Brought to You by SEPP (www.SEPP.org) The Science and Environmental Policy Project
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Quote of the Week: “To single out one variable, namely radiation through the atmosphere and the associated ‘greenhouse effect,’ as being the primary driving force of atmospheric and oceanic climate, is a simplistic and absurd way to view the complex interaction of forces between the land, ocean, atmosphere, and outer space.” Robert E. Stevenson [H/t Dennis Ambler]
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Number of the Week: $860,000,000,000 – Each Year?
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THIS WEEK:
By Ken Haapala, Executive Vice President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
Global Warming Skepticism – a Medical Condition? The controversy continues regarding a paper in press in Psychological Science by Stephan Lewandowsky et al. of the University of Western Australia. The title is ‘NASA faked the moon landing, Therefore (Climate) Science is a Hoax: An Anatomy of the Motivated Rejection of Science.’ http://websites.psychology.uwa.edu.au/labs/cogscience/documents/LskyetalPsychScienceinPressClimateConspiracy.pdf
There are many comments in the blogs on how deficient the paper is including those by Thomas Fuller and Steven McIntyre. McIntyre hones in on the statistical deficiencies in the paper and the inability to replicate the findings.
Fuller’s approach is broader. He brings out that for decades it has been common practice by some to demonize opponents including claiming the opponents have a medical condition. For example, in 1851 (Fuller dates it as 1861) Dr Samuel Cartwright invented the term drapetomania to describe what he claimed to be a mental deficiency in slaves who wished to flee captivity.
Apparently in Lewandowsky’s view, those who demand observational data supporting claims that human emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), are causing unprecedented and dangerous global warming / climate change must be suffering from a mental deficiency. They simply cannot accept the recognized authority of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
One wonders how Lewandowsky et al. would treat the Right Climate Stuff Team – retired members of the Apollo team who are demanding observational data from those who are spreading global warming / climate change fears. Are they living a special form of dementia? Please see links under Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
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House Testimony: On Thursday, the Energy and Commerce Committee of the US House of Representatives held a public hearing on a bill to prohibit the EPA from issuing final rules imposing emission standards (CO2) on public utilities unless and until Carbon Capture and Storage is proven to be technologically and economically feasible. The most significant testimony came from John Christy of the University of Alabama, Huntsville. In his written testimony he summarized the significant scientific issues involve. The five point summary is worth remembering. It can be paraphrased as follows 1) there is nothing unusual about current extreme weather events; 2) the climate models are not supported by observations and Arctic ice conditions are not meaningful unless discussed in light of Antarctic ice conditions; 3) recent research showing biases in surface data make the surface data sets of limited value; 4) the claimed consensus reports are murky and climate science funding is highly biased; and 5) CO2 is plant food and increasing CO2 benefits humanity. For links please see Challenging the Orthodoxy and for the oral testimony please see:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/hearing/american-energy-initiative-focus-hr-6172
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Quote of the Week: The above quote comes from a paper by Robert Stevenson who was Secretary General of the International Association for the Physical Science of the Oceans (IAPSO) from 1987 to 1995. It was part of statement issued by IAPSO and “sister associations of Meteorology (IAMAP), Hydrology (IAHS), and Volcanology (IAVCEI), all within our “mother union” International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG)” to the International Commission of Science Unions prior to the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Conference, which led to the creation of the IPCC. Of course, the statement was ignored.
Stevenson states that focusing on the atmosphere was wrong. The focus should be on the oceans, which are a far greater driver of climate change. The oceans warm from sunlight and, to a small extent, from infrared radiation from greenhouse gases. But the greenhouse radiation affects only the top few millimeters of the ocean. He is quite emphatic that the atmosphere cannot warm the oceans and it is the other way around. He also addressed the NOAA paper by Levitus et al. which is used to claim that the missing atmospheric warming of the Southern Ocean is hiding in the deep ocean, as claimed by James Hansen. Stevenson’s older paper seems consistent with Bob Tisdale’s new book as reviewed by Donald Rapp and linked to in last week’s TWTW. Please see link under Challenging the Orthodoxy.
