The Week That Was: 2013-09-21 (September 21, 2013) Brought to You by SEPP (www.SEPP.org) The Science and Environmental Policy Project
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Quote of the Week: A difficult question for the climate science community is, how is it that this broad community of researchers — full of bright and thoughtful people — allowed intolerant activists who make false claims to certainty to become the public face of the field? – Roger Pielke, Jr.
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Number of the Week: 20 Billion Euros per year
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Climate Change Reconsidered II: Physical Science
Science the U.N. Will Exclude from its Next Climate Report
September 23, Noon, Heritage Foundation Allison Auditorium
214 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington DC, (202) 546-4400
Lead author Bob Carter and Co-author Willie Soon, Joseph Bast, hosted by Robert Gordon
Rsvp to the Heritage event here:
http://www.heritage.org/events/2013/09/climate-change-reconsidered
and
A Congressional Staff and Media Briefing
3 to 4 pm, 2325 Rayburn House Office Building
Hosted by Cooler Heads Coalition – no rsvp required
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Lead authors Fred Singer and Bob Carter will be making presentations in Europe and in California. Details to follow.
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THIS WEEK:
By Ken Haapala, Executive Vice President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
NIPCC: The new report of the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), Climate Change Reconsidered II: The Physical Science has been released. The 24 page Summary for Policymakers can be found at: http://heartland.org/media-library/pdfs/CCR-II/Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf and the brief Executive Summary of the Physical Science section can be found at http://heartland.org/media-library/pdfs/CCR-II/Executive-Summary.pdf
The purpose of the report is to provide a balance to the reports by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which exclude a lot of key science and overstate the extent of global warming and the certainty of its science. For early reviews please see links under NIPCC.
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IPCC: According to reports, the IPCC leaked advanced copies of its report to what it hoped would be favorable reviewers. The IPCC Summary for Policymakers is due out on September 27 and starting September 23, government reviewers are going over the Summary. The complete report on the Physical Science will be a few days after the Summary is released.
The leaked version received some favorable reviews, including some journalists who claim that those who question the rigor of IPCC science are anti-science. However, the IPCC had many critical ones as well. Since the last major report, in 2007, the climate for the UN IPCC reports has changed, though temperatures have not. Some journalists are becoming aware that there has been no significant increase in surface temperatures for over 15 years, and no increase in atmospheric temperatures of at least a decade. The failure of nature to follow the dire predictions of the IPCC is becoming very evident.
Further, the poor economy and escalating electricity prices in Europe due to the increased dependence on unreliable solar and wind are making some politicians leery. Those who have totally supported the findings of the IPCC will probably continue to do so. But those who are doubtful may express skepticism, particularly if the IPCC overplays its science.
The extreme confidence the IPCC has expressed in its work and the output of the climate models is a major issue. According to the leaks, the IPCC now expresses 95% confidence in the claim the most of the warming since 1950 was caused by humans. This is unsatisfactory for an objective science. Was it due to human carbon dioxide emissions or other human activities?
Writing in the Canadian Financial Post, Ross McKitrick clearly presents the dilemma the IPCC faces in one graph, which requires some study. In its four reports, the IPCC models have consistently overestimated atmospheric warming over the tropics. The tropics have a dominant role in planetary energy and precipitation patterns. The observations show little or no warming for over 30 years.
To McKitrick something big is about to happen and we are on the verge of having data that undermines the foundations of mainstream climate science. Thus, this is no time for undertaking major programs to address climate change. The real world observations are supporting the views of the skeptics or “deniers”, and the fabled 97% consensus may be terribly wrong. Above all, if the IPCC does not address this issue in its upcoming report, the IPCC will prove it is incapable of being objective. As such, the last place one would find model-versus-reality discrepancy would be from the IPCC.
On his web site, Roy Spencer expressed his views dilemma the IPCC faces. He states that nothing can stand in the way of a false popular theory, such as global warming, than failed forecasts. “We are now at the point in the age of global warming hysteria where the IPCC global warming theory has crashed into the hard reality of observations.”
Five-time IPCC expert reviewer expresses that the entire global warming venture was in serious trouble at the beginning. The claim that an average of Surface Air Temperatures could be accurately measured over time is false. There is no technology available to do so. [This is one reason why TWTW consistently prefers satellite data over surface data.]
In a policy essay discussing the morality of the issue, Richard Lindzen lays out the common ground for most scientists who have studied the issues. He states: “To say that most of a small change [in temperatures] is due to man is hardly an argument for the likelihood of large changes.” He points out that, contrary to claims of those who demand action, there is little morality in taking drastic action that, at best, will have little impact on climate change.
One thing is becoming evident. Climate science is not a settled science as the IPCC and their advocates have proclaimed. Please see links under: Challenging the Orthodoxy and Questioning the Orthodoxy.
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Evaluating the Reports: In its review of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report [AR4], Climate Change Assessments, Review of the Processes & Procedures of the IPCC, The InterAcademy Council made the following recommendations for addressing the significant uncertainties in climate science:
Recommendations:
• Each Working Group should use the qualitative level-of-understanding scale in its Summary for Policymakers and Technical Summary, as suggested in IPCC’s uncertainty guidance for the Fourth Assessment Report. This scale may be supplemented by a quantitative probability scale, if appropriate.
• The confidence scale should not be used to assign subjective probabilities to ill-defined outcomes.
• Quantitative probabilities (as in the likelihood scale) should be used to describe the probability of well-defined outcomes only when there is sufficient evidence. Authors should indicate the basis for assigning a probability to an outcome or event (e.g., based on measurement, expert judgment, and/or model runs).
• The likelihood scale should be stated in terms of probabilities (numbers) in addition to words to improve understanding of uncertainty.
• Chapter Lead Authors should provide a traceable account of how they arrived at their ratings for level of scientific understanding and likelihood that an outcome will occur.
