Note – this will be pinned as a top post for a few days. Other posts will appear below this one.
UPDATE: Josh weighs in with a Friday Funny.
UPDATE2: McKibben has a Forrest Gump moment with his latest propaganda video
I’m doing something I’ve never done before, I’m asking every reader of WUWT to write a letter to the editor this weekend. I don’t take this step lightly, but given what I’ve observed the last few days, I think it is time to stir the power of our collective WUWT community for the common good.
Readers may recall the debunkings I regularly put forth any time paid activists like Bill McKibben, Joe Romm, David Suzuki, or Brad Johnson (and others) try to make claims that human induced climate change is making our daily weather “more extreme”. You know and I know that this is “garbage science” (even worse than “junk science”) because it is an attempt to twist science to strike fear over climate into the hearts of the average citizen. It is an act of desperation, rooted in the fact that the modeled warming scenarios described by the scientist activist high priest of the global warming movement Dr. James Hansen, just have not come to pass. Climate feedbacks don’t seem to be strong, climate sensitivity doesn’t seem to be high, there’s been no statistically significant warming in the last decade, and thus the only thing left is to blame bouts of normally occurring severe weather on climate change. The level of thinking sophistication here isn’t much different from blaming witches for bad weather in medieval times, but the sophistication of telegraphing this message to the weak-minded is far more sophisticated than in those days.
And, yesterday, we saw a message similar to calls made during those dark times “she’s a witch, BURN her!” in Steve Zwick’s rant on Forbes.com where he says:
We know who the active denialists are – not the people who buy the lies, mind you, but the people who create the lies. Let’s start keeping track of them now, and when the famines come, let’s make them pay. Let’s let their houses burn. … They broke the climate. Why should the rest of us have to pay for it?
The level of delusional fail here is off the scale. If this were an isolated incident, we could simply laugh it off as the hateful rantings of a person afflicted with climate derangement syndrome. But there’s more.
Yesterday, it entered my children’s school (see below), and this week, we saw a survey on “extreme weather” conducted by Yale, use a phrase in the press release that is straight out of a propagandist organization, Bill McKibben’s 350.org. The heat is on to make climate all about the weather for propaganda purposes, and there’s no data to support it. It is a lie of global proportions. We need to step up. Here’s what I found in my children’s school yesterday:
At my children’s school yesterday, they had a book fair. In that book fair was this display from the publisher of a new book INsiders – Extreme Weather.
Of course you know what book I picked up to look at first, and it took me all of about 15 seconds to find this (I highlighted the relevant part digitally):
“Some scientists”? I think the author really meant “some activists”.
To be fair, there are some very good sections of the book well rooted in science, for example this one on lightning:
I know the author, H. Michael Mogil, who is well rooted in science, and who is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist. I can’t imagine him fully signing off on the climate=severe weather idea as McKibben et al put it. But, I think there was pressure from publishers to include the section on climate linkage, and I think he hedged his statement as best he could. My point is that is it beginning to pervade children’s books.
Also this week we had this poll released from Yale University, which got a ton of press thanks to it being carried in the Associated Press. It even made my own local newspaper.
The poll itself is a logical fallacy, with sloppy questions like this one:
I give it a thorough debunking here with a strong emphasis on the reporting bias introduced by our technologically saturated society. Anyone with a cellphone can report severe weather now and within minutes it can be known worldwide.
Here’s a quote from the lead author that was carried in news stories, bold mine:
“Most people in the country are looking at everything that’s happened; it just seems to be one disaster after another after another,” said Anthony A. Leiserowitz of Yale University, one of the researchers who commissioned the new poll. “People are starting to connect the dots.”
At the time, I didn’t note the significance of the “connect the dots” meme, but one of our sharp WUWT readers pointed out that this is the new catchphrase of Bill McKibben’s 350.org movement.
In tips and notes this morning, Nick Ryan confirmed this for me with this letter from McKibben he posted.
Subject: Good news.
From: organizers@350.org
To: nick_ryan@xxxx.xxx
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:57:30 +0000
Dear friends,
Good news this time.
At some point every one of us at 350 has thought to ourselves a little despairingly: is the world ever going to catch on to climate change? Today is one of those days when it feels like it just might happen.
A story on the front page of yesterday’s New York Times described a new poll — Americans in record numbers are understanding that the planet is warming because they’re seeing the “freaky” weather that comes with climate change.