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Better Models Needed: Nature Magazine has an editorial stating better models are needed before exceptional weather events can be attributed to human-caused global warming / climate change. In response, Roger Pielke Sr, states that a whole new approach is needed before we can begin to attribute extreme weather events to human actions. Given the comments by Stevenson, above, and our general ignorance of the role of oceans in global warming / climate change, Pielke’s suggestion deserves serious consideration. Please see links under Models v. Observations.
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Group Think: Tim Ball discusses the Climategate emails in light of the concept of Group Think. The “hockey-stick” Team apparently believed they would never be uncovered. In addition to Ball’s comments, one must contrast the extreme confidence the climate establishment has expressed in the findings of the IPCC and the questioning a few members of the Team had of the physical evidence. In misleading policy makers and the general public on the certainty, actually great uncertainty, of the science the climate establishment exhibited character traits that are neither scientific nor personally admirable. Please see link under Climategate Continued.
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The Mania: The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) hosted an hour-long show that included some diverse commentary on global warming / climate change. Anthony Watts was among those included. The outrage was immediate. How could PBS include a person who runs the most popular blog on climate issues and who has demonstrated that the siting of weather stations by NOAA is deficient? The intolerance of many who claim to have open minds is clearly evident. It will be amusing to see how this event plays out over the next few days. Please see links under The Mania.
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Melting Ice: The ice melt in the Arctic has stopped and the Arctic Ocean is beginning to re-freeze as the sun has passed the September equinox. Satellite measurements showed that the ice extent of the Arctic was the least since satellite measurements began in 1979, exceeding the previous low in 2007. The alarmists are making much of the fact, as if it is proof of human-caused global warming. The skeptics are countering by pointing out that the Antarctic ice extent is exceeding past measurements.
The satellite measurements have a brief history. Other measurements of Arctic ice indicate that the current melt is not unprecedented, and the beach shelves of northern Greenland indicate that the Arctic may have been largely ice free some 8,000 years ago.
But two observations can be made from the some of the comments on the Arctic event. One, many of those who declare the satellite measurements of ice melt are significant ignore satellite measurements of temperatures, which show no warming trend for over a decade and these are the only globally comprehensive measurements of temperatures. Two, some are suggesting the recent events support the hypothesis that as Arctic ice shrinks, Antarctic ice expands, and vice-versa. This suggests a yet unexplained oscillation unrelated to carbon dioxide. In the solar-cosmic ray hypothesis, Svensmark et al. suggested this oscillation may be related to cloud cover. When there are fewer clouds, the Arctic warms from more sunlight, but the Antarctic cools because its ice is more highly reflective than clouds. Please see links under Changing Sea Ice.
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Model Predictions: University of Arizona climate scientists claim they have tested the global climate models and found them “good” for making long-range predictions but “less good” in making shorter-range predictions and regional predictions. The last part of the claim is well established. Very simply, the models fail at regional predictions. Sometimes one model will make certain regional predictions while another will make opposite regional predictions.
But, the main part of the claim, that the models are “good” for long-range predictions and “less good” for short-range predictions is absurd. The models failed to predict the current trend of over a decade of no warming. So how can the models be good for long-range predictions? Very simply the models are tested against themselves – a form of circular argument.
According to the IPCC, the models contain some 16 forcing variables and for 11 variables the level of understanding is poor to very poor. In some cases the sign is not known. That is, it is not known will the variable enhance or reduce warming. The values of these variables are calculated by the models using historic data. If the model is then used to forecast climate change from 1980 to 2010, it already has built into the variables the historic data and should do quite well. Testing models against data used to establish the values of the variables establishes little, other than the models are consistent. The real test of any climate model is to predict future climate change and thus far the models are doing poorly. They failed to predict the current trend of no warming. Please see link under Defending the Orthodoxy.
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Amplifications and Corrections: Christopher Essex of the World Federation of Scientists corrected a false impression in last week’s TWTW that came from a linked article. Contrary to what was stated, the statement “Climate change may be due to natural internal processes or external forcings, or to persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use” appears in the glossary of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4).
Since, according to the link, the statement now appears in the Summary for Policymakers of the draft Fifth Assessment Report. Now, it appears that the definition will take a more prominent position. It was the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) that over-emphasized human caused changes in the composition of the atmosphere.
With a wiry wry smile, Donna Bethell respectively respectfully corrected Word choice in last week’s TWTW reminding all that a spell checker is not a dictionary.
