£1000 bet over the Earth’s temperature

Two scientists are wagering £1000 on the temperature of the Earth in 2015. The two men made the bet on the world’s future climate at a conference on Climate Change […]

Two scientists are wagering £1000 on the temperature of the Earth in 2015.

The two men made the bet on the world’s future climate at a conference on Climate Change in Cambridge.

Professor Chris Hope, from the University of Cambridge told ELN: “Ian made a very persuasive case that temperatures can go up as well as down in the future, so the bet that we’ve made is that temperatures in 2015 will be more than 0.1 degree below the peak in 2008.

“If it’s below that, then I will pay Ian a thousand pounds. If it’s not, he pays me a thousand.”

Australian geologist Professor Ian Plimer took up the challenge, adding: “I’m a market man, markets go up, markets go down. I think temperatures are going to go down in 2015.”

As they shook hands, Prof Hope joked: “It’s good to see someone putting their money where their projections are.”

Earlier at the conference, debate had raged between sceptics of climate change and those who believed the Earth’s temperature is rising because of the human impact.

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