George E. Smith (14:49:09) :

But Gaia is much more thorough than that crude method. She has a thermometer in each and every single molecule in the whole planet; and she reads them so fast it would make your head spin.

–

Of course, statistical thermodynamics says that “temperature” is not really defined for individual molecules, but rather is a property associated with large collections of atoms and molecules vibrating and (in the case of fluids) colliding with each other. But your point is well taken nonetheless… “”"

Well Frank, I don’t think the problem is with a definition of temperature; that is quite clear. But in practice, because of the chaotic nature of the intermolecular collisions, which redistribute energy among the molecules, in practice you do have a distribution of energies, and although we can study the statistics of those distributions; we cannot so easily determine the energy of any single molecule; and of couse even if we could, it would immediately change, and according to Heisenberg; even in the attempt to measure it, we would change it.

But of course Gaia does know what each one of those is, and she can correctly calculate the statistically significant summation of all of the components.

But yes it keeps her busy and maybe she is overworked; which is why we try less arudous ways to get close to her real time processing.

The foundation for today’s pollution futures market was laid by policymakers who believed that by extending property rights to environmental goods and making them sellable, new markets would be created.

Instrumental in realizing the potential of pollution futures is Richard Sandor, currently the Chairman and CEO of the Chicago Climate Exchange.

“Air and water are simply no longer the ‘free goods’ that economists once assumed,” Sandor said in a 1992 interview with the Wall Street Journal. “They must be redefined as property rights so they can be efficiently allocated.”

At a 2005 Milken Institute Conference, Sandor said, “The right to use water or air is more valuable than food, and we can use the price system to allocate that right.”

http://www.ejmagazine.com/2006a/futures.html

There’s a poll going on at the Science Museum in London asking the public whether they believe global warming is a problem or not and apparently they don’t think it is. Botanist David Bellamy went in on Wednesday to cast his own vote and got the running state of the poll at that point.

So it seems that, just like Christianity, the number of non-believers who may end up going to church to pay their tithes might be quite high….

The question which remains is: why will they be going to the church in the first place?

Tim McHenry (09:25:11) :

Could someone please tell me WHY we should believe the Chinese, if they went along with this stuff. You KNOW they are untrustworthy and would do whatever it took to get their economy ahead. Then there’s the Indians, more trustworthy, but not at all inclined to go along with our proposals. The whole thing is pointless.

Not sure what you mean by untrustworthy. The Chinese want the same standard of living as you have. They will do whatever they need to do in order to obtain it. You can hardly call them “untrustworthy” because they choose not to follow the West into la la land.

” (…) but not at all inclined to go along with our proposals.

The proposals are delusional. Why would anyone, not part of the delusion, go along. If the West wants to run around naked in the snow with a flower in it’s collective ass I’m sure the Chinese [rest of the world] will worry about our sanity and try to usher us inside but they will not join us.

I mean really. How can he possibly know this? He’s chanelling the Chinese dictatorship?

Wishful thinking. Which means it is unscientific.

The Warmers are in disarray. The only reason it’s not commonly understood that they are in disarray is because the press is also in disarray and is becoming increasingly embarrassed at the history of its own coverage on this issue. No one knows what to believe.

Why? Because the science is unsettled and will continue to be unsettled for a long time.

Stephen Brown (16:13:34) :
and
David (19:33:43)

On the migration of animals bit…

Here in Kabul, Afghanistan the swallows departed about 7 weeks earlier than last year.

And many of the Kuchis (nomadic herders) who wintered in Kabul last year, headed south about three days before our first snowfall in the mountains to the west of town (16 September). Methinks nomadic herders are more in tune with Gaia than geeks sitting in front of computers.

Last year the first snowfall visible from the city occurred on 31 October and the peaks had been snow free from the end of May. This year the last snow didn’t melt until 27 August, so we only had about 20 days without snow on the peaks vs about 150 days last year. Now the snow has worked its way down to the 3000m line…about 2.5 months earlier. It’s going to be a frigging cold winter here this year.

Not very scientific, but niether are some of the “science” reports on CAGW I have read lately. I go to Scipps (SIO) nearly every day. I always spend one hour on a bench about 80′ above the ocean. Two weeks ago (about 6 to 7 weeks early) I statrted seeing the gray whales migrating south. I was seeing about 25 an hour.

TH (11:51:07) :
The climate models predicted that Colorado ski seasons would get shorter and there would be less snow. Instead they have gotten longer with record snow. I have 18 inches out my window and it is 27 degrees. This has been the coldest October on record.

B-b-but, TH, don’t ya know we’ve ALWAYS said Colorado ski seasons and the two square feet outside YOUR window would be the exceptions in a steadily heating world…. !!!! People go skiing in Colorado, we’ve always known that. ;-)

But Gaia is much more thorough than that crude method. She has a thermometer in each and every single molecule in the whole planet; and she reads them so fast it would make your head spin.

–

Of course, statistical thermodynamics says that “temperature” is not really defined for individual molecules, but rather is a property associated with large collections of atoms and molecules vibrating and (in the case of fluids) colliding with each other. But your point is well taken nonetheless…

Whilst on the subject of animals, has anyone come across any scientific studies of their recent migratory behaviour? My own observations lead me to believe that the swallows and swifts have left England noticeably early and the hedgehogs in my garden have taken up residence in the hog-homes I have constructed and placed around my garden much earlier than hitherto in the last five years.