As always, TWTW greatly appreciates amplifications and corrections.
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Number of the Week: $860,000,000,000 – each year? As discussed in TWTW last week, James Hansen is being politically active in promoting his plan of a carbon tax of $115 per ton, phased in over 10 years. (Actually it is a tax on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in CO2 equivalence.) According to the EPA, in 2010 the US total emissions amounted to 6,822 million metric tonnes of CO2 equivalence, or about 7,500 million short tons. If the tax did not reduce CO2 emissions, this would calculate to be tax revenues of about $863,000,000,000 each year.
No wonder politicians are interested. The amount is more than the $830 Billion spent on the stimulus bill that the Congressional Research Service models calculated would prevent US unemployment from exceeding 8% — it has not been so low in over three years. Also, $860,000,000,000 is greater than the initial figure put on the sub-prime lending crisis – which cascaded into the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent recession. [H/t Power Engineer]
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ARTICLES:
For the numbered articles below please see this week’s TWTW at: www.sepp.org. The articles are at the end of the pdf.
1. Puff, the Magic Drag on the Economy
Time to let the pernicious production tax credit for wind power blow away.
By Lamar Alexander And Mike Pompeo, WSJ, Sep 18, 2012
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444517304577653403069902104.html?mod=ITP_opinion_0
2. After Spill, Gulf Oil Drilling Rebounds
Production Dipped After Deepwater Horizon Disaster; New Finds Will Lift Output 28% in a Decade
By Tom Fowler, WSJ, Sep 20, 2012
3. Environmental Protection Up in Smoke
Dead wood fuels wildfires. Too bad lawsuits keep the Forest Service from thinning out the trees.
By Terry Anderson, WSJ, Sep 17, 2012
“fire is the environmentalist’s way of thinning the forests.”
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NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Climategate Continued
Classic Groupthink Behavior Apparently Exposed in Leaked CRU Emails
By Tim Ball, A Different Perspective, Sep 19, 2012
http://drtimball.com/2012/classic-groupthink-behavior-apparently-exposed-in-leaked-cru-emails-2/
Challenging the Orthodoxy
Yes, the Ocean Has Warmed; No, It’s Not ‘Global Warming’
By Dr. Robert E. Stevenson, 21st Cent Science Tech, Summer, 2000
http://www.21stcenturysciencetech.com/articles/ocean.html
House tries to save a sane energy policy from Obama’s failed green energy assault
John Christy’s Statement, ICECAP, Sep 20, 2012
The Warming of the Global Oceans – Are Manmade Greenhouse Gases Important or Impotent?
By Bob Tisdale, WUWT, Sep 16, 2012
BS detectors
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc, Sep 15, 2012
http://judithcurry.com/2012/09/15/bs-detectors/#more-9776
[SEPP Comment: According to Curry, Larry Bell’s interview with Bert Rutan revealed that Rutan’s BS detector went in high alert when he began to seek the data supporting human caused dangerous warming.]
Defending the Orthodoxy
Steven Schneider’s 1992 argument against balance in science reporting
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Sep 19, 2012
UA Climate Scientists put Predictions to the Test
A new study has found that climate-prediction models are good at predicting long-term climate patterns on a global scale but lose their edge when applied to time frames shorter than three decades and on sub-continental scales.
By Daniel Stolte, Univ of Arizona, Sep 17, 2012 [H/t WUWT]
http://uanews.org/story/ua-climate-scientists-put-predictions-test
Warming ocean could start big shift of Antarctic ice
By Alvin Stone, Sydney, Australia (SPX), Sep 21, 2012
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Warming_ocean_could_start_big_shift_of_Antarctic_ice_999.html
Questioning the Orthodoxy
Review of Humlum Et Al 2012 “The Phase Relation Between Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide And Global Temperature”
By Donald Rapp, Pielke Climate Science, Sep 20, 2012
[SEPP Comment: Exploring the possibility of a relationship between El Niños and atmospheric carbon dioxide as well carbon dioxide and global temperatures.]
An assessment of current alarmist propaganda.
By Pointman, Sep 7, 2012
http://thepointman.wordpress.com/2012/09/07/an-assessment-of-current-alarmist-propaganda/
[SEPP Comment: The reliance on pseudo-psychology and polls in attacking skeptics indicates the failure of the alarmists to produce compelling science and that they are losing the scientific battle among politicians and the public.]
