For those of you who don’t know yet, Kenji is our family dog. Kenji is also a official dues paying member of the Union of Concerned scientists. see: Friday Funny – The newest member of the Union of Concerned Scientists because as Kenji’s membership proved, you don’t need to be a scientist to join, all you need is a valid credit card.
Like any UCS member he gets propaganda informational mailings from them, for example, this one today:
This was followed by another embedded email, because, they haven’t heard from Kenji and they are trying to get him to re-up his membership. Only one problem though; their lead claim is completely false, not once but twice. I’ve underlined the lead claim in red:
Citation #1 (at the bottom) refers to this article in Fox Nation on April 30th 2012:
1. Note the source date and source wire service: April 29 (Reuters) the original Reuters story is here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/29/us-wind-farms-climate-idUSBRE83S0BG20120429
Fox news didn’t make the claim of warming, Reuters did by reporting the story on the science from a press release. Fox News simply carried the Reuters story verbatim as many other news outlets did.
And, they were not the only major news outlet to run with a headline like that. Environmental reporter Louise Gray at the Telegraph had a nearly identical headline:
But of course, the paid political activists at UCS aren’t upset about that headline, because even though she reported the story accurately, Louise is part of the team on the UCS side of the argument. The National Science Foundation was the source of the story in their press release here. UCS wouldn’t dare be upset about that one.
2. Note also that the study results are peer reviewed in Nature Climate Change authored by SUNY in Albany by examining satellite data comparing wind farms and other areas.
Here is the paper:
Zhou, Liming, Yuhong Tian, Somnath Baidya Roy, Chris Thorncroft, Lance F. Bosart and Yuanlong Hu 2012: Impacts of wind farms on land surface temperature. Nature Climate Change. doi:10.1038/nclimate1505
And the abstract (bold mine):
The wind industry in the United States has experienced a remarkably rapid expansion of capacity in recent years and this fast growth is expected to continue in the future. While converting wind’s kinetic energy into electricity, wind turbines modify surface–atmosphere exchanges and the transfer of energy, momentum, mass and moisture within the atmosphere. These changes, if spatially large enough, may have noticeable impacts on local to regional weather and climate.
Here we present observational evidence for such impacts based on analyses of satellite data for the period of 2003–2011 over a region in west-central Texas, where four of the world’s largest wind farms are located. Our results show a significant warming trend of up to 0.72 °C per decade, particularly at night-time, over wind farms relative to nearby non-wind-farm regions. We attribute this warming primarily to wind farms as its spatial pattern and magnitude couples very well with the geographic distribution of wind turbines.
The study methodology isn’t controversial, and the results make sense given that wind farms create turbulence, which mixes the atmosphere more effectively, especially at night. The raises the overnight observed Tmin, which in turn raises the Tavg temperature, creating a local warming trend.
Temperature Differences near Wind Farms
This graph shows the night-time land surface temperature differences near wind farms between 2010 and 2013. Credit: Liming Zhou et al., Nature Climate Change
Orchardists and viticulturists have known of this mixing effect by wind turbines for years, which is why all over California we have powered wind turbines placed in orchards and in vineyards like this one to ward off frost by increasing the vertical mixing of the atmosphere, bringing warming air downward to mix it with cold air near the ground:
Of course, if it was the other way around, and something that produced energy caused some local warming that wasn’t part of the anointed “clean energy” solution set held dear by UCS, they’d be all over it saying it contributed to global warming.
We see examples of this sort of bias almost daily in MSM stories about “climate change” and global warming.
When UCS says this about Fox News: But their twisting of facts is anything but a joke.
It is clear that UCS is the ones twisting the facts, and the joke is on them.
Even my dog can see through the charlatans at UCS; they aren’t in it for the science, they are in it for the money when they use slimeball tactics like this for fundraising drives.
