Duking it out

Thanks to Tim from Deltoid, I can report on an interesting battle of the London emeriti. It boils down to who can write a stupider article in Spiked! magazine (see Monbiot for the definitive neocon-like history of the magazine).

In one corner, we have Emeritus professor Stanley Feldman from Imperial College in London, who writes this:

I would also teach the world that energy used is proportional to mass times distance. Over a mile, a heavy train coach will use more energy than a light coach. A bus is not necessarily more efficient than a car, unless there is only one passenger in the car and the bus is full. A bicycle is less efficient than walking, as it increases the mass to be transported over any given distance.

In the other corner we have EnviroSpin blogger and Emeritus professor Philip Stott from the University of London:

Indeed, the whole Gleneagles climate statement is encouraging. Its true focus, quite rightly in my opinion, is on energy rather than on climate change, and the document even concludes with the statement: 'We welcome the Russian decision to focus on energy in its Presidency of the G8 in 2006 and the programme of meetings that Russia plans to hold.' It would thus appear that neither the public nor their leaders have been taken in by 'global warming' hysteria. There will be no capping of dynamic growth for mistaken and misguided environmental aims. Instead, there will be a much-needed reappraisal of nuclear power and of clean coal, the latter a genuine Canadian contribution.

Tough race; on sheer lunacy, I place Feldman ahead, but Stott shows a combination of obviousness and chutzpah mixed with revisionism. Plus Stott has the track record.

Update: Feldman gaining ground with his recently published book, Panic Nation:

You will be relieved but possibly surprised to learn that, for instance, 'passive smoking' can do you no harm at all. The food you eat does not affect the amount of cholestorel in your blood, and the cholestorel level in your blood does not affect your health in any case. Organic food is no better for you than the regular kind. Salt does not raise your blood pressure. There is no such thing as junk food, if it's food then it's not junk, and if it's junk then it's not food, it's as simple as that. A BigMac is just as nourishing as a pre-packed salad, and contains no more fat. Sunbathing is not dangerous, in fact it can be beneficial, you need the vitamin D in sunshine.

I think I picked the wrong day to stop sucking on tail pipes.