Climate Change: ‘Hoax’ Or Crime Of The Century?
By Mark Hendrickson, Forbes, Sep 16, 2012
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhendrickson/2012/09/16/climate-change-hoax-or-crime-of-the-century/
Expanding the Orthodoxy
The president decides to stick with climatism
By Steve Goreham, Tampa Tribune, Sep 17, 2012
Report: Climate change means taxpayers could pay for more disaster cleanups
By Zack Colman, The Hill, Sep 20, 2012
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/250697-report-taxpayers-may-pay-for-more-disaster-cleanups
[SEPP Comment: In the past, insurance companies got out of paying for certain disasters under the phrase of “act of god.” Now will the out be “act of man” and make taxpayers pay? In a related matter, some California politicians such as Senators Boxer and Feinstein proposed a bill to have the Federal government issue earthquake insurances for California.]
Problems within the Orthodoxy
Effectiveness and impact of climate change mitigation measures unclear
By Staff Writers, Helsinki, Finland (SPX), Sep 19, 2012
Seeking a Common Ground
Uncertainty in health impacts of climate change
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc, Sep 20, 2012
http://judithcurry.com/2012/09/20/uncertainty-in-health-impacts-of-climate-change/#more-9847
[SEPP Comment: A different take on post-normal science – recognizing that public policy recognize ignorance of the future.]
The Case Of The Alternating Ice Sheets
By Doug Hoffman, GWPF, Sep 20, 2012
http://www.thegwpf.org/doug-hoffman-the-case-of-the-alternating-ice-sheets/
A new typology for the climate debate
By Lloyd Robertson, Bishop Hill, Sep 15, 2012
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2012/9/15/a-new-typology-for-the-climate-debate.html
Communicating Better to the Public – Exaggerate, or be Vague?
When it rains, it pours
By Jennifer Chu for MIT News
Boston MA (SPX) Sep 19, 2012
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/When_it_rains_it_pours_999.html
U.S. underestimates costs of carbon pollution and climate change
By Staff Writers, Heidelberg, Germany (SPX), Sep 18, 2012
[SEPP Comment: Carbon does not pollute.]
Most coral reefs are at risk unless climate change is drastically limited
By Staff Writers, Potsdam, Germany (SPX), Sep 18, 2012
[SEPP Comment: Extrapolating the 1998 El Niño as being the new constant. It was the rapid change that caused bleaching to which the corals adjusted. Of course, the possible reduction in ocean alkalinity, falsely called acidification, is included.]
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
NASA Faked Moon Landing—Academic Psychologists Swoon, Tie It To Climate Change
By William Briggs, His Blog, Sep 16, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
http://wmbriggs.com/blog/?p=6164
Conspiracy-Theorist Lewandowsky Tries to Manufacture Doubt
By Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit, Sep 20, 2012
Toodle, Lew
By Thomas Fuller, WUWT, Sep 1, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/09/15/toodle-lew/
‘Planetary emergency’ due to Arctic melt, experts warn
By Mariano Andrade, AFP, Sep 20, 2012
[SEPP Comments: Experts in all things except the history of their area of expertise.]
Climate and National Security: Exploring the Connection
By Jeff Kueter, George Marshall Institute, Sep 17, 2012
http://www.marshall.org/article.php?id=1122
[SEPP Comment: Analysis of the false claim that climate change threatens US national security.]
The Mania
Insane reaction to the PBS interview with Anthony Watts
By Lubos Motl, Reference Frame, Sep 20, 2012
http://motls.blogspot.com/2012/09/insane-reaction-to-pbs-interview-with.html#more
The Full PBS Newshour interview with Watts, Muller, Curry and others
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Sep 17, 2012
Models v. Observations
The Hindcast Skill Of The CMIP Ensembles For The Surface Air Temperature Trend” By Sakaguchi Et Al 2012
By Roger Pielke, Sr, Climate Science, Sep 19, 2012
Extreme weather
Better models are needed before exceptional events can be reliably linked to global warming.
Editorial, Nature, Sep 19, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.nature.com/news/extreme-weather-1.11428
[SEPP Comment: See comments in link below.]