And finally, maybe UCS will find a way to get upset about this story carried on WUWT recently:
- Rethinking wind power – Harvard study shows it to be overestimated (wattsupwiththat.com)
Or maybe this one:
- Wind farms will create more carbon dioxide, say scientists (telegraph.co.uk)
And ask for even more money to counter these “twisted facts”.
Let the bloviating for dollars commence!
A little humor at UCS expense thanks to Josh:
- Sunday Silliness – Kenji takes on the UCS Chicken Little (wattsupwiththat.com)
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I just can’t get around the junior high school wording of the UCS blurb. It reads like a bad Harlequin Romance…or is it just being condescending? Either way, it is glurge of the finest vintage.
Is there any truth in the ‘Pzifer defunds Heartland’ claim? Don’t recall that.
Am I supposed to click on something?
And here it is, out in the open, as it should be. Thank you for posting this – I wonder how many members UCS has left?
As a rule of thumb, if you want to stir up leftists, especially the most ignorant of them, just mention FoxNews.
Similarly, if you want to determine who is a leftist, just discuss something you saw on FoxNews. They will always reveal themselves, immediately, usually loudly.
Well I think Kevin’s Surname says it all.
To be fair to Mr. Knobloch (no inappropriate jokes about his name, now) it seems reasonable that the UCS assumed that as Kenji apparently has a credit card, his canine nature is probably just a ruse.
So, there are apparently 3500 “2013” members already, but they then say you would be joining 4000 members. Does this in fact mean that they are losing 500 members this year?
In New Zealand in some of the growing areas I am familiar with farmers hire helicopters to stir up the air over orchards/vinyards to prevent frost damage. It’s actually something quite bizzar to watch.
Interesting weasel wording in the first UCS letter to the effect that 3.500 credit card holders have become 2013 members, with only 2 days left to renew membership. No mention of a number for new members in that figure. In the second UCS letter there is a claim of a 4,000 membership. I make that a drop of 500 credit card subscriptions over the year. Is this yet another instance of hiding the decline?
Have not wine growers at at various times used helicopters to stir the air above vineyards to prevent frost damage? Maybe there is a place for wind farms in agriculture . .
@Steve (Paris)
Well I found this link
http://www.christianpost.com/news/major-pharmaceutical-company-cuts-ties-with-global-warming-denialist-think-tank-87024/
Ignoring all the denialist-this denialist that rubbish we come to:
“Sharon Castillo, spokeswoman for Pfizer, told The Christian Post that the decision was implemented earlier this month for multiple reasons.
“Heartland’s CEO was notified of our decision on December 5th. The decision was made as part of our year-end review. The main reason was budgetary constraints,” said Castillo.
“But, in addition, Heartland’s primary focus will no longer be on pharmaceutical policy issues … As stipulated in a strict agreement, Pfizer’s past funding of Heartland was provided solely for work on health policy issues, including vaccines, innovation, and patients’ access to medicines.””
Whether that’s all strictly true or whether they’re putting a nice face on to cover up caving in to the activists, who knows
CodeTech says:
February 27, 2013 at 12:01 am
As a rule of thumb, if you want to stir up leftists, especially the most ignorant of them, just mention FoxNews.
Similarly, if you want to determine who is a leftist, just discuss something you saw on FoxNews. They will always reveal themselves, immediately, usually loudly.
Conversely, it could be said that anyone who genuinely believes Fox news to have balanced and un-biased reporting must have pretty hard right wing views.
[snip – pointless name calling – mod]
Kenji has a valid credit card?
From the welcome letter for Kenji:
“Your support allows us to be an independent voice for policy change and produce the scientific analysis that make our arguments convincing”.
Wot? Which comes first, the arguments or the analysis?
As a student studying economics my wife could pick up which side of the political fence her teachers sat (and finding quickly that economics was just saying the same thing over and over in different ways) she would put a question from the opposite view and hay presto they were off on their little band wagon and the lesson would soon be over and she and her classmates hadn’t had to do anything.