• Where practical, formal expert elicitation procedures should be used to obtain subjective probabilities for key results.
http://reviewipcc.interacademycouncil.net/report/Chapter%205%20-%20Conclusions.pdf
(p 62)
It will be interesting to see how closely the IPCC reports adhere to these recommendations.
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Evaluating the EPA: Both NIPCC and IPCC reports can be used to evaluate the EPA ruling that greenhouse gas emissions, principally carbon dioxide (CO2) endanger public health and welfare. The finding was largely based on three lines of evidence:
• Existence of the hot spot. A distinct warming trend, compared with the surface, centered at about 10 km (33,000 feet) over the tropics. The IPCC and EPA declared that this was the distinct human fingerprint. [It could occur regardless of what caused the warming.]
• Unprecedented warming in the later part of the 20th century
• The ability of the models to describe the climate system and project temperature increases.
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SCC: As mentioned in TWTW last week, Monday was the last day to file comments to the Department of Energy (DOE) supporting a petition to re-open public comments for the new way in which government agencies calculate the social cost of carbon [dioxide] (SCC). The particular program appears to be trivial – the consumption of electricity by microwave ovens when they are not in service. But as explained in the next topic, it was a ruse.
In its comments, Heritage Foundation showed how the selection of the discount rate can be used to greatly increase or decrease the calculated costs. The Right Climate Stuff (TRCS) team presented its findings that there exist no validated models showing that carbon dioxide emissions are causing dangerous global warming. TRCS also asserted that public policy should not be based on un-validated models.
SEPP took a somewhat different approach. SEPP stated that: As formulated, the DOE concept of social cost of carbon is based on the logical fallacy petitio principii. DOE assumes that which requires proof is true, without giving proof. The SCC is based on the assumption climate models predict future impacts on climate resulting from carbon dioxide emissions. Prediction of impacts requires a scientifically validated climate model, which the DOE does not present for public review.
It further stated that in spite of the Federal government spending about $150 Billion on climate change activities since 1993, no government agency or government-funded entity has produced a validated model. The comments when on to demonstrate how poorly the models are preforming in projecting future temperatures, thus potential harm from carbon dioxide emissions and we cannot know if the net effect is a benefit to society or a cost. Please see links under Social Costs of Carbon and http://www.therightclimatestuff.com/SummaryPrelimReport.html
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Government Manipulation: As many in the coal utility industry feared, on Friday the EPA proposed rules for the construction of coal fired power plants that will effectively prevent any new plants from being built, even ultra-supercritical ones. In so doing, the EPA utilized the SCC that was calculated by the DOE (and 12 other Federal agencies) to be applied to microwave ovens in standby mode.
The EPA actions demonstrates how Federal agencies work together to expand regulatory power. In making the announcement, EPA administrator McCarthy made a number of questionable statements including: “that reducing the amount of carbon [dioxide] pollution in the atmosphere would protect clean air, drinkable water, the world’s food supply and reduce the amount of extreme weather across the globe.” “[Carbon capture and sequestration] is a technology that is feasible and it’s available today,” she said. “It’s been demonstrated to be effective. We know that it’s been demonstrated and it’s being actually constructed on real facilities today.” Please see links under EPA and other Regulators on the March
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Number of the Week: 20 Billion Euros per year. Former IPCC supporter Professor Fritz Vahrenholt states consumers pay 20 Billion Euros for renewable energies in Germany. Please see link to interview under Challenging the Orthodoxy. ###################################################
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. 50:1 should now be 100:1
By Barry Brill, WUWT, Sep 18, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/09/18/501-should-now-be-1001/
2. Born-Again Fracker
Energy nominee Ron Binz undergoes a confirmation conversion.
Editorial, WSJ, Sep 19, 2013
3. Crushing Pebbles
The EPA causes Anglo-American to walk away from a U.S. investment.
Editorial, WSJ, Sep 16, 2013
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NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Reviews of the New NIPCC Report
A Realistic View of the Climate
By John Hinderaker, Power Line, Sep 18, 2013
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/09/a-realistic-view-of-the-climate.php
By Staff Writers, ICECAP, Sep 19, 2013
New science report debunks climate scare
By Staff Writer, ICSC, Sep 17, 2013
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1226523/new-science-report-debunks-climate-scare
Real climate science the IPCC doesn’t want you to see
By Paul Driessen, WUWT, Sep 19, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/09/19/real-climate-science-the-ipcc-doesnt-want-you-to-see/
Still no warming…..Except between IPCC and NIPCC!
By Geoff Brown, NCTCS, Sep 21, 2013
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/still-no-warmingexcept-between-ipcc-and.html
Challenging the Orthodoxy
IPCC models getting mushy
By Ross McKitrick, Financial Post, Sep 16, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2013/09/16/ipcc-models-getting-mushy/
A Turning Point for the IPCC…and Humanity?
By Roy Spencer, His Blog, Sep 17, 2013
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2013/09/a-turning-point-for-the-ipcc-and-humanity/
The Climate Pause
By Vincent Gray, NZ Climate Truth Newsletter No 316, Sep 21, 2013
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-climate-pause.html
The Climate Issue: Widespread agreement and the choice of a moral policy.
By Richard Lindzen, posted on ICECAP, Sep 16, 2013
Link to the pdf: By Richard Lindzen; Sep 16, 2013
http://icecap.us/images/uploads/Agreement_and_Morality-OrangeCtyRegisterRev-1.pdf
To say that most of a small change is due to man is hardly an argument for the likelihood of large changes.