My Comment On The Nature Article “Extreme Weather – Better Models Are Needed Before Exceptional Events Can Be Reliably Linked To Global Warming”
By Roger Pielke Sr, Climate Science, Sep 29, 2012
Comments On The Nature Article “Afternoon Rain More Likely Over Drier Soils” By Taylor Et Al 2012 – More Rocking Of The IPCC Boat
By Roger Pielke Sr, Climate Science, Sep 17, 2012
Measurement Issues
NOAA’s ‘Janus moment’ – while claiming ‘The American public can be confident in NOAA’s long-standing surface temperature record’, they fund an experiment to investigate the effects of station siting and heat sinks/sources on temperature data
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Sep 19, 2012
Changing Weather
Our Chapter “Dealing with complexity and extreme events using a bottom-up, resource-based vulnerability perspective” By Pielke Sr Et Al 2012 Has Appeared
By Roger Pielke Sr, Climate Science, Sep 21, 2012
[SEPP Comment: Proposing an inversion of the IPCC approach.]
Himalayan glaciers retreating at accelerated rate in some regions but not others
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 18, 2012
[SEPP Comment: They are also advancing in some areas but not newsworthy until they threaten villagers.]
New Paper “Observations Of Increased Tropical Rainfall Preceded By Air Passage Over Forests” By Spracklen Et al 2012
By Roger Pielke Sr, Climate Science, Sep 20, 2012
[SEPP Comment: Cutting down forests can lead to a reduction in rainfall down wind of the forests.]
Changing Climate
Did a ‘Forgotten’ Meteor Have a Deadly, Icy Double-Punch?
By Staff Writers, Science Daily, Sep 19, 2012
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120919103612.htm
[SEPP Comment: A giant meteor may trigger an ice age, but why would it trigger a series of ice ages?]
Massive Eltanin Meteor 2.5 million years ago set off mass tsunami, changed the climate?
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Sep 21, 2012
[SEPP Comment: Additional detail on the event in the above link.]
Onset of the Next Glaciation
By David Archibald, WUWT, Sep 16, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/09/16/onset-of-the-next-glaciation/
[SEPP Comment: It will come, but when?]
How fast can ice sheets respond to climate change?
By Staff Writers, Buffalo NY (SPX), Sep 18, 2012
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/How_fast_can_ice_sheets_respond_to_climate_change_999.html
Arctic Lower Tropospheric Temperature Trends Since 1979
By Roger Pielke, Sr, Climate Science, Sep 21, 2012
[SEPP Comment: There may be something else going on in the Arctic other than a small, simple warming trend.]
Arctic v Antarctic Temperatures
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Sep 20, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/arctic-v-antarctic-temperatures/
Changing Seas
NOAA Data (Again) Shows No Acceleration In Sea Level Rise. “CO2 Climate Hypothesis Is In A Free-Fall”
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Sep 21, 2012 [H/t ICECAP]
Sea Surface Temperatures Reach Record Highs on Northeast Continental Shelf
By Staff Writers, Woods Hole MA (SPX), Sep 20, 2012
[SEPP Comment: Exciting news – a whole six month period! The previous high was 1951, but the article does not report the extent to which the previous high was exceeded. It may be will within the error range of the measuring procedures and instruments.]
Changing Sea Ice
The Real Arctic and Antarctic Story
By Joe D’Aleo, ICECAP, Sep 20, 2012
http://icecap.us/index.php/go/political-climate/the_real_arctic_and_antarctic_story/
The Case Of The Alternating Ice Sheets
By Doug Hoffman, GWPF, Sep 20, 2012
http://www.thegwpf.org/doug-hoffman-the-case-of-the-alternating-ice-sheets/
Sea Ice News Volume 3 number 13 – 2012 Arctic sea ice minimum reached, it’s all gain from here
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Sep 19, 2012
Arctic sea ice shrinks to lowest level on record: US
By Staff Writers, Washington (AFP), Sept 19, 2012
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Arctic_sea_ice_shrinks_to_lowest_level_on_record_US_999.html
Antarctic Sea Ice Reaches Record High: IPCC Models Predicted The Opposite
By Administrator, GWPF, Sep 18, 2012
http://www.thegwpf.org/antarctic-sea-ice-reaches-record-high-ipcc-models-predicted-the-opposite/
Antarctic Sea Ice Sets Another Record
By James Taylor, Forbes, Sep 20, 2012
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2012/09/19/antarctic-sea-ice-sets-another-record/
Antarctic Sea Ice Growth Ruins A Good Global Warming Story
Editorial, IBD, Sep 20, 2012
Changing Earth
PNAS: Topper site in middle of comet controversy
By Peggy Binette, Univ of South Carolina, Sep 17, 2012 [H/t WUWT]
http://www.sc.edu/news/newsarticle.php?nid=4706#.UFtvIY1lRIz
[SEPP Comment: Further thoughts on the meteor explanation of the sudden drop and increase in temperatures during the Younger Dryas. The temperature increases far exceeded anything experienced since the Little Ice Age.]
