The Spectator has had a go at adapting to the changing media climate by switching to the deniers new ‘adaptation’ meme. Will anyone notice the pivot? The evidence has been carefully hidden away on the covers of their previous editions.

According to the latest Speccie, global warming is really happening, in fact they’re so certain of this that they’re offering us advice on how to adapt.

Despite his somewhat woozy grin, this chap looks decidedly unwell.

The gist of their story is that the IPCC has now given up on climate mitigation and thinks the only sensible approach is to adapt to our changing climate (whilst continuing to burn fossil fuels, naturally). This is based on the IPCC releasing their Working Group 2 report, “Climate Change 2014: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability” on Monday. Note the word ‘adaptation’ is even in the title!

Note also that Working Group 3’s report, “Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of climate change” will be published later this month. Presumably that will consist of a ‘404 – page not found’ message.

The point here is that despite their political alignment, the sober, sensible chaps at the Speccie wouldn’t dream of taking a position of blinkered science denial – they just want to see the most cost-effective solutions implemented (and continued fossil fuel use, of course). There’s none of that ridiculous smearing of global warming as a myth or a scam in this august publication.

In this July 2009 publication, however –

Feeling better already.

And in this December 2011 publication –

You have to be a really expert dowser to discover an entire ocean

And I’m afraid they are not isolated incidents. Taking only the top headlines, the Speccie has also graced their cover with -

Global warming meltdown - Matt Ridley on how the climate change consensus fell apart

The Ice Storm – Nicholas Lewis and Matt Ridley expose the bias and bluster behind the latest set of shaky global warming data.

Down with wind! – Matt Ridley on the end of the wind-power delusion

And my personal favourite, from the Spectator’s Australian edition –

Out of the cold – Tim Blair on why climate sceptic James Delingpole is so hot right now

Still, bygones, eh? After all, joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Naïve enthusiasts for journalistic ethics might think that an apology or explanation from the editor for this 180 degree U-turn on the most important issue facing our species would have been nice, but then some people want the moon on a stick.

And yet, and yet, despite appearances, there is a consistent, coherent thread running through all of the Speccie’s climate coverage, which remains unbroken even after this tacit admission that all of their previous climate coverage was a tissue of lies. The solution to climate change, whether it’s a hoax, a scam, or a global emergency, remains, as always, to burn more fossil fuels.

As all the deniers start to deny their denial, and hotly inform you that No-One Ever Said all the things you’re sure you remember them saying, this is the one tenet of the denial-o-sphere they will never surrender, because it’s the only one they ever really believed in.