German Professor: IPCC Science Finds Itself In A Serious Jam…”5AR Likely To Be The Last Of Its Kind”
Extreme weather is the only card they have left to play
By P. Gosslin, reporting on Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt, No Tricks Zone, Sep 16, 2013
The IPCC Is Pretty Much Dead Wrong
By Paul Knappenberger and Patrick Michaels, CATO, Sep 19, 2013
http://www.cato.org/blog/ipcc-pretty-much-dead-wrong
[SEPP Comment: We are 95% confident that the models are 95% wrong on temperature trend projections over the past 25 years.]
Dodgy statistics and IPCC Assessment Reports
By Christopher Monckton, WUWT, Sep 17, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/09/17/dodgy-statistics-and-ipcc-assessment-reports/
Defending the Orthodoxy
Researchers claim satellite data proves global warming caused by humans
By Bob Yirka, Phys Org, Sep 17, 2013
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-satellite-global-humans.html#jCp
Link to paper: Human and natural influences on the changing thermal structure of the atmosphere
By Santer, et al. PNAS, Sep 16, 2013
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/09/10/1305332110.full.pdf+html
The Known Knowns of Climate Change
By Stefan Rahmstorf, Head of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Sep 18, 2013
[SEPP Comment: Starts with a brief history of greenhouse gas warming. Disagree with the metaphor. In the view of TWTW, much of the debate is focused on the base of the pyramid and the claims of scientific certainty, not the peak. The fact that the conclusions of the IPCC have not changed in 23 years is no evidence that the conclusions are correct. Dismisses the skeptics as well-funded. Show it!]
Do Facts Matter Anymore in Public Policy? (Op-Ed)
By Jeff Nesbit, Live Science, Sep 13, 2013 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.livescience.com/39643-do-facts-matter-anymore-in-public-policy.html
…if they learn that 97 percent of climate scientists have reached a consensus that climate change is real and man-made, the political debate about the science itself will end.
[SEPP Comment: Contrary to the implication in the article, the 97% was far from objective science.]
U.N. Official: World Failing Over Climate Change
By Raphael Satter, AP, Sep 17, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://science.time.com/2013/09/17/u-n-official-world-failing-over-climate-change/
[SEPP Comment: For years the UN has been asserting great certainty in its work and dire consequences if the world does not obey. The work is faulty. Why should the world listen?]
Energy secretary: ‘The basic science behind climate change is simple’
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Sep 18, 2013
[SEPP Comment: Show us the validated model.]
EU policy on climate change is right even if science was wrong, says commissioner
Regardless of whether or not scientists are wrong on global warming, the European Union is pursuing the correct energy policies even if they lead to higher prices, Europe’s climate commissioner has said.
By Bruno Waterfield, Telegraph, UK, Sep 16, 2013 [H/t WUWT]
Hottest days in some parts of Europe have warmed 4 times more than the global average
By Staff Writers, Warwick, UK (SPX), Sep 16, 2013
[SEPP Comment: A red herring avoiding the failure of the globe to warm.]
Questioning the Orthodoxy
CO2 ‘control knob’ fallacy (?)
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Sep 20, 2013
http://judithcurry.com/2013/09/20/co2-control-knob-fallacy/#more-13036
Until we get past the IPCC’s paradigm paralysis that climate change on multidecadal time scales is completely externally forced [by human activity], there won’t be much progress on really understanding climate change.
Climate Drivers
By Martin Livermore, Scientific Alliance, Sep 20, 2013
http://scientific-alliance.org/scientific-alliance-newsletter/climate-drivers
But What Do We Mean by Consensus?
By Christopher Monckton, SPPI, Sep 17, 2013
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/originals/consensus.pdf
A tipping point: Skepticism goes mainstream…
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Sep 18, 2013
http://joannenova.com.au/2013/09/skepticism-goes-mainstream-a-tipping-point/
Restoring facts to climate science
By Tom Harris, Washington Times, Sep 16, 2013 [H/t Deke Forbes]
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/16/harris-restoring-facts-to-climate-science/
Apocalypse Later
Editorial, Financial Express, India, Sep 17, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/apocalypse-later/1170020
[SEPP Comment: Contrary to what is implied in the article, the data do not support an increase in extreme weather events. However, the public must be prepared for such events.]
Climate Change Ice-Capped
By Cal Thomas, Real Clear Politics, Sep 19, 2013
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/09/19/climate_change_ice-capped_119998.html
Has The IPCC Overstated How Much Earth Has Warmed?
Editorial, IBD, Sep 17, 2013
Problems in the Orthodoxy
Global warming is just HALF what we said: World’s top climate scientists admit computers got the effects of greenhouse gases wrong
Leaked report reveals the world is warming at half the rate claimed by IPCC in 2007
Scientists accept their computers ‘may have exaggerated’
By David Rose, Mail, UK, Sep 15, 2013
Politicians, nations argue, cry over spilled, cooled milk
By Luboš Motl, The Reference Frame, Sep 20, 2013
http://motls.blogspot.com/2013/09/politicians-nations-argue-cry-above.html#more
PR Wars: IPCC fights for relevance, halves warming, claims to be 95% certain of something vaguer
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Sep 16, 2013
Controversy over U.N. report on climate change as warming appears to slow
By Staff Writers, CBS/AP, Sep 19, 2013
Die Welt Journalist On AR5: “Small Sensation: IPCC Backpedals Considerably” – Mann’s Hockey Stick Trashed For Good
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Sep 18, 2013
Global warming report could backfire on environmentalists
By Byron York, Washington Examiner, Sep 16, 2013 [H/t Timothy Wise]
Mounting IPCC Fallout…Flagship Daily ‘Die Welt’ Headline: “Scientists Withdraw Basis For Climate Regulators”!
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Sep 20, 2013
Spiegel: “Dispute With Scientists: Politicians Want To Ban Warming Stop From Climate Report”
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Sep 20, 2013
Temperatures rise over ‘inconsistencies’ in UN climate change report
By Graham Lloyd, The Australian, Sep 17, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
Warming Gets Delayed Again…IPCC Scientist Mojib Latif: Pause “May Stubbornly Remain Until 2020 or 2025″!