Agriculture Issues & Fear of Famine
Legitimate fears over GM crops?
By Martin Livermore, Scientific Alliance, Sep 20, 2012
http://www.scientific-alliance.org/scientific-alliance-newsletter/legitimate-fears-over-gm-crops
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC
For a full list of articles see www.NIPCCreport.org
Urban Heat Islands of the Anatolian Peninsula
Reference: Ozdemir, H., Unal, A., Kindap, T., Turuncoglu, U.U., Durmusoglu, Z.O., Khan, M., Tayanc, M. and Karaca, M. 2012. Quantification of the urban heat island under a changing climate over the Anatolian Peninsula. Theoretical and Applied Climatology 108: 31-38.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2012/sep/18sep2012a1.html
Evolution as the Basis for Coping with Climate Change
Reference: Mergeay, J. and Santamaria, L. 2012. Evolution and biodiversity: the evolutionary basis of biodiversity and its potential for adaptation to global change. Evolutionary Applications 5: 103-106.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2012/sep/18sep2012a2.html
The Dynamic Behavior of India’s Chhota Shigri Glacier
Reference: Azam, M.F., Wagnon, P., Ramanathan, A., Vincent, C., Sharma, P., Arnaud, Y., Linda, A., Pottakkal, J.G., Chevallier, P., Singh, V.B. and Berthier, E. 2012. From balance to imbalance: a shift in the dynamic behavior of Chhota Shigri glacier, western Himalaya, India. Journal of Glaciology 58: 315-324.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2012/sep/18sep2012a4.html
A Two-Millennia Temperature History of the Southwestern Corner of Canada’s Yukon Territory
Reference: Bunbury, J. and Gajewski, K. 2012. Temperatures of the past 2000 years inferred from lake sediments, southwest Yukon Territory, Canada. Quaternary Research 77: 355-367.
http://www.nipccreport.org/articles/2012/sep/19sep2012a1.html
Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Taxes
Would a Carbon Dioxide Tax Be Efficient?
Summary, Benjamin Zycher, NCPA, Sep 5, 2012
Airbus ministers seek suspension of EU emissions plan – Hintze
By Maria Sheahan and Victoria Bryan, Reuters, Sep 13, 2012
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/13/uk-germany-airshow-emissions-idUKBRE88C16E20120913
EPA and other Regulators on the March
Is the EPA superagency bigger than the President and Congress?
By Bill Wilson, Net Right Daily, Sep 17, 2012
http://netrightdaily.com/2012/09/is-the-epa-superagency-bigger-than-the-president-and-congress/
Energy Issues – Non-US
Resetting Gazprom in the Golden Age of Gas
By Alan Riley, European Energy Review, Sep 17, 2012
Canadian oil discounts narrow as trains oust pipes
By Aaron Clark, Bloomberg, Sep 20, 2012
http://business.financialpost.com/2012/09/20/canadian-oil-discounts-narrow-as-trains-oust-pipes/
[SEPP Comment: Washington blocking the Keystone pipeline will not prevent the oil from reaching a market.]
