The climate change conclusion is used to drive political ends, when it should be open ended and include alternatives (such as "improvements in technology").

2) The Climate change analysis has actual flaws which should be addressed, but these flaws are never identified. The climate change people are taking their side out of the scientific process.

Among the flaws:

a) There are multiple models, some show dire consequences and some do not. Why are the "dire consequences" models preferred over other models?

b) The models are trained on historical data, and used to predict the future. Can you give another example where this process generates useful results? If this process works, those same techniques could predict the stock market.

c) Highly complex models have no predictive value. Can you refute this statement?

3) The Climate change people have been suppressing dissenting opinions.

I've talked to a fair number of researchers who are afraid to voice dissent, or even to ask questions, about climate change for fear of losing their grants, their positions, and even their ability to find work in the field! I've read articles online about people who have attempted to dissent - and who have been pressured to leave the field, and in a few instances were forceably made to leave their position.

Overall, Climate change is not science, it's been elevated to the status of religion. I say this, and I'm actively working on a project that (if it succeeds) would help.

Climate Change is probably the most important problem humanity faces - and it's something we must get right - but I cannot abide the methods.

Suppressing speech is not the answer.

I hear what you are saying, but consider this: if those whose opinions are contrary to ours aren't allowed a voice, how can they be taught?  Even beyond making it a more welcoming place, when we show respect to our 'enemies', they are *much* more willing to listen to what *we* have to say, instead of running off to a navel-gazing group who agrees with them.  Yes, keep it civil and deal with those who refuse to act like adults on a per-case basis.  Of course that is necessary, but outright silencing those we disagree with is outright censorship.  *ARE* you advocating censorship?  What next?  Kicking out those who think that vaccines are good or believe in that crazy 'theory of evolution'?  Next you'll be saying that we shouldn't be worshiping His Noodly Goodness!  WHERE WILL IT END?

I just joined this community, but this makes me question whether I should stay or not.  If this place is about censorship and group-think then I don't think it is the type of place I want to spend my valuable time.  I like to think that people are smart enough to decide for themselves, and if you feel that people questioning an idea need to be silenced, then what you are saying is that the idea isn't rooted in enough fact to stand on it's own.  You are doing a disservice to people working in the field of climate change to suggest that their research can't stand up unless all dissent is squashed.  Science is all about questioning of ideas, not adhering to an ideology.

Don't worry. It's just hot air. Uh-oh... too soon?

Hackaday.io is about open ideas and open discussion. Comments must abide by the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use. 

Whoa... Are you classifying climate-change denial as a hate crime? Racism? These are the things comments get removed for and people get banned about. People can say whatever they want here. Doesn't immediately make a person right or intelligent or even factual. If a person is on HaD, it is most likely that the have the intelligence to judge for oneself the comments posted here. Also equally as likely, the posters are not posting denials to try to convince, sway or otherwise influence the opinions of others in a forceful or authoritative way in an effort to destroy humanity. As for me, I let it be. 

@Greg Kennedy Freedom of speech is important.
Censorship doesn't convince people, and it backfires.

If we are speaking here about HarveyH54's comments in https://hackaday.com/2018/10/17/can-a-motorized-bicycle-run-on-trees/ , then note he doesn't deny the climate change. However, he's questioning the damage _level_ of a climate change. He is at the halfway: recognizes the threat, yet doesn't believe the consequences will be apocalyptic. He explains what makes him think so, and therefore he gives to anybody else the opportunity to judge for themselves, or to pinpoint to any errors. Later, many of his arguments are debunked by others.

I don't want to be hand held while crossing the street of the HaD comments.

Your first few sentences are what I think is most important. 

But to say the changes won't be apocalyptic is ignorance in its purest form. Many many coastal cities will be lost, hot areas will get even hotter, many more millions of people will flee because of that. Droughts increase, heavy storms and floods will come more often. 

People have two main problems. They're greedy an/or don't manage to look more than 10 years ahead. 

Just look what the German VW boss Diess told our beloved chancellor Merkel. Oooooh 100000 people will loose their job, we can't act that quickly. 

Our politicians are elbow deep in the industries bums, it's disgusting... 

How much is your "freedom of speech" worth?  Hundreds of millions of climate refugees?  Extinction of half of Earth's species?  In exchange for... the unfettered ability to post misinformation on Hackaday?

There are other communities where people bent on climate change denial can go, if they care to seek them out.  I am through tolerating it in more "mainstream" settings.

Freedom of speech is priceless. Period.

Ah ok, so you're cool with hate speech and distributing bomb plans.  Great.

Actually, I *am* cool with hate speech.

Hate speech is not illegal speech, and this is one thing the US got right and the Europeans got wrong. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it illegal, and banning it gives it legitimacy.

And the issue doesn't even affect you - it's only because it's a type of crusade and you can think of yourself as protecting others that you even take that position. Most people aren't affected by hate speech, they only want to ban it because they think they're doing good in the world. It's never "I'm offended by that", it's "you shouldn't say that because *others* might find it offensive".

And bomb instructions are important so that the public can verify the accuracy of claims made by the government. The most recent example is banning liquids on airplanes, because terrorists can make bomb by mixing two liquids.

But is it true? It turns out that it is not true, but only by having the information available can we make this assessment.

Climate change denial is just straight-up trolling at this point.  It should be banned just like all other trolling.

I mean, it's not illegal to say man-made climate change is not real. It's just plain dumb and against all of todays knowledge. So why would you ban those people? Just ignore them.

It's not me personally I'm concerned about - I'm not advocating this because "I might be inconvenienced" having to read it.

I'm saying that allowing public climate change denial on web forums *actively harms humanity* for several reasons:

* It perpetuates the myth that "the jury is still out" on climate science

* It sways people who aren't as knowledgeable with misinformation and lies

* It impedes actual effort to find solutions, because denialists keep dragging discussion back to questioning the problem

The people can stay, the comments should go.  Focus on solutions.

I'm not so sure it's "life or death"... it may be more like "death soon or death a little later". 

Maybe your lies of hope should be banned!

:) Made me smile (: 

As profound as it is bound to aggro.

I think this is a good idea and I hope our Supplyframe overlords agree.

Hackaday, a (safe?) place where only authorised view points are
allowed.

"Man made climate change deniers are now hereby banned".

Can we have a vote to determine if this is the view of the majority.

AlanX

This is different.  Flat-earthers, perpetual energy kooks, etc. hurt nobody but themselves.  Climate denialists damage public efforts to save ourselves.

EDIT: I could envision HaD mods removing a comment that says how to "safely" manufacture Carbon Monoxide indoors.  Why is this different, except the timeframe?

It's not a "viewpoint", it is a fact.  Treating it as a "difference of opinions" is exactly the problem, and a dangerous one.

By allowing people to post misinformation, even when countered with fact-checking, it perpetuates the false narrative that The Jury Is Still Out.

I don't care to ban the deniers (unless they make a habit of causing trouble), the person is not the issue.  I feel that HaD should take a stance of simply removing comments that attempt to wholesale discredit man-made climate change as a hoax or falsehood.

Maybe fact-checking and marking false statements with e.g. a red background could turn their alternative facts optically into swiss cheese. But who has the time to do all this? I have similar problems with anti-islam and anti-migrant trolling in a chat... :-(

Maybe we should hire more pirates!

Everyone knows, that global warming and the dropping number of pirates somehow are connected!

Ramen!