Excerpts:
Ever more risibly desperate become the efforts of the believers in global warming to hold the line for their religion, after the battering it was given last winter by all those scandals surrounding the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
One familiar technique they use is to attribute to global warming almost any unusual weather event anywhere in the world. Last week, for instance, it was reported that Russia has recently been experiencing its hottest temperatures and longest drought for 130 years. The head of the Russian branch of WWF, the environmental pressure group, was inevitably quick to cite this as evidence of climate change, claiming that in future “such climate abnormalities will only become more frequent”. He didn’t explain what might have caused the similar hot weather 130 years ago.
The paragraphs above are from Christopher Booker in his Telegraph column. He also cites a recent WUWT post, among others.
h/t to Richard North of EU Referendum
The photo accompanying Mr. Booker’s article on the web site (full width), captioned “Herding cattle in Chile as South America suffers one of its coldest winters for years,” is really quite impressive—looks almost like a painting:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/7908604/Desperate-days-for-the-warmists.html
/Mr Lynn
Desperate days indeed. Bishop Hill has a thread about a piece by journalist Scott Ott that disarms and discredits Mann with more courtesy and dexterity than I’ve seen anywhere. He pinpoints Mann’s Hockey Stick as the focus of the whole AGW crusade, and questions why on earth Mann would now wish to devalue its importance. Worthy of the Scarlet Pimpernel, a great read.
Booker dismisses an individual weather events as proof of ACC, which is fair enough, but then hypocritically sights an individual weather event 130 years ago as proof against ACC.
Ridiculous.
I think that Francis Bacon said it some centuries ago:
“the peculiar and perpetual error of the human understanding (is) more moved and excited by affirmatives than negatives whereas it ought duly and regularly to be impartial; nay, in establishing any true axiom, the negative instance is the more powerful” (Francis Bacon, Novum Organum, Britannia,Chicago, 1952, quoted by Tom Frame: Evolution in the Antipodes, UNSW Press 2009)
In other words, you tend to find what you want to. Note to climatologists: Good science sets out to disprove a favoured theory and only when that is impossible is the science settled.
“He didn’t explain what might have caused the similar hot weather 130 years ago.” – Err…….Anthony could I help out here…….maybe for a short period 130 yrs ago there were no clouds stopping it from raining. This is just a guess of course.
Peru just declared a national emergency as below-zero temperatures have killed over 400 citizens…. yet nothing from the warmists about that….
I find it ironic that Booker opines about warmists who cite weather extremes as evidence for global warming when he has, in prior writings, repeatedly used the argument that cold extremes in weather should cause one to question AGW. Does this man believe that readers forget what he writes, one column to the next?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/3563532/The-world-has-never-seen-such-freezing-heat.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/6924898/The-Met-Office-gives-us-the-warmist-weather.html
Ok yeah I’m a warmist and I don’t like exaggeration, but Booker is clearly being misleading.
Just read the following:
“such climate abnormalities will only become more frequent” means exactly that, nothing more and nothing less.
Booker’s claim that “The head of the Russian branch of WWF, the environmental pressure group, was inevitably quick to cite this as evidence of climate change” is quite clearly false. That is not what the guy said at all, he said that events like this will become more common in the future… not that this event is evidence of warming.
You’d have thought that Booker could at least have found a quote that backed his argument!
Mr Lynn says:
July 25, 2010 at 6:27 pm
“The photo accompanying Mr. Booker’s article on the web site (full width), captioned “Herding cattle in Chile as South America suffers one of its coldest winters for years,” is really quite impressive—looks almost like a painting:”
I mistook it for a wild west painting first! (Associating “desperate” with “Desperado” probably)
Upon reading this post I came across this ad in the middle of the discussion: “Lesbian Dating -Free Pics
Online Dating at Match.com. Browse Profiles and Pics for Free!”
Makes one wonder the lengths AGW’s will go to hot up a discussion.
;?p
REPLY: That’s a Google adword engine choice, not a person. -Anthony
Well, I don’t believe there was a similar event 130 years ago. I believe the records have only been kept for 130 years and this is the hottest recorded so far.
That having been said, with only such a short record period, these temperatures don’t really mean a lot.
a motorcade of SUVs to combat CAGW!
25 July: PIC: US President Barack Obama departs in his motorcade after cutting short an afternoon golf game during heavy rains at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Top-Stories-Photos-US-President-Barack-Obama-departs-motorcade-after-cutting-short-afternoon/ss/705/im:/100725/ids_photos_ts/r1089923769.jpg/
more ‘GW’ funds going into general revenue…
20 July: NJ Star Ledger: N.J. activists protest against ‘cap-and-trade’ law aimed at fighting global warming
The activists argue the law does nothing to combat global warming — if, they say, global warming even exists — and is merely a new tax that will kill businesses and jobs. Supporters of cap-and-trade, however, disagree…
Since the law took effect several years ago, New Jersey has generated a “Global Warming Solutions Fund” of between $46 million to $65 million a year. However, in the fiscal year that began July 1, the $65 million fund was diverted directly into the state budget as a revenue.
