Photo: EPFL
Security agents were much in evidence as EPFL President Patrick Aebischer welcomes Al Gore to Lausanne.
Reporters take exception to a media blackout of the ceremony in the Vaud capital that confers an honorary degree on the Nobel prize winner.
Al Gore received an honorary doctorate from the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Tuesday but, like the greenhouse gases he is famous for combating, he was invisible to the media. Reporters were shut out of the ceremony where the Nobel Peace Prize winner accepted his degree, which honors the former US vice-president’s efforts to publicize the climate change issue. A select few journalists were invited to attend the affair on the condition they did not report on what was said and did not film the event or take photographs – an edict that went down like a lead balloon with local news organizations.
Thierry Meyer, editor-in-chief of the Lausanne-based 24 Heures newspaper, wrote a commentary piece today decrying the secrecy. Meyer said readers should have the right to an account of the exchange between Gore and the students come to hear him speak – and not just carefully selected extracts selected for a press release. The irony of the situation is that Gore has become a media guru and communicator, famous for his role as narrator in the documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth. In this case, his message at EPFL got lost in the hub hub over the media blackout, apparently ordered by Gore’s staff.
http://www.24heures.ch/pages/home/tribune_de_geneve/english_corner/news/news_detail/(contenu)/217031
It will be just a matter of time before the media is really getting annoyed and will mistrust the attitude and message of Al Gore and his proponents and will try togive lead time to others who have a more balanced point of view on AGW and measures to avoid dangerous tipping points (if any).
Doesn’t he get 10 years of Secret Service coverage (10 years since 2000)?
I am originally from Switzerland, where I studied chemistry in the late sixties at U of Bern, not far from Lausanne. While some of us were ardent environmental activists of the first wave, we were also on the fringe of the important Solar Wind experiments by Prof Johannes Geiss, who collaborated with Apollo Missions. This contributed to learning about the larger picture (as did the ever-present ghost of erst-while patent office clerk Albert Einstein). Wonder what Dr. Geiss thinks about Gore’s “the debate is over” dictum.
Direct democracy and freedom of the press were and are big issues in my home country – I will follow the Gore coverage and will report back.
ulrich lobsiger
Let’s face it: for Al, and many of his followers, this is not about climate; this is about politics. That’s what makes this issue so hard to fight against when one is using just the science. I’m convinced the real goal of Gore et al, is to use the climate issue as a means of more govt. control; i.e. leftist socialism. Controlling the information stream is just one of the ways such people exert their attempts at power manipulation. This may backfire on Gore, but look at the success the AGW’s have had in controling the message the public gets. Just listening to Kristen’s friend in the previous post shows how good they are at what they are doing. It really has little to do with science, and more to do with power grabbing.
I wonder if Big Al went flew over on the airlines or the likes of a Gulfstream GV. Does his staff get to ride along if he goes by private aircraft or does he banish them to airline coach class?
In order to maintain himself as the Guru of Goobledegook, Al “I’ll never let the facts get in my way” Gore cannot risk anyone reporting on anything he actually says.
The last paragraph of the linked news article may explain why he received the honorary doctorate.
Or am I too cynical?
I noticed that the latest National Climatic Data Center monthly report is out for March 2008. The month was the 2nd warmest March on record.
GISS and HADCRUT made major adjustments to their data according to your site. How big an effect does that have on this report?
Thank you for providing such an informative site.
The “debate is over” assertion is about as unscientific as it can get.
Truly he’s hiding much more than just himself.
About it being “the second warmest” March ever, the RSS figures for the US on the other hand makes it the sixth coldest March in the last 30 years. It is obvious that the ground and satellite measurements are now completely unreconcilable.
In northern Europe where I live the first half of March was very warm and the second half very cold, meaning that statistically it was about average!
It appears that the media guru Dr Gore may just be on the verge of becoming non-published. The irony that the former Vice President of the nation with almost total freedom of the press will only allow the press to use what he wishes to force feed them. One day they will regurgitate all over him. The liberal media is only liberal if they are allowed to pick the liberal quotes themselves. Mr. Gore will be in real trouble the day that the press starts some real investigative reporting. The question is will He answer the questions or will he try to remain invisible.
If the cooling indicators stay as they are I am afraid that Mr Gore will have many explanations to give along with many of his advisers.
Bill Derryberry
D. Quist:
“I noticed that the latest National Climatic Data Center monthly report is out for March 2008. The month was the 2nd warmest March on record.”
URLs would be appreciated. I found the link for February, I was able to derive March: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2008/mar/mar08.html
That’s 2nd warmest for the world, due laregely to the swatch of heat around the cold area in China. For the US, we were “the 63rd warmest March on record,” I think in a 91 year record. Maybe the world was the 89th coldest ever?