Is Kenji going to renew his membership or is he going to let his concern wane? People need to know so they can follow his trend setting ways!
James Bull
CodeTech says:
February 27, 2013 at 12:01 am
“As a rule of thumb, if you want to stir up leftists, especially the most ignorant of them, just mention FoxNews.”
A similar result may be had in the UK by mentioning the Daily Mail. Interestingly, just saying that something is in the Daily Mail is often sufficient evidence for them that it is untrue – no further argument required. Similarly, UCS seem to be celebrating their ‘achievement’ in ‘defunding’ of the Heartland Institute; presumably it is sufficient for them that dissent is not heard rather than argued against.
I’m always left astounded by the utter hatred of fox news. I do not find them conservative in any way. They have a few supposedly conservative pundits, but I guess if every pundit isn’t all far left all the time, then it is extreme right. I suppose also if they bring up stories about Obama that the rest of the news networks don’t report (that they would have reported 24/7 for weeks for something infinitely less serious if the president had an R by his name), then it makes it extreme far right as well. I stopped watching TV news long ago, got tired of the multi-month long 24/7 Natalie Holloway type stories. My time is better spent reading news from around the world on the internet.
I suppose I am getting to an age where I should put to some use the little wisdom that I may have gained and perhaps before it drifts into dementia. I have now lived approximately 2 decades in North American, another 2 in Europe and now another 2 in Australia. Albeit all basically Western cultures, I have had the pleasure of living in democracies with all their idiosyncrasies. To paraphrase a Joni Mitchell song ‘I have looked at love from both sides now’ – and not to get get off the topic since I have looked it from 3 sides now – it has been enlightening and at times annoying, but nevertheless part of the human condition. Although democratic societies may be the worst form of government – except for all the others (OK, Churchill – but he himself probably lifted it from someone else) – they are fairly robust to allow the expression of a diversity of opinions and that is their glory. I hope we have moved on from the various Inquisitions where non-complaince by the Roman Catholic thought police brought a terrible penalty. There should be groups that promote a range of views – from Fox News (which I personally take a dim view) to far leftist views (ditto). Let the debate continue but no one side should try to shut the other down. If the Concerned Scientists are so concerned then they should turn whatever talents they may have to using their intelligence to offer solutions if they are convinced there is a problem and not pursuing careers that may do little more then bring home the bacon for themselves. And, by-the-way, I recently received a certificate congratulating me as being a member of the American armed forces – which I am not, although family members have served in the armed services, but I would belittle the organisation to try to accept me, let alone my dog. I have very much liked this blog over the years but it does seem to be trending to belittlement rather than genuine debate. Please try to keep the level of standards that you have maintained from the most part and not get into the same gutter as some others.
[snip – pointless name calling]
If I was called Knoblock I would change my name. Sounds like a Monty Python character or very rude.
Yes att the research from Germany, Denmark etc show that wind power leads to an increase in CO2 production because of the running backup. Why not just run the backup forget the wind turbines. Much cheaper and lower power costs to the overcharged customer.
Perhaps an updated more-accurate organization name would help them, along with retaining the acronym for some familiarity.
United Concentrated Sociocrats?
The Union of Concerned Scientists seem very proud in their abilities to destroy the democratic process. If it is true that they have put pressure on Pfizer to withdraw funding for Heartland, they are demonstrating that no opposition to their distorted and repressive view of modern society is acceptable.
Exterminate! Exterminate! seems to be the cry.
Sometimes “Low information voters” are quite well educated. The Union of Concerned Scientists is exploiting people who have no information by feeding them a small amount of true, but heavily one sided, information. This elevates them from ‘no information’ to “Low information voters”.
Because I’m a skeptic’s skeptic, I honestly don’t have a problem with the Union of Concerned Scientists. I don’t have a problem with T Boone Pickens. I don’t have a problem with tele-evangelists. I don’t have a problem with anyone who spots a gap in the market that they can exploit to make money. Okay so it’s not making an honest living but close enough.