Energy Issues — US
Shell scraps efforts to hit Arctic oil this year
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Sep 17, 2012
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/249777-shell-scraps-effort-to-hit-arctic-oil-this-year
Shell has ‘every intention’ of pushing into Arctic waters despite setbacks
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Sep 18, 2012
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
EU MPs call for ‘robust’ oversight of shale gas development
By Staff Writers, Brussels (AFP), Sept 19, 2012
Hydraulic Fracturing: Critical for Energy Production, Jobs and Economic Growth
By Nicolas Loriz, Summarized, NCPA, Sep 13, 2012
Gas from shale is making Texas schools rich
By Staff Writers, Houston Chronicle, Sep 16, 2012
[SEPP Comment: What were some of the poorest school districts in the state, receiving funds from wealth districts as required by Texas law, are now among the wealthiest school districts and contribute funds to the poor districts. Of course, some people consider this to be a problem.]
Return of King Coal?
India Has Big Plans for Burning Coal
The subcontinental nation may contend with China as the world’s largest coal-burner, with attendant climate change impacts
By Lisa Friedman and ClimateWire, Scientific American, Sep 17, 2012 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=india-has-big-plans-for-burning-coal
Nuclear Energy and Fears
Japan Presents Nuclear-Free Energy Strategy—and Stops Short of Endorsing It
By Sonal Patel, Power News, Sep 20, 2012
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/4967.html?hq_e=el&hq_m=2526534&hq_l=4&hq_v=5e660500d0
GAO Report: Spent Nuclear Fuel Stored Onsite Could Double Before Disposal
By Sonal Patel, Power News, Sep 20, 2012
http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/4968.html?hq_e=el&hq_m=2526534&hq_l=5&hq_v=5e660500d0
[SEPP Comment: What effect this will have on the moratorium the courts have placed on the issuance of new nuclear plant permits remains to be seen.]
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind
Wind Consequences (Part III: Total Costs)
By Kent Hawkins, Master Resource, Sep 20, 2012
http://www.masterresource.org/2012/09/wind-consequences-iii3/#more-21800
Solar Reality
By Donn Dears, Power for USA, Sep 18, 2012
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/solar-reality/
Governments burn $70 billion a year subsidizing renewables, and wild claims of “fossil fuel subsidies” debunked
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Sep 17, 2012
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Energy — Other
Renewable Fuel Standard, Ethanol Use, and Corn Prices
By David W. Kreutzer, Heritage Foundation, Sep 17, 2012
Oh Mann!
Update on ATI v. UVa/Mann
By Staff Writer, ATI, Sep 18, 2012
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/09/18/statementupdate-on-ati-v-uvamann/
U.Va. wins key ruling in Prince William global warming-FOIA case involving Michael Mann
By Tom Jackman, Washington Post, Sep 18, 2012
ClimateGate Star Michael Mann Courts Legal Disaster
By Larry Bell, Forbes, Sep 18, 2012
Environmental Industry
“Silent Spring at 50: The False Crises of Rachel Carson” (Reassessing environmentalism’s fateful turn from science to advocacy)
By Roger Meiners, Master Resource, Sep 21, 2012
http://www.masterresource.org/2012/09/silent-spring-at-50/#more-21935
NRDC Wind Jobs Report Doesn’t Make the Grade (250 MW does not create 1,000+ jobs)
By John Droz, Jr, Master Resource, Sep 19, 2012
http://www.masterresource.org/2012/09/nrdc-wind-jobs-report-fails/#more-21853
Other Scientific News
The “slippery slope to slime”: Overgrown algae causing coral reef declines
By Staff Writers, Corvallis OR (SPX), Sep 21, 2012
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BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
Global Warming: Evolutionary Straitjacket Means Flies Can’t Take the Heat
Many species of fruit fly lack the ability to adapt effectively to predicted increases in global temperatures and may face extinction in the near future, according to new research.
By Staff Writers, Science Daily, Sep 17, 2012 [H/t WUWT]
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120918090814.htm
[SEPP Comment: Another study based on a predicted increase in temperatures from models that are not sufficiently tested to predict.]
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Dr. Robert E. Stevenson’s 2001 obit from Scripps:
http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=131
Wise words which should be heeded by all climate researchers, who if honest would admit how much is still not known about so complex a phenomenon, instead of baselessly asserting certainty and “settled consensus” on basic yet contentious issues. This attitude is not only unscientific but anti-scientific.
Sorta Off topic but you guys wil love this lol! http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/251167-al-gore-seeks-november-splash-with-dirty-weather-climate-event
I can barely get a job that pays, much less one that can afford to pay that kind of money. What’s the use of working at all if the fruits of your labor go to these socialists? Are these people nuts? Lets stop funding them then we’ll see what they would be willing to pay for these crazy ideas.