Text before the links to the details:
Major Highlights
NOAA: 2nd Warmest March on Record for Globe
Global Land Surface Temperature Warmest on Record
The average global temperature (land and ocean surface combined) for last month was the 2nd warmest on record for March, while the average temperature for the contiguous U.S. was near average (ranking the 63rd warmest), according to an analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
U.S. Temperature Highlights
In the contiguous United States, the average temperature for March was 42°F, which was 0.4°F below the 20th century mean, ranking it as the 63rd warmest March on record, based on preliminary data.
Only Rhode Island, New Mexico and Arizona were warmer than average, while near-average temperatures occurred in 39 other states. The monthly temperature for Alaska was the 17th warmest in the 1918-2008 record, with an average temperature 3.8°F above the 1971-2000 mean.
The broad area of near-average temperatures kept the nation’s overall temperature-related residential energy demand for March near average, based on NOAA’s Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index.
U.S. Precipitation Highlights
Nine states from Oklahoma to Vermont were much wetter than average, with Missouri experiencing its second wettest March on record. Much of the month’s precipitation fell March 17-20, when an intense storm system moved slowly from the southern Plains through the southern Midwest.
Rainfall amounts in a 48-hour period totaled 13.84 inches in Cape Girardeau, Mo., and 12.32 inches in Jackson, Mo. The heavy rainfall combined with previously saturated ground resulted in widespread major flooding of rivers and streams from the Missouri Ozarks eastward into southern Indiana.
From March 7-9, eight to 12 inches of snow fell from Louisville, Ky., to central Ohio. In Columbus, an all-time greatest 24-hour snowfall of 15.5 inches broke the old record of 12.3 inches set on April 4, 1987.
In the Southeast, a powerful tornado moved through downtown Atlanta on March 14, causing significant damage to many buildings. This was one of 90 tornado reports from the Southeast in March, accounting for 61 percent of all of the reported March tornadoes in the nation.
Rainfall in the middle of March improved drought conditions in much of the Southeast, but moderate-to-extreme drought remained in more than 59 percent of the region.
In the western U.S., the weather pattern in March bore a greater resemblance to a typical La Niña, with especially dry conditions across Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. March was extremely dry in much of California, tying as the driest in 68 years at the Sacramento airport with 0.05 inches, a 2.75 inch departure from average.
Snowpack conditions dropped in many parts of the West in March, but in general, heavy snowfall during December-February has left the western snow pack among the healthiest in more than a decade, with most locations near to above average.
Global Highlights
The global surface (land and ocean surface) temperature was the 2nd warmest on record for March in the 129-year record, 1.28° F (0.71° C) above the 20th century mean of 54.9° F (12.7° C). The warmest March on record (+1.33° F/0.74° C) occurred in 2002.
The global land surface temperature was the warmest on record for March, 3.3° F (1.8° C) above the 20th century mean of 40.8° F (5.0° C). Temperatures more than 8° F above average covered much of the Asian continent. Two months after the greatest January snow cover extent on record on the Eurasian continent, the unusually warm temperatures led to rapid snow melt, and March snow cover extent on the Eurasian continent was the lowest on record.
Although the ocean surface average was only the 13th warmest on record, as the cooling influence of La Niña in the tropical Pacific continued, much warmer than average conditions across large parts of Eurasia helped push the global average to a near record high for March.
Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was the fourth lowest on record for March, remaining consistent with boreal spring conditions of the past two decades, in which warming temperatures have contributed to anomalously low snow cover extent.
Some weakening of La Niña, the cold phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, occurred in March, but moderate La Niña conditions remained across the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Counter indicators.
How do you know when you are really on to something?
When gavin personally hacks up your comment.
Let’s be serious for a moment.
If you were millions of dollars into a program that was eaning^Wcollecting millions more, and you were about to go into a meeting and say a lot of things that you knew to be nonsense and worse, and you had the wherewithal to exclude possibly hostile reporters, what you do?
Why do you think the Founding Fathers thought the freedoms of expression were so important?
it’s the same approacha s the Scientologists. If you want the WORD, you must pay. No freebies from teh Goracle.
NOAA joins the GISS crowd. Anyway… a comment from Anthony if possible, UHI would reach a limit so would it be correct to assume that surface temps can ONLY stay roughly flat or decrease from current status (although most artificial rises to date.
REPLY: UHI “could” reach a limit, but remember, for every UHI saturated location (big city with flat or maxed growth) there’s dozens of little towns that are growing worldwide that have NOAA, BoM, etc thermometers in them.
