AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein backs away

Check out Seth Borenstein's article today, entitled "Nature and Man Jointly Cook Arctic".

Excerpts:

There's a natural cause that may account for much of the Arctic warming, which has melted sea ice, ice sheets and glaciers, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Nature. New research points a finger at a natural and cyclical increase in the amount of energy in the atmosphere that moves from south to north around the Arctic Circle.
...
"If we didn't have the little extra kick from global warming then we wouldn't have gone past the threshold for the change in sea ice," said Overland, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's lab in Seattle.

This article represents a significant change in tone for Borenstein. Just over three weeks ago, Borenstein produced this panicked piece on the very same subject, entitled "'The Arctic is screaming' — summer sea ice could be gone in five years".

Excerpt:

"The Arctic is often cited as the canary in the coal mine for climate warming," said Zwally, who as a teenager hauled coal. "Now as a sign of climate warming, the canary has died. It is time to start getting out of the coal mines."

It is the burning of coal, oil and other fossil fuels that produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, responsible for man-made global warming. For the past several days, government diplomats have been debating in Bali, Indonesia, the outlines of a new climate treaty calling for tougher limits on these gases.

Coupled with John Tierney's skeptical New York Times piece earlier this week, this has been a watershed week for climate skepticism in the mainstream media. This hysteria's long crumbling process has clearly begun.