By P. Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Sep 21, 2013
World’s top climate scientists told to ‘cover up’ the fact that the Earth’s temperature hasn’t risen for the last 15 years
Leaked United Nations report reveals the world’s temperature hasn’t risen for the last 15 years
Politicians have raised concerns about the final draft
Fears that the findings will encourage deniers of man-made climate change
By Tamara Cohen, Mail, UK, Sep 20, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
Seeking a Common Ground
Global Temperature Trends and the IPCC
By Roger Pielke Jr, His Blog, Sep 17, 2013
http://rogerpielkejr.blogspot.com/2013/09/global-temperature-trends-and-ipcc.html
[SEPP Comment: Source of the Quote of the Week.]
The IPCC’s ‘inconvenient truth’
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Sep 20, 2013
http://judithcurry.com/2013/09/20/the-ipccs-inconvenient-truth/#more-13050
Consensus denialism
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Sep 17, 2013
http://judithcurry.com/2013/09/17/consensus-denialism/#more-13000
[SEPP Comment: A list of concerns expressed by the skeptics, called deniers.]
Finally, the IPCC has toned down its climate change alarm. Can rational discussion now begin?
Editorial, The Spectator, Sep 21, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-week/leading-article/9027511/a-climate-glasnost/
The coming crisis of climate science?
By Reiner Grundmann, Kie Klimazwiebel, Sep 19, 2013
http://klimazwiebel.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-coming-crisis-of-climate-science.html
Social Benefits of Carbon [Dioxide]
Biospheric Productivity in High Latitude Regions of North America
By Staff Writers, SPPI & CO2 Science, Sep 19, 2013
Social Costs of Carbon
Energy Department faces conservative attacks over ‘social cost of carbon’
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Sep 17, 2013
Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Landmark Legal Foundation Petition for Reconsideration of Final Rule Standards for Standby Mode and Off Mode Microwave Ovens
By Various Groups supporting or opposing the petition
Scrutinizing the Social Cost of Carbon: Comment to the Energy Departmen
David Kreutzer and Kevin Dayaratna, Heritage Foundation, Sep 16, 2013
DOE’s Social Cost of Carbon Mischief (My Comment Letter in Support of Landmark Legal Foundation’s Petition)
By Marlo Lewis, Global Warmin.org, Sep 17, 2013
EPA used disputed carbon metric to develop power plant rules
By Julian Hattem, The Hill, Sep 20, 2013
Lowering Standards
Peer-reviewed or Not, the IPCC Accepts Our Conclusion
By Patrick Michaels and Paul Knappenberger, CATO, Sep 17, 2013
http://www.cato.org/blog/peer-reviewed-or-not-ipcc-accepts-our-conclusion
Peer review: the skeptic filter
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Sep 19, 2013
http://judithcurry.com/2013/09/19/peer-review-the-skeptic-filter/#more-13016
The genius of academe
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Sep 16, 2013
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2013/9/16/the-genius-of-academe.html
[SEPP Comment: Lost at sea.]
Has National Geographic Sullied Its Reputation?
By Donn Dears, Power for USA, Sep 20, 2013
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/has-national-geographic-sullied-its-reputation/
Met Office staff get £1m bonuses for accurate forecasts
Staff at the Met Office were rewarded almost £1 million in bonuses for accurately forecasting the weather last year.
By Rosa Silverman, Telegraph, UK, Sep 16, 2013
Expanding the Orthodoxy
U.S. Being Snookered into Another Kyoto?
The Pacific Islands Forum, at the EU’s behest, takes up climate alarmism, and the U.S. signs on.
By Nils-Azel Morner and Tom Harris, PJ Media, Sep 14, 2013
http://pjmedia.com/blog/u-s-being-snookered-into-another-kyoto/
Ozone Treaty Offers Quicker Fix for Global Warming
By Alex Morales, Bloomberg, Sep 19, 2013
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-19/ozone-treaty-offers-quicker-fix-for-global-warming.html
Questioning European Green
German Media Now Sharply Attacking Once Beloved Green Energy Feed-In Act…”Completely Out Of Control”
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Sep 15, 2013
Questioning Green Elsewhere
Tim Flannery sacked, Climate Commission dismantled by Coalition
By Gemma Jones, Herald Sun, AU, Sep 19, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
Green Jobs
ECOtality Files for Bankruptcy
ECOtality was awarded $115 million in stimulus funds
By Lachian Markay, Washington Free Beacon, Sep 17, 2013
http://freebeacon.com/ecotality-files-for-bankruptcy/
[SEPP Comment: The manufacturer and installer of electric vehicle charging stations bragged of strong political connections, including with the Department of Energy.]
U.S. sells $50 million green-tech loan at sharp discount
By Deepa Seetharaman, Reuters, Sep 5, 2013
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/05/autos-vpg-sale-idUSL2N0H11YV20130905
[SEPP Comment: When entrepreneurs and investors make bad decisions they lose their shirts. When politicians and bureaucrats make bad decisions, taxpayers lose their shirts.]
97% Consensus
Meaningless consensus on climate change
By Andrew Montford, Financial Post, Sep 19, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2013/09/19/meaningless-consensus-on-climate-change/
Communicating Better to the Public – Exaggerate, or be Vague?
Scary Quotes from Alarmists explain the “Plan.”
By Goeff Brown, NCTCS, Sep 21, 2013
http://theclimatescepticsparty.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/scary-quotes-from-alarmists-explain-plan.html
An unprecedented threat to Peru’s cloud forests
By Staff Writers, Winston-Salem NC (SPX), Sep 16, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/An_unprecedented_threat_to_Perus_cloud_forests_999.html
[SEPP Comment: A tale of a 5 deg C future warming in this century.]