As a result, cap-and-trade “is nothing more than a tax hike,” said Steve Lonegan, a former Republican candidate for governor who is director of the New Jersey chapter of Americans For Prosperity advocacy group that held today’s rally…
Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel, who also opposes diverting cap-and-trade funds into the state budget, said the program is a good one that has created 20,000 clean-energy jobs.
“The fossil fools were at it again,” Tittel said. “Not only do they deny global warming is real, but they deny New Jersey residents a chance for green energy and clean jobs. This group is full of hot air. Climate change is real.”…
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/07/nj_activists_hold_rally_in_mor.html
Andrew W says:
July 25, 2010 at 6:31 pm
“Booker dismisses an individual weather events as proof of ACC, which is fair enough, but then hypocritically sights an individual weather event 130 years ago as proof against ACC.”
Let me explain in very simple words:
He argues that a WWF spokesperson cites a weather event as evidence for AGW; and shows that the logic of the WWF spokesperson is faulty because the exact same weather event occured 130 years ago.
It cannot be evidence for AGW when it has occured in the same form before CO2 concentrations started to rise.
Can you follow me?
I can also explain the meaning of the word “hypocritically” to you in really simple terms if you don’t understand it.
Nice try Mattb, but:
“Mr. Kokorin believes that the only way to improve the situation is to weaken human impact on climate, boost economic energy efficiency and reduce environmentally unfriendly emissions”
If that isn’t attributing the problem to “climate change”, what is?
Anthony – I was about to flag this article to you, but was beaten to it, obviously.
You are too modest not quoting the accolade to WUWT, so I will do it for you:
“In America, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been trumpeting that, according to its much-quoted worldwide temperature data, the first six months of this year were the hottest ever recorded. But expert analysis on Watts Up With That, the US science blog, shows that NOAA’s claimed warming appears to be strangely concentrated in those parts of the world where it has fewest weather stations. In Greenland, for instance, two of the hottest spots, showing a startling five-degree rise in temperatures, have no weather stations at all.”
At least this shows one journalist is (probably) one of your regular readers.
Christchurch, New Zealand
The head of the Russian branch of WWF, the environmental pressure group, was inevitably quick to cite this as evidence of climate change, claiming that in future “such climate abnormalities will only become more frequent”.
If this head of WWF is worried about “abnormalities,” I think the first place for him to look is at the attentional mechanisms in an already alarmist press.
Next, he may look at the “abnormalities” of surfacestation temperature gathering quality.
One further “abnormality” is the flow of funds from huge unelected, unaccountable gov’t bureaus (DOE) to the climate scientists, resulting in profoundly detrimental and invasive policy decisions.
I am sure we can get rid of a few abnormalities in ’12.
So just when did the Russian temps begin for that area?
Gee, seems this report has stirred up a “warmist” swarm. Pity their logic is ruled by passion rather than science. Back to the mirror each morning and repeat the mantra, its hot, hotter, warmer, melting, catastrophic, the sky is falling (again) (send money?).
Normal or post normal?
crosspatch says:
July 25, 2010 at 7:26 pm
“Well, I don’t believe there was a similar event 130 years ago. I believe the records have only been kept for 130 years and this is the hottest recorded so far.”
You see, before the October Revolution there was already a civilisation in Russia.
Some people seem to have records that go back to 1780.
http://chiefio.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/russiaeu.png
from
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/ukraine-stability-and-reliability/
Any more silly misunderstandings and willlfull ignorance?
Actually warmist Post normal, thick as a plank!!
Hey DirkH, chill out. Having a go at a long term regular here, like crosspatch, will do you no favors, indeed, many of us like to argue both sides to get to the truth, but we can all do without your internet hardman act. Be civil, fella.
Here’s the deal.
When it is very warm, man-made climate change causes more extremely warm days.
When it is very cold, man-made climate change causes more extremely cold days.
When it is very dry, man-made climate change causes more drought days.
When it is very wet, man-made climate change causes more flood days.
At all other times, man-made climate change causes more AVERAGE days.
Got it?
Robert Morris says:
July 25, 2010 at 7:51 pm
“Hey DirkH, chill out. Having a go at a long term regular here, like crosspatch, will do you no favors, indeed, many of us like to argue both sides to get to the truth, but we can all do without your internet hardman act. Be civil, fella.”
Sorry. Sometimes i forget that 130 years seems like a long time for Americans.
“Some people seem to have records that go back to 1780”
So it’s the hottest in 230 years?
DirkH says:
July 25, 2010 at 7:59 pm
“Sorry. Sometimes i forget that 130 years seems like a long time for Americans.”
lol, hey! Just some Americans!