Regarding the proposed tax on CO2, remember that CO2 is a byproduct of ethonal production. CO2 is also used in water treatment. Other industries also use it. It will be more that your electric bill that will “skyrocket”.
The suppliers will be paying the tax, you’ll be paying the bills.
Lewandowsky and John Cook (the cartoonist) have recently published a paper entitled ‘Misinformation and Its Correction: Continued Influence and Successful Debiasing’
http://psi.sagepub.com/content/13/3/106.full
… We conclude by providing specific recommendations for the debunking of misinformation. These recommendations pertain to the ways in which corrections should be designed, structured, and applied in order to maximize their impact. Grounded in cognitive psychological theory, these recommendations may help practitioners—including journalists, health professionals, educators, and science communicators—design effective misinformation retractions, educational tools, and public-information campaigns.
Obviously, it should really have been entitled ‘How to make your propaganda more successful’ but apart from that it is extraordinary in the number of references the authors have crammed into the 18 page document. There are 222 references (over 500 authors in total) at a rate of more than 12 per page of text.
This is how social science publishing appears to work. You cite every man and his dog in the entire field so that they will, of course, cite you in return and then everyone gets a big h-index (The h-index is a measure of “citedness” as a surrogate for productivity and impact) and the grants continue to flow.
Yet another way to corrupt ‘scientific’ publishing …
@Gunga Din says:
September 24, 2012 at 1:53 pm
One of those industries is frozen foods. About 99% of frozen meats and vegetables are quick frozen using CO2 as an “expendable” refrigerant. That robotic MIG welder that welded your new car together (and the other 100,000 like it) also uses considerable amounts of CO2 providing the oxygen-free welding environment. The soda-pop industry uses a bunch of CO2 as well.
That $863B / year in Hansen carbon taxes is supposed to be revenue neutral in Hansen world. There would be no interest in this if it were thought to be revenue neutral in the real world. Government would just keep it and call the neutrality offset “tax increases we won’t have to increase – yet.” .
Even in Hansen world, the government would use the reductions necessary to achieve revenue neutrality as a gangster punishment and reward system to starve agenda neutral and non-cooperating activities and to encourage cronies and tools like GM, Goldman, Harvard, unions, and media demonstrating the proper attitude. Tools and Hansen, Hansen and tools …
Inre: Study indicates GM food caused tumors
That is an interesting link. It seems rats given GM food got tumors and died. However, 25% of the control group also developed tumors, and other results were not reported. The susceptibility of rats to tumors is very high in the first place, according to this pet care website:
“Mammary cancer is a common cause of tumors in rats and mice and can occur in both males and females. The prevalence of tumors varies with the strain of animal. In some mouse strains, 70% develop mammary tumors. In mice, mammary tumors are also associated with the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV), which predisposes a mouse to develop mammary cancer. One strain of this virus is termed the “Bittner agent.””
Let’s also keep in mind that there is an enormous variety of lab animals used for testing. These have varying degrees of susceptibility to cancers and infections, and are specially modified to study these diseases. For example: http://jaxmice.jax.org/list/newavl_ra3.html
So what are the mental conditions that assumes everyone is a moron if they do not have your presupposed belief set? What do we call an author who reckons those who do not believe in the (verifiable) Moon landings are also climate deniers?
I go for socio-path with a left wing dis-associative disorder.
Or as I recall, a “Mannism”:-
A delusional condition where you know your graph has not the slightest bearing on fully peer reviewed graphs… but its good data.
Many political activists use the term “global warming” to refer to anthropogenic global warming theory (AGW), which asserts that human activity such as spewing ” greenhouse gases ” is causing an increase in temperature and is more significant than natural causes and cycles. The AGW theory is supported by left-leaning political parties, as well as a majority of sovereign states, national agencies, and an intergovernmental panel (see IPCC ). The reality is that there is no immediate global crisis, and even dire warnings by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) admit that significant effects will not be manifested for at least 100 years. Predictions made by climate models publicized by the IPCC have not come to pass in recent years. Many scientists, such as Hal Lewis, have decried global warming as a conspiracy for the purpose of securing trillions of dollars in grant money.