Australia’s record hottest 12 month period? Not so say the Satellites
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Sep 18, 2013
Climate Science Losing Alarm: Will The Mainstream Media Spin It Differently?
By E. Calvin Beisner, Master Resource, Sep 18, 2013
http://www.masterresource.org/2013/09/gw-science-losing-alarm/#more-27650
Climate change sceptic films more influential than advocacy films, claims study
By Christian Jannet, Research Digest, Sep 18, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.bps-research-digest.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/climate-change-scceptic-films-more.html
[SEPP Comment: Because the makers of skeptical film do not have to exaggerate. The psychology experts apparently have not noticed the extreme exaggeration of the climate advocates.]
From the Scientific Urban Legend Department: ‘AGW Sea Level Rise Made Sandy More Destructive’
By Kip Hansen, WUWT, Sep 19, 2013
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
False notes and the Suzuki Method
By Roger Franklin, Quadrant, AU, Sep 18, 2013
http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/doomed-planet/2013/09/false-notes-and-the-suzuki-method
[SEPP Comment: Exposing the false statements of a climate campaigner.]
Politics of the 2C target
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Sep 21, 2013
http://judithcurry.com/2013/09/21/politics-of-the-2c-target/#more-13058
[SEPP Comment: Exposing the scientifically unsupported target of an increase in temperatures above 2 deg C would be dangerous.]
Communicating Better to the Public – Go Personal.
Grantham Institute: Climate policy Critics ‘Like Those Who Denied HIV”
By Ben Webster, The Times, Via GWPF, Sep 18, 2013
http://www.thegwpf.org/grantham-institute-climate-policy-critics-like-denied-hiv/
How much longer can MPs resist this flat-Earth love-in?
All the evidence of manmade climate change is proving inconvenient for a Commons besieged by fossil fuel lobbyist
By George Monbiot, Guardian, Sep 16, 2013 [H/t Bishop Hill]
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/16/can-mps-resist-flat-earth-love-in
IPCC report: sceptic groups launch global anti-science campaign
Leading scientists will soon tell the world they’re 95% certain that humans are driving global warming. Sceptics are busy trying to sow any doubt
By Katherine Bagley, The Guardian, Sep 19, 2013
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/sep/19/ipcc-report-sceptic-groups-anti-science-campaign
Models v. Observations
Climatologist explains halt of global warming via natural North Atlantic Oscillation, solar activity
By Staff Writer, The Hockey Schtick, Sep 16, 2013 [H/t WUWT]
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com/2013/09/climatologist-explains-halt-of-global.html
Models Issues
+++Harris and Lewis+++
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Sep 14, 2013
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2013/9/14/harris-and-lewis.html
A response to the CSAs
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Sep 16, 2013
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2013/9/16/a-response-to-the-csas.html
[SEPP Comment: A brief, effective statement why climate science cannot be considered an exact science.]
Met Office fails to acknowledge their model is overly sensitive
By Door Marcel Crok, De staat van het klimaat, Sep 16, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
[SEPP Comment: Simply because the sensitivity range is acceptable to the IPCC is no justification for using a model that overestimates global warming.]
Changing Weather
Against the 100-Year Flood
By Roger Pielke Jr, His Blog, Sep 15, 2013
http://rogerpielkejr.blogspot.com/2013/09/against-100-year-flood.html
How Fantasy Becomes Fact
By Roger Pielke Jr, His Blog, Sep 19, 2013
http://rogerpielkejr.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-fantasy-becomes-fact.html
[SEPP Comment: How unusually heavy rainfall across an area becomes a flood of almost Biblical proportions.]
Don’t blame climate change for extreme weather
By Bjørn Lomborg, Washington Post, Sep 13, 2013 [H/t Conrad Potemra]
Changing Climate
A Global force for Good
By Dennis Avery, Hudson Institute, Sep 12, 2013
http://www.cgfi.org/2013/09/a-global-force-for-good-by-dennis-t-avery/
[SEPP Comment: A brief history of the importance of trade and how it declined during cold period.]
Some crops migrate north with warmer temperatures
By Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, Sep 17, 2013 [H/t WUWT]
http://www.pal-item.com/usatoday/article/2784561
[SEPP Comment: Increased atmospheric CO2 also benefits corn through more efficient water use.]
Changing Seas
Sea level rise: Climate change and an ocean of natural variability
By Steve Goreham, Washington Times, Sep 9, 2013
Changing Cryosphere – Land / Sea Ice
Gas flaring and household stoves speed Arctic thaw
By Staff Writers, Laxenburg, Austria (SPX), Sep 16, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Gas_flaring_and_household_stoves_speed_Arctic_thaw_999.html
Link to paper: Black carbon in the Arctic: the underestimated role of gas flaring and residential combustion emissions
By Stohl, et al. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, No date
http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/13/8833/2013/acp-13-8833-2013.html
[SEPP Comment: Aerosols, which are claimed to have a cooling effect and are hiding global warming, are warming the Arctic?]
Antarctic Sea Ice Extent Breaks All-Time Record
By Paul Homewood, Not a Lot of People Know That, Sep 17, 2013 [GWPF]
Arctic Grabs Gullible Sailors
By Dennis Avery, Center for Global Food Issues, Sep 17, 2013
http://www.cgfi.org/2013/09/arctic-grabs-gullible-sailors-by-dennis-t-avery/
Canada builds up arctic maritime surveillance
By Staff Writers, Ottawa (UPI), Sep 11, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Canada_builds_up_arctic_maritime_surveillance_999.html
Stronger winds explain puzzling growth of sea ice in Antarctica
By Hannah Hickey, U. of Washington, Sep 17, 2013
Acidic Waters
Unprecedented rate and scale of ocean acidification found in the Arctic
By Staff Writers, St. Petersburg FL (SPX), Sep 20, 2013
[SEPP Comment: Not one measurement of pH is mentioned in the article. A lessening of alkalinity in the water is making it more corrosive? How did marine life survive when the atmosphere was far richer in CO2 than today?]