And the story ends by describing the next step in this process: May 5, the giant Connect the Dots day that people are joining all around the globe: http://www.ClimateDots.org
When the zeitgeist conspires to help our efforts, we need to make the most of it. Two weeks is plenty of time to organize a beautiful photo for May 5, one that will help spread this idea. Are you in a place where flood and rain have caused havoc? Ten people with umbrellas can make a memorable “climate dot” for all the world to see. You’ll think of something appropriate for your place — and you can find lots of examples and ideas here.
This movement is growing quickly, and with not a moment to spare — new data from scientists like Jim Hansen at NASA shows that our carbon emissions have already made extreme weather many times more likely. We can’t take back the carbon we’ve already poured into the atmosphere, but if we work together hard and fast then we can keep it from getting steadily worse.
Earth Day is coming up this weekend, and there will be thousands of events across the US. Each one of them is a great place to spread the word about the big day of action on 5/5. When you’re on the front page of the Times it’s a sign that the message is starting to get through — but only one American in 300 reads that newspaper. Now it’s up to all of us to make sure that everyone around the world gets the message, and Connect the Dots day on 5/5 is our best chance to do that. Please join us.
Onwards,
Bill McKibben for 350.org
P.S. It is key to remember that these photos from May 5 are not just for their effect on that day. We need a bank of images showing the human face of global warming — pictures we’ll use for the hard and direct political work of the next few years. If people don’t know there’s a problem, they won’t try to solve it. So let’s show them on 5/5. Here’s a heartbreaking example, from some local activists in Texas:
Climate Activists in Texas
Clearly, due to the timing and the reference he made to “People are starting to connect the dots.”, the poll conducted by Anthony A. Leiserowitz of Yale University is just a tool that is connected to this 350.org “climatedots.org” campaign, it isn’t science, it is blatant advocacy disguised as science of the brand Dr. James Hansen practices.
So looking at what is going in total this week, I think it is time for us to exercise our own rights to free speech, and thus I’m asking WUWT readers to write letters to the editor to your local newspapers and magazines to counter what will surely be a blitz of advocacy in the coming days.
This tactic is used by these NGO’s so there is nothing wrong with it. It is free speech in the finest American tradition. There is one hitch though, and that’s the newspaper editors back-channel.
You see, one of the perks of being a journalist in the TV and radio news business is that I’m privy to how things work. In print media, editors have established a back-channel to alert each other of potential letter writing campaigns, such as those form letters like we see from “Forecast the Facts”.
The key is to make this your own letter, in your own words. While I can suggest topics, the letters need to be written in your own words for them to be accepted.
You can start here with this essay, and draw from it.
Warren Meyer made some excellent points yesterday in his Zwick rebuttal at Forbes:
A Vivid Reminder of How The Climate Debate is Broken
I really liked this part, which speaks to reporting bias (like we have with severe weather):
In the summer of 2001, a little boy in Mississippi lost an arm in a shark attack. The media went absolutely crazy. For weeks and months they highlighted every shark attack on the evening news. They ran aerial footage of sharks in the water near beaches. They coined the term “Summer of the Shark.” According to Wikipedia, shark attacks were the number three story, in terms of network news time dedicated, of the summer.
Bombarded by such coverage, most Americans responded to polls by saying they were concerned about the uptick in shark attacks. In fact, there were actually about 10% fewer shark attacks in 2001 than in 2000. Our perceptions were severely biased by the coverage.
How to write a letter:
1. Go to your local newspaper website, locate the guidelines for letters to the editor. Typical letter policies limit letters to 200-250 words.
2. Do your research, craft your letter carefully. Cite facts, cite statistics such as I offer on WUWT. Use your own words, don’t quote me, though quoting people like Professor Grady Dixon “…it would be a mistake to blame climate change for a seeming increase in tornadoes” is fine.
3. [added] Readers are submitting content ideas in comments, have a look at those. Fr example Steve E. writes: Dr. Roger Pielke Jr’s posting on the IPCC SREX Report, “A Handy Bullshit Button on Disasters and Climate Change” here: http://rogerpielkejr.blogspot.ca/2012/03/handy-bullshit-button-on-disasters-and.html is also a good source for letter content.
4. Send it, being mindful of length and guidelines.
Thank you for your consideration. – Anthony
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Is this the science? Extreme weather events are caused by the Earth trying to balance it’s energy budget. Global warming will warm the poles more than the equator, (polar amplification) this means that the temperature gradient between the poles and the equator will drop. Shouldn’t this mean LESS extreme weather events caused by warming, not more?
Minor note in second paragraph – “Suzuki”
REPLY: Fixed, thx, A
Letter writers may want to mention that Global Sea Ice extent is above average and Arctic Sea Ice extent is about average.
