Nick, our scientists can't tell you what the weather is going to do next week so how on earth do you think they can accurately predict long term climate change from short-term data.
The scientific community is very good at jumping on bandwagons because that's where the funding for their research comes from.
As for the 'little ignorant political spin, properly laid, can confuse people' - how are you so sure that you are not the victim of exactly that crime?