Agriculture Issues & Fear of Famine
Science supporting abundant, nourishing food for a growing civilization
By Staff Writers, Indianapolis IN (SPX), Sep 17, 2013
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by NIPCC
For a full list of articles see www.NIPCCreport.org
CMIP5 Modeling of Extreme Precipitation in Europe
Reference: Van Haren, R., van Oldenborgh, G.J., Lenderink, G. and Hazeleger, W. 2013. Evaluation of modeled changes in extreme precipitation in Europe and the Rhine basin. Environmental Research Letters 8: 10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/014053.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/2013/sep/17sep2013a1.html
[SEPP Comment: Models do not have a predictive capability.]
Evolutionary Adaptation to Rising Atmospheric CO2 Concentration
Reference: Frenck, G., van der Linden, L., Mikkelsen, T.N., Brix, H. and Jorgensen, R.B. 2013. Response to multi-generational selection under elevated [CO2] in two temperature regimes suggests enhanced carbon assimilation and increased reproductive output in Brassica napus L. Ecology and Evolution 3: 1163-1172.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/2013/sep/17sep2013a3.html
The Repetitive Bleaching of Corals: Can Any Good Come from It?
Reference: Penin, L., Vidal-Dupiol, J. and Adjeroud, M. 2013. Response of coral assemblages to thermal stress: are bleaching intensity and spatial patterns consistent between events. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 185: 5031-5042.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/2013/sep/18sep2013a2.html
Purple Sea Urchins: Primed for Rapid Evolution in Acidifying Seas
Reference: Pespeni, M.H., Sanford, E., Gaylord, B., Hill, T.M., Hosfelt, J.D., Jaris, H.K., LaVigne, M., Lenz, E.A., Russell, A.D., Young, M.K. and Palumbi, S.R. 2013. Evolutionary change during experimental ocean acidification. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 110: 6937-6942.
http://nipccreport.org/articles/2013/sep/18sep2013a3.html
The Political Games Continue
Senate support unravels for Obama’s energy nominee
By Blake Neff, The Hill, Sep 20, 2013
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/323559-senate-support-unravels-for-ferc-nominee
Successful House Climate Hearings…Rep. McKinley: Denying The Poor Affordable Energy Is “An Abuse Of Authority”
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Sep 19, 2013
Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Taxes
A win for Australia! Government scraps Climate Commission.
Taxpayers rejoice! The science-propaganda agency is gone for good. One down — scores to go.
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Sep 19, 2013
http://joannenova.com.au/2013/09/australian-government-scraps-climate-commission/#more-30734
EPA and other Regulators on the March
EPA releases draft rules to cut emissions from power plans
By Julian Hattem, The Hill, Sep 20, 2013
Bracewell & Giuliani’s Segal previews EPA’s reproposal of new source standards
Transcript by Staff Writers, Sep 18, 2013
http://www.eenews.net/tv/videos/1725/transcript
[SEPP Comment: EPA claims of commercially available carbon capture and storage are false.]
EPA’s Anti-Coal Policies are adverse to human health and welfare
By Frank Clemente, Energy Facts Weekly, Sep 19, 2013
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=29bc7d5d85828d574f86c157a&id=c44c61db02&e=
New Rules On Power Plants Will Kill Coal Industry
Editorial, IBD, Sep 20, 2013
Mississippi Coal Plant Overruns Show Risks of Carbon Rule
By Mark Drajem, Bloomberg, Sep 19, 2013
The EPA’s War on America
By Alan Caruba, Warning Signs, Sep 17, 2013
http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-epas-war-on-america.html
Vitter slams EPA after mining giant abandons Alaskan project
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Sep 16, 2013
EPA looks to clarify regulations on streams
By Julian Hattem, The Hill, Sep 17, 2013
Link to Report: Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence (External Review Draft)
By Staff Writers, EPA, Sept 19, 2013
http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=238345
[SEPP Comment: Wet leaves on forest floors on private lands, without water, have been defined as “waters of the United States” and subject to Federal control.]
Energy Issues – Non-US
Energy Projects Seem Less Urgent in A Post-Energy-Crisis World
By Geoffrey Styles, Energy Tribune, Sep 18, 2013
Unlocking the Potential of ‘Flammable Ice’
By Henry Fountain, NYT, Sep 16, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/science/earth/unlocking-the-potential-of-flammable-ice.html?_r=0
Energy Issues — US
Energizing America: Good Energy Policy and Its Economic Impacts
By Mary Leschper, Energy Tomorrow, Sep 18, 2013
Energy Production Up In Spite Of Obama, Not Because Of Him
Editorial, IBD, Sep 16, 2013
Liquefied Natural Profits
The United States and the Remaking of the Global Energy Economy
By Amy Meyers Jaffe and Edward L. Morse, Foreign Affairs, Sep 16, 2013 [H/t GWPF]
Oil Production in North Dakota Keeps Gaining, but Increased Flaring Threatens Regulatory Action
By Tim Daiss and Michael Economides, Energy Tribune, Sep 17, 2013
http://www.energytribune.com/79227/oil-production-in-north-dakota-keeps-gaining#sthash.s9fttWhd.dpbs
Washington’s Control of Energy
Build, Baby, Build
Why Keystone XL Makes Economic and Environmental Sense
By Jonathan Kay, Foreign Affairs, Jun 2, 2013
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139431/jonathan-kay/build-baby-build
Keystone pipeline mysteries:
6 reasons to approve the stalled project.
By Merrill Matthews, USA Today, Sep 5, 2013 [H/t NCPA]
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/09/04/keystone-pipeline-obama-us-economy-column/2768185/
[SEPP Comment: Three of the four components have been, or are being, built. Washington stands in the way of the fourth.]