Im UK based and dont think this is targeted our way. However If 350.org gain any traction in local media over here ill be first to know (I work in the media), to write and to report back!
It would be a good idea, Anthony, if you collected all the various messages and letters written as follow up to this effort of yours, for later analysis about what your readers have chosen to highlight, how they did it and how ‘mainstream’ their views are (considering the fact that the IPCC itself recently stated nobody can tell if the climate is getting more extreme…so your view and mine on the topic are mainstream, whilst McKibben et al are the certified anti-science campaigners).
For example you could provide a site or email address where people could send the text of their letters.
To be honest I think that ignoring the “Connect the Dots” campaign would be far more effective. Also yawning and stretching.
I think comparing Bill McKibben with Rev Harold Camping would be the way to go – and how did people deal with Camping? By ignoring him and getting on with life.
REPLY: if it were just McKibben, I’d agree, but they have major press with this AP story on the poll, and it will be cited incessantly as “proof” Many people aren’t savvy enough to know they are being hyped by this in an organized way. That’s where we can help. – Anthony
It chimes in with what the BBC are doing over here. ‘Climate Weirding’ is the new ‘Global Warming/Climate Change/Climate Disruption’. They’ve realised that it isn’t going to warm and so pointing in alarm at the weather (which will always oblige by being contrary) is the plan.
I’m interested in how these memes spread though. I’d love to see the back channel comms between the BBC and the activist community. But we never will unless someone hacks them or has a Damascene conversion, I suppose.
All this is to build a wave of public opinion to crest June 20-22, 2012 at Rio+20.
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.html – “The Future We Want”
A theme to consider in your letters is to describe the Future YOU want.
“Connect the dots” == “Global Climate ‘Summer of the Shark'” — sigh.
RE: Elbapo
“Im UK based and dont think this is targeted our way”
Er…I have a high school age son here in the UK. His science work course books are all about examples on the environment, pollution, climate change, dangers of alcohol, speed cameras, not eating fast food etc etc. His geography work course books are all about…environment, pollution, climate change, dangers of alcohol, speed cameras, not eating fast food etc etc. His french work course books are all about…environment, pollution, climate change, dangers of alcohol, speed cameras, not eating fast food etc etc – except in French! As my son said to me the other day, whilst I was going through his French homework on pollution in North Africa “wouldn’t it be nice to actually learn useful conversational French rather than how to carry on a global warming argument (from the side of the activists) in French”
Every subject now taught in UK high schools uses the same politically motivated and propoganda-based examples regardless of the subject. Its appalling.
It’s human nature. Here in Germany, before they started being concerned about warming, they were concerned about the Waldsterben, the acid rain induced dying of the forests. After that scare disappeared, instead of starting to enjoy life, they hopped on the next catastrophy bandwagon. The same people.
I think it’s to do with the thinking skills. They’re somehow miswired. Nothing makes my day like meeting one of them in a pub and listening to him.
Once I listened to 4 elderly women seated next to me in a German high speed train complaining to each other about their electrosensitivity. They were lively and not in pains, even though they were sitting under the strong electromagnetic field produced by, I think 6,000 V AC, transmitted through wires with no countering field adjacent, so that’s a huge field strength compared to the tiny field emanating from the usual 220 V cables in a house.
I didn’t want to interrupt their discussion, they obviously enjoyed complaining about this imaginary problem, so I didn’t tell them.
Stephen Rasey says:
April 20, 2012 at 8:57 am
“A theme to consider in your letters is to describe the Future YOU want.”
I’d like one with LENR-based energy production. Here are (enormously detailed) slides from the Larsen in Widom-Larsen theory:
http://www.slideshare.net/lewisglarsen/lattice-energy-llcnickelseed-lenr-networksapril-20-2011
I do not think that one can stop these activists appealing to reason. It is their only left option to go now, so they will go on and on in their twisted mind with “their science” and “their new modeled truth” . How easy would have been in the dark ages to appeal to peoples rationality to leave “the witches” alone if the priests would say they are guilty?
Read the sea level story from beggining to end – google translate is great – I haven’t found an english site that tells the whole story so concise and clear:
http://www.science-skeptical.de/blog/was-nicht-passt-wird-passend-gemacht-esa-korigiert-daten-zum-meeresspiegel/007386/
It is not only envisat, or Jason 2 or Jason 1, from decades it is only a story of unclarified adjustments up to paint the catastrophe.
What is important is to keep an eye on all the data keepers and not let them go with any unjustified adjustment – the ones who try this. Any unjustified adjustment should be highlighted red and blinking.
