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Sunday, February 8, 2009

George Monbiot: Pure rubbish -- the Christopher Booker Prize for the best clap-trap on climate change

Pure rubbish: Christopher Booker prize

The winner of the first Christopher Booker prize will walk away with this unique trophy, plus the Guardian's very minimal support for a one-way solo kayak trip to the North Pole

Christopher Booker prize

Christopher Booker prize 2009 offered for producing clap-trap about climate change Photograph: George Monbiot/Guardian.

So here it is: your first sight of the Christopher Booker prize 2009.

It is named in honour of the Sunday Telegraph columnist's amazing ability to include misinformation and falsehoods in his pieces on climate change and other environmental issues.

Believe it or not, this stylish trophy is made entirely of recycled materials!

Lovingly fashioned by master craftsmen in mid-Wales, it shows what can be done with items that are often treated as mere rubbish!

And this isn't all. I am suggesting that the winner of the Christopher Booker prize 2009 take the holiday of a lifetime: a one-way solo kayak trip to the North Pole. Following in the footsteps of the great Pen Hadow, the award winner could use the trip to see for him or herself the full extent of the Arctic ice melt. The Guardian will support this intrepid venture by supplying THREE BARS of Kendal mint cake towards the costs of this expedition.

So here's how you help the winner on his or her way to this prestigious and valuable award:

The award will go to whoever in my opinion and assisted by climate scientists and specialists manages, in the course of 2009, to cram as many misrepresentations, distortions and falsehoods into a single article, statement, lecture, film or interview about climate change. This work must be available online. You score a point for every mistake, though one point will be deducted for every retraction or correction published by the author or the original outlet within a reasonable length of time.

Please use this special nominations page to make suggestions for this illustrious award -- and don't forget to include a link to the piece in question. This page will remain open until 31 December 2009, and I will keep you updated on the blog about some of the choice nominations throughout the year.

The Christopher Booker prize is not to be confused with the Man Booker prize, though that is also an award for fiction.

The Guardian will not be held responsible for any deaths or disappearances incurred on the voyage.

Link to article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/feb/04/christopher-booker-george-monbiot-prize

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The prize could go to Chris Booker's bezzie mate "Prof" John Bridle of Asbestos Watchdog Ltd. A true moron who, with the help of Mr Booker and the Sunday Telegraph has promoted a dangerous myth that white asbestos is "harmless".
Its a good job Mr Bridle isn't a proper professor - just an honorary one given to him in Russia by those close to the Russian asbestos industry.

Anonymous said...

Interesting comment, thanks.