Obama’s Climate Plan Calls for Making Excess Carbon a Crime—Eventually
By Brad Wieners, Bloomberg, Sep 20, 2013 [H/t Junk Science]
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
More bad news for the green lobby: No, fracking does not release outrageous amounts of methane, says new study
By Erika Johnsen, Hot Air, Sep 16, 2013 [H/t Timothy Wise]
Link to paper: Measurements of methane emissions at natural gas production sites in the United States
By Allen, et al. PNAS, Sep 16, 2013
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/09/10/1304880110
Environmentalist-Funded Study Confirms Safety Of Fracking
Editorial, IBD, Sep 18, 2013
Nuclear Energy and Fears
Double nuclear by 2040 says Exxon
World electricity demand is likely to grow by over 80% by 2040, and nuclear energy capacity will need to double to help to meet it, according to figures from Exxon Mobil. The company’s analysis triggered a lively exchange at the WNA Annual Symposium in London
By Staff Writers, WNN, Sep 13, 2013
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/EE-Double_nuclear_by_2040_says_Exxon-1309138.html
Japan nuclear-free as last reactor switched off
By Staff Writers, Tokyo (AFP), Sept 16, 2013
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Japan_nuclear-free_as_last_reactor_switched_off_999.html
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind
Ice Bear
By Donn Dears, Power for USA, Sep 17, 2013
http://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/ice-bear/
Renewables Religion Is Dangerous
By Jim Cramer: Real Money, Sep 17, 2013 [H/t Paul Redfern]
Renewable Energy to Represent One-Fifth of the Global Installed Capacity by 2030
By Staff Writers, London, UK (SPX). Sep 17, 2013
[SEPP Comment: If they are so successful, they do not need subsidies and mandates.]
Policy issues plague hydropower as wind power backup
By Staff Writers, University Park PA (SPX), Jun 28, 2013
http://www.winddaily.com/reports/Policy_issues_plague_hydropower_as_wind_power_backup_999.html
[SEPP Comment: Physical issues such as strain on turbines are a problem as well.]
Wind investments blow Pickens off the Forbes 400 list
By Breanna Deutsch, Daily Caller, Sep 16, 2013
[SEPP Comment: After losing some $150 million, Pickens recognizes that the jobs are in oil and gas.]
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Energy — Other
Algae Biofuel Can Cut CO2 Emissions by up to 68 Percent Compared to Petrol
By Staff Writers, Minneapolis MN (SPX), Sep 20, 2013
[SEPP Comment: If the financials are a rosy as the article implies, the technology needs no subsidies or mandates.]
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Vehicles
Not Even Fisker’s Fire Sale Can Dampen DOE Enthusiasm for ‘Investments’
By Paul Chesser, NL&PC, Sep 19, 2013
http://nlpc.org/stories/2013/09/19/not-even-fiskers-fire-sale-can-dampen-doe-enthusiasm-investments
Carbon Schemes
Artificial lung to remove carbon dioxide — from smokestacks
By Staff Writers, Indianapolis IN (SPX), Sep 14, 2013
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Artificial_lung_to_remove_carbon_dioxide_from_smokestacks_999.html
Carbon farming schemes should consider multiple cobenefits
By Staff Writers, Washington DC (SPX), Sep 17, 2013
http://www.seeddaily.com/reports/Carbon_farming_schemes_should_consider_multiple_cobenefits_999.html
California Dreaming
Calculating the carbon footprint of California’s products
By Staff Writers, Chicago IL (SPX), Sep 16, 2013
http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Calculating_the_carbon_footprint_of_Californias_products_999.html
[SEPP Comment: Then come the taxes.]
Health, Energy, and Climate
Better US air quality since 1990 offers health benefits
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Sep 19, 2013
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/09/19/better-us-air-quality-since-1990-offers-health-benefits/
Link to paper: The State of US Health, 1990-2010 Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors
By numerous authors, JAMA, Aug 14, 2013
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1710486
Environmental Industry
Dixon in the dock?
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Sep 17, 2013
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2013/9/17/dixon-in-the-dock.html
[SEPP Comment: Exposing a conflict of interest that occurred when a leader of an environmental organization was also a regulator of an energy company.]
Sierra Club chief: Energy bill a test of ‘how crazy’ Congress has become
By Ben Geman, The Hill, Sep 16, 2013
[SEPP Comment: No longer getting their way.]
Other Scientific News
Delays, poor satellite management to leave US with data holes
By Julian Hattem, The Hill, Sep 19, 2013
Earth’s wobble “fixes” dinner for marine organisms
By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research, Princeton NJ (SPX) Sep 18, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Earths_wobble_fixes_dinner_for_marine_organisms_999.html
Link to paper: Changes in North Atlantic nitrogen fixation controlled by ocean circulation
By Straub, et al. Nature, Aug 21, 2013
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v501/n7466/full/nature12397.html
Life found in the sediments of an Antarctic subglacial lake for the first time
By Staff Writers, London, UK (SPX), Sep 15, 2013
[SEPP Comment: Contrary to the article, the temperature is rising on the Antarctic Peninsula, not the South Pole.]
Other News that May Be of Interest
How the newest diesel engines emit very little greenhouse gas nitrous oxide
By Staff Writers, Richland WA (SPX), Sep 16, 2013
Overpopulation Is Not the Problem
By Erle Ellis, NYT, Sep 13, 2013 [H/t Tom Sheahen]
Falling population, more wilderness in 2100
By Matt Ridley, His Blog, Sep 15, 2013
http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/falling-population,-more-wilderness-in-2100.aspx
[SEPP Comment: Islamic countries are a major exception to significantly declining fertility rates.]
