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Science 27 July 2007:
Vol. 317. no. 5837, p. 425
DOI: 10.1126/science.1147817
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Editorial

Climate: Game Over

Donald Kennedy

With respect to climate change, we have abruptly passed the tipping point in what until recently has been a tense political controversy. Why? Industry leaders, nongovernmental organizations, Al Gore, and public attention have all played a role. At the core, however, it's about the relentless progress of science. As data accumulate, denialists retreat to the safety of the Wall Street Journal op-ed page or seek social relaxation with old pals from the tobacco lobby from whom they first learned to "teach the controversy." Meanwhile, political judgments are in, and the game is over. Indeed, on this page last week, a member of Parliament described how the European Union and his British colleagues are moving toward setting hard targets for greenhouse gas reductions.

Donald Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of Science.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)