I am not so afraid for the children becoming brainwashed. When I look at the former communist countries and think how most of the people from those countries think about communists and their brainwashing…
What is important is to have a voice of reason that is being heard, and help the people make an educated choice. Keep on the good work WUWT team!
It’s called indoctrination and schools at all levels do it as a matter of course. Writing a letter to the editor of the local newspaper will be meaningless around here. They’re in bed with the AGW crowd.
Maybe leaning on the local school boards will do some good. Certainly, most of the school superintendents, armed with their Ed.D. degrees, are also in the AGW camp. One or two school superintendents around here have quit when school boards actually acted like a board of directors.
elbapo says:
April 20, 2012 at 8:37 am
Im UK based and dont think this is targeted our way. However If 350.org gain any traction in local media over here ill be first to know (I work in the media), to write and to report back!
Ditto for me! However, I never let a chance slip to irritate the BBC when they pump out garbage. So much so that for almost a year now the BBC 1, 7pm weekly magazine programme, The One Show, has stopped Lucie Siegel spouting her unchecked rants on Global Warming, at least for that period, getting her to do other stuff for which her left-leaning Guardian Journo style is more sutied. The numbe of times she interjected in one programme about how the IPCC had “proved” this or that! I also complain fiercely when nuclear power is subjected to its usual tirade of ignorance & missinformation & untruths! Shale gas will be the next one, mark my words, with the No Fracking UK campaign being pushed to the fore in due course! Good luck everyone I hope it works. Thankfully there are some science teachers in the UK who actually think about what they are forced to teach, & my friend Karen is one such!
Here in the Province of Alberta we have an election on 23 April. Along with this comes the usual muckraking, and the Calgary Herald newspaper published an opinion piece entitled “Dani the Denier” on candidate Danielle Smith, for her glib remarks about the science not being settled. The Herald is behind the incumbent provincial premier, so the dice are loaded. What ensues is the usual parroting of the climate meme, including the incredible remark that the Canadian government accepts the science as true, despite having publically drubbed the Kyoto Protocol. I’m working on a (probably unpublishable) letter to the editor…it still catches me off guard to see how sloppy some reporting can be when an agenda is the root.
http://blogs.calgaryherald.com/2012/04/17/scientists-respond-to-dani-the-denier/
I don’t want to alarm you, but a number of global warming computer models predicted you would write this article.
(heh)
Well done Anthony, lets send the Climate liars a message they need to hear.
“if we work together hard and fast”
I trust Bill McKibben has sold his car, turned off his central heating and purchased some bicycle clips (or lycra shorts)…
I dunno. Writing letters seems a bit tame compared to the long list of suggested “grassroots actions” suggested by McKibben in his call for disciples to “get angry” with “local media and politicians for failing to connect the dots in their coverage of “natural disasters.”
“Impacted Materials: Let the medium be the message. Form “dots” in public places out of materials that speak to the story of a local impact. Bring snow from a receding glacier to a public space and let it melt, form a mandala in your town square from crops that have died, draw a huge black dot in front of a politician’s office using the charcoal from a forest fire or bring the dry earth from a drought inside to form a dot in a shopping center or politicians office.”
Much easier to connect the dots between global warming and green/red authoritarianism.
It’s a solid line.
And growing ever bolder.
– BRING IT ON : it’s good that this is brought into schools, it provides excellent material for TEACHING kids about CRITICAL THINKING. Yes sure they go through a stage of believing it all, but later on they come across evidence that the truth on a certain aspect is quite different and start to think “hey why, did these people want me to believe something false ? Why is someone trying to indoctrinate me” And then they’ll be sure to start questioning other aspects & realise they shouldn’t be taking things at FACE VALUE. So when the next time CLIMATE SCARE PORN comes on TV they say “is that true ? why does some one want me to see only half the story ?”
– Sure the kids will start to “CONNECT THE DOTS” and that’s a good thing…the green activist PR teams don’t realise they are shooting themselves in the foot.
Global warming, happened.
Climate change, always happens.
Severe weather, always happens.
Global cooling, happening.
==============
Who is paying for these web sites? That’s just a scary amount of money being spent to push an idea without showing the science to back it. Saying on the video that warm air holds more water which leads to floods and that warmer air also leads to drought conditions – both at the same time! Astounding logical breaks.
“Show me the science”…perhaps that should be our catch phrase. After all – Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof – the creed the true skeptic stands behind.
Dr. Roger Pielke Jr’s posting on the IPCC SREX Report, “A Handy Bullshit Button on Disasters and Climate Change” here: http://rogerpielkejr.blogspot.ca/2012/03/handy-bullshit-button-on-disasters-and.html is also a good source for letter content.