Mike M said: “Let’s face it: for Al, and many of his followers, this is not about climate; this is about politics. ”
If it’s about politics, I believe that’s far down on the scale.
It seems to me it’s more about money and power. The UN loves it because they might be able to fund themselves beyond their wildest dreams and gain worldwide power to boot; the EU loves it because it’s a source of income to pay for all the unfunded pension cost their member state have due NOW; the media loves it because they can sell their rags; the politicians love it because they can raise taxes which will help their cash flow from political contributions; the envirowhackos love it because they can reap tons of money for “research and mitigation (bush reportedly funded the greenies to the tune of $50 BILLION during his term in office); other parasites such as GE and ADM love it because the public is FORCED to buy their products; and the list goes on an on.
If there ever was a “Perfect Storm” of parasites, this is it!
Jack Koenig, Editor
The Mysterious Climate project
http://www.climateclinic.com
Scientologist/Climatologist; the only difference I see is that L. Ron wrote his own book and Gore had Spencer Weart write his.
I suspect that Gore simply has nothing new to say, and doesn’t want this to be exposed when he can get $100,000 or more for a speech.
Look at the scientific centrepieces of AIT – hurricanes, the hockey stick, and the Ice Age “correlation” between CO2 and temperature. Does he still talk about them? If he doesn’t, what does he talk about?
I promised more on the reaction of the Swiss media to Gore’s secrecy. For practical reasons, this is limited to a brief analysis of today’s report in NZZ – Neue Zuercher Zeitung – the leading “classical liberal” (meaning business-friendly) daily in the German-speaking part.
A fairly detailed report of 540 words describes the fact that Al Gore received the honorary doctorate during a “Day of Research” at ETH Lausanne (federal technical university in French part, affiliated with larger ETH Zuerich) in the presence of Swiss President Pascal Couchepin. It was emphasized that Gore did not collect his usual fee, but the exclusion of the press was noted in slightly sarcastic tones. Interestingly, it was confirmed that Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Cie, the Private Bank from Geneva that will support the new chair for sustainable development, works closely with Gore’s new “Generation Investment Management”.
So, a straight-forward business deal with tax advantages all around.
However, NZZ notes that the prospective holder of the chair will be independent – there is hope!
A few comments:
1. Maybe we should all agree with Al Gore: not have any press there ANYWHERE he speaks. Then he can include the professors and students in his “I’m not speaking to you” list.
2. “The average global temperature (land and ocean surface combined) for last month was the 2nd warmest on record for March, while the average temperature for the contiguous U.S. was near average (ranking the 63rd warmest).”
So the U.S., which has been ignored because it’s only “2%” of the earth’s surface, has a “normal” temp, yet the ROW was second warmest. They can’t blame the U.S. for this, can they?
If I, perchance, had invented the internet, I would be somewhat irritated if it then turned about and bit me…
Wow, so the lessons we learn here are:
1) With no technical or scientific training, you can become a Nobel Laureate
2) You can become a Doctor with only one day of research
3) You can win an oscar for a “documentary”
4) You can whine about losing the presidency
5) You can scare the pants off the world
6) You can live a life of luxury while insisting other people give up their luxuries.
7) Make millions from a phantom menace.
Thanks for the link. As a Swiss, I find it particularly funny, how Al Gore in his Hybride Limousine was contrasted by our Minister Pascal Couchepin who arrived with a Super Puma Helicopter, then delivered an anti Wind power and pro nuclear power speech to “honor” Al Gore during the Award ceremony.
Did anyone else notice Mitt Romney’s ten reasons for dropping out of the presidential race. One of my fave’s:
No. 5: I’d rather get fat, grow a beard, and try for the Nobel prize.
Can I quote here the late, great Bertrand Russell? In a different context, but still I believe on topic:
“There is perhaps a special danger in democratic abuses of power, namely that being collective they are stimulated by mob hysteria. The man who has the art of arousing the witch-hunting instincts of the mob has a quite peculiar power for evil in a democracy where the habit of the exercise of power by the majority has produced that intoxication and impulse to tyranny which the exercise of authority almost invariably produces sooner or later.” (Freedom and the Colleges, 1940).
The Aqua satellite put into orbit in 2002 by NASA was meant to back up the warming theory as it could measure not just temp but water vapour and cloud formations.
It was expected to validate the IPCC computer models and show CO2 causing more water vapour and hotspots in the Troposphere (and Cirrus clouds?… to keep the heat in).
Unfortunately for the “Warmers” it showed the water vapour built up at lower levels thus increasing the thickness of the low clouds that evidently bounce radiation back to space and COOL the planet.
Can;t sleep for laughing…no wonder Gore is avoiding questioning…he must know the game is up.
Let us hope the media soon cotton on.