* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"In the middle of a recession, when people are struggling to pay their bills, why is the government contemplating sending millions of pounds to the developing world to tackle climate change? Isn't that a hoax anyway?"
That's the view of some people I've spoken to recently, following fierce criticism of an array of climate change scientists and scientific bodies.
The public's loss of faith in the science underpinning the need for drastic action to tackle climate change is understandable. They have been subjected to a barrage of controversies.
First, there were those leaked emails from a leading climate research unit that appeared to suggest that data had been manipulated to emphasise the role of human actions in causing climate change. Then there were the revelations that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had exaggerated the rate at which Himalayan glaciers were melting.
The hurdle faced by NGOs this year is to try to show that these rising concerns are unfounded and to help ensure that a flurry of allegations don't undermine the IPCC-led process based on the work of the world's leading climate scientists.
Sceptics claim that these scientists have a vested interest in maintaining that climate change is real because they need to maintain the grants that they receive from governments and concerned individuals to continue their research.
But the scientific consensus around man-made climate change has been established over many years, and most of the scientists that work for the IPCC do so as unpaid volunteers. On the other hand, it has also been widely reported that a number of sceptics have links to fossil fuel industries.
With regard to the leaked emails, there is a UK parliamentary inquiry taking place. In its submission to the inquiry, the University of East Anglia has denied all accusations that its researchers manipulated or selected figures to exaggerate climate change.
And the glaciers? The IPCC reported that 80 percent of the Himalayan glacier area could disappear as soon as 2035. It turned out that this prediction was inaccurate and didn't match overall projections on future glacial decline. They have subsequently removed the projection, which had been derived from one unreliable outside source.
The error was the result of an oversight, rather than any deliberate attempt to deceive, IPCC officials say. The reality is that the glaciers are melting, but not at the rate of the retreat that was indicated.
It is too easy an option to dismiss runaway climate change as a hoax and choose to bury our heads in the sand because of the wrongful claims of a handful of very vocal people.
The IPCC have examined the accusations made by climate sceptics of errors in its reports and found them to be either without foundation, or a result of human error and easily corrected. An independent group of top scientists will now review how the panel operates and recommend any changes necessary to the process.
This is a major step towards restoring public confidence in the science. It should refocus energies on securing a climate deal that protects poor countries hit hardest by climate change and lay to rest false claims of climate sceptics.
We have little time left to curb dangerous emissions, and the voices of sceptics are a distraction that delays us from embracing the opportunities that changing to a low-carbon lifestyle can bring. In the midst of a recession, we in the West can benefit economically by reducing our emissions and leading a greener lifestyle. If we get this right, we can also build a fairer and more prosperous world for everyone.
Esther Williams is an environmental press officer for aid agency Tearfund.
