[duelling stats] mean that anecdotal evidence is needed

Similar to the way that real Christians are judged by the same bad press that pseudo-Christians deservedly get is the environmental issue.

The debate has been polarized by the entry of both government [in the form of Gore and others] and by Greens who are more intent on ushering in a NWO than by genuine concern for the environment.

This is terrible because there really are ecological changes, attested by those on the ground but there's also a mindless anti-ecology mentality, especially in the blogosphere, which sees blogposts like "climate change, my a--e" and "more loony greenery" and so on.

So, in these people's eyes, any concern for the environment, any at all, is lumped in with the government's agenda of bringing in stringent measures on the back of any environmental report and this has polarized bloggers into extreme positions where any question raised, of whatever nature, is howled down and the questioner called a loony.

Is this rational debate? Is this examining what evidence there is?

It's got to the point where one side brings out stats showing temperature increase and the other side brings out stats showing temperature decrease. So all we're left with is the evidence at ground level and there is enough to cause concern.

Last year in Russia was the first winter where the snow did not "stick" before New Year. It had been building up to this over a twelve year period and no Russian was in any doubt about what was happening. It was getting warmer. One didn't need to theorize or bring out hockey sticks and play with them. It was simply happening. It is happening.

Some blogger brought out meteorological statistics which "proved" to me it wasn't happening. Yes it effing well was happening - we could see it with our own eyes. In 2001's winter, we had four temperatures under minus 33 where we lived. In 2007's winter, there were none! Same the next year and it was a steady progress, year by year. I had the thermometer in the window. I saw it and I recorded it so don't go telling me that some meteorological report said it didn't happen.

Same with other environmental concerns. In their mania to deny anything, anything at all which could possibly help the government impose harsher restrictions on us and take more of our money [an aim, as you know, this blog is completely in accord with], too many bloggers were denying anything which was happening.

Here is one of them - the salmon are getting fished out and the bears are dying.

Now ... if I have to choose between a statistic which says that bear numbers are increasing and this type of anecdotal evidence:

“I've never experienced anything like this. There has been a huge drop in the number of bears we see,” said Doug Neasloss, a bear-viewing guide with the Kitasoo-Xaixais tribes in Klemtu, about 180 kilometres south of Kitimat.

Mr. Neasloss said in recent weeks that he and other guides have visited 16 rivers where they usually encounter groups of bears feeding on spawning salmon.

“I've been doing this for 11 years and this is the worst I've seen it,” he said. “Last year on the Mussel River, I saw 27 bears. This year it's six. That's an indication of what it's like everywhere.”

Ian McAllister, Conservation Director of Pacific Wild, a non-profit conservation group on Denny Island, near Bella Bella, said he's heard similar reports.

“I've talked to stream walkers [who monitor salmon runs] who have been out for a month and have yet to see any bears,” he said. “There are just no bears showing up. I hear that from every stream walker on the coast.”

Mr. McAllister said it used to be easy to visit salmon streams in the Great Bear Rainforest, a large area of protected forest on the central coast, and see 20 to 30 bears a day feasting on salmon.

“Now you go out there and there are zero bears. The reports are coming in from Terrace to Cape Caution … the bears are gone,” he said. “And we haven't seen any cubs with mothers. That's the most alarming part of this,” Mr. McAllister said.

... then I'm sorry but I'm going to believe the people on the ground.