The following opinion piece was published in the Star Tribune on March 23rd, in response to a right-wing denier column scoffing at climate change,  from the previous week. Climate change: Respect science Ignore pundits. . . .  There are [science] websites that will help you assess the evidence if you are confused about climate change. (By Josh Leonard) Do you ever notice how climate-change deniers don’t use science? They seem to have an argument until you realize that it’s not scientific. A March 20 column by Jason Lewis (“Getting warm. Or cool. Let’s make policy!”) was an example. Whenever I encounter an argument denying global warming, I apply the following three-part filter: 1.Does it cite scientific research? 2.Does it look at long-range data? 3.Does it explain major global trends regarding: a.Global glacial retreat? b.The polar sea ice cap disappearing? c.The 10 hottest years on record occurring within the past 14 years? Deniers might pretend to address one or two of the above questions but can never fully address all three. They quote pundits like Rush Limbaugh or conservative think tanks like the Heartland Institute (which also advocates that secondhand smoke doesn’t affect your health). They look at short-term data. They [...]