Jumping insect has first ‘mechanical gears’ found in nature
By Staff Writers, Cambridge, England (UPI), Sep 12, 2013
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Jumping_insect_has_first_mechanical_gears_found_in_nature_999.html
[SEPP Comment: Certain microbes have ‘mechanical gears.’]
################################################
BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
‘Grassroots action’ in livestock feeding to help curb global climate change
By Staff Writers, Sydney, Australia (SPX), Sep 17, 2013
Hansen: Europe standing tall against rogue state of Canada
By Luboš Motl, The Reference Frame, Sep 18, 2013
http://motls.blogspot.com/2013/09/hansen-europe-standing-tall-against.html#more
###################################################
“Met Office fails to acknowledge their model is overly sensitive”
Unsurprising, since CAGW predictions depend on a high climate sensitivity.
What really works in contrast for explaining the past (including the LIA, the heat in the late 1930s, the 1960s-1970s global cooling scare, the global warming scare, and the “pause”) is a very low climate sensitivity (not higher than estimates in the range of those done by Dr. Idso and Dr. Shaviv) combined with a number of times larger solar-related forcing than variation in near-constant TSI alone, via change in cloud cover percentage and cloud height, enough W/m^2 that it has a blatant effect even with the low climate sensitivity, unlike CO2 emissions (as illustrated in http://img176.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=81829_expanded_overview_122_424lo.jpg ).
“Japan nuclear-free as last reactor switched off”
Sad. The much hyped radioisotope releases into the ocean, while an unfortunate result of not having more remote-controlled equipment for doing work at the site, are still minuscule compared to the radioactivity of the literally billions of tons of natural radioisotopes (uranium, potassium-40, and others) in the ocean.
“The EPA actions demonstrates how Federal agencies work together to expand regulatory power. In making the announcement, EPA administrator McCarthy made a number of questionable statements including: “that reducing the amount of carbon [dioxide] pollution in the atmosphere would protect clean air, drinkable water, the world’s food supply and reduce the amount of extreme weather across the globe.””
***************
Is this woman kidding me?
Given that a good chunk of our food supply is produced through plant agriculture and that CO2 is plant food, it boggles the mind trying to understand how reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is supposed to “protect” our food supply. Is she aware that CO2 helps plants use water more efficiently?
Extreme weather across the globe? Has this brilliant light bulb of an EPA administrator noticed the absence of hurricanes that have made landfall here in the United States and elsewhere? And what does drinkable water have to do with CO2?
The distortion of science and facts in that statement would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic. More and more, the Obama Administration is giving me reason to tear hair out of my head…..if I had any left on top to tear out. God help us.
“Japan nuclear-free as last reactor switched off”
———————————-
“However, the nuclear-free energy is expected to only be temporary, with industry projections pointing to reactor restarts as soon as December.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-15/an-japan-nuclear-free/4958932
These last few months have made me feel increasingly optimistic. It appears that we are on the verge of the wheels finally coming off this cart. The word is out… there has been NO WARMING for a long time, what warming there was was completely within naturally observed warming in the past, and CO2 DOES NOT DRIVE CLIMATE.
Soon enough, the general population will see that climate change/global warming/weather weirding meme as what it is. Once the dam breaks, it will wash away everything in its path.
I have yet to see a convincing argument for the mechanism by which atmospheric heat is drawn down thousands of feet into the deep ocean. So I searched & found this….”withdrawn from the meeting?” I’d say that the science clearly isn’t settled. If these fools who call themselves “scientists” think the public will keep buying this stuff, I’ll have some unpleasant news for them soon.
https://ams.confex.com/ams/19Fluid17Middle/webprogram/Paper226746.html
12.2 How does heat get into the deep ocean?
– Indicates paper has been withdrawn from meeting
Thursday, 20 June 2013: 8:15 AM
How does heat get into the deep ocean?
Viking Salons ABC (The Hotel Viking)
J. D. Zika, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom; and A. J. G. Nurser and A. C. Naveira-Garabato
Recorded Presentation
The role of the ocean’s overturning circulation in transporting heat vertically is uncertain. Classical theories describe a thermally direct circulation where cold water downwells and warmer water upwells, cooling the deep ocean. More recently, the upper limb of the overturning circulation has been described as adiabatic, where water downwells and upwells at the same temperature leading to little vertical transport of heat. Here, possible states of the overturning circulation are described ranging from thermally direct to a combination of thermally direct and mechanically direct. In the latter case relatively warm water of the upper limb is pumped downward and mixes in the deep ocean with cold waters of the lower limb. The various states have contrasting driving mechanisms and imply contrasting climate sensitivity. A range of multi-millennial climate simulations and forced eddying ocean hindcasts are diagnosed. Apparently credible simulations can exhibit the full range of states. Strategies are proposed for determining which models and hence which thermodynamic state best represents the real ocean.
I’m glad to see more SEPP comments appended to the links. I hope this trend continues. They’re informative.
The BBC seems to have put up a graph that shows no warming over the last hundred years. Is it a trick?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24173504
Talking about AR5 Professor Peterson says…
“It is a major feat that we have been able to produce such a document which is such an adequate assessment of the science. That being said, it is virtually unreadable!”
Come to think of it, cuddly Professor Brian Cox has been doing trailers recently regarding science, politics and public perception. No mention of CAGW yet but you never know…
The swines at the BBC have changed the movie at the top of their AR5 piece. The original movie had David Shukman saying how the climate was in chaos and practically unpredictable. It is now much watered down.
I suggest that the type size of headings (like “Reviews of the New NIPCC Report”) be increased a bit, so they will stand out more from the titles of individual entries.
Yesterday Professor Susan Greenfield, a neuroscientist, was interviewed by Mark Tully on a BBC Sunday morning programme about the role of reason vs religion in science. What made me sit up was her quote from Michael Faraday that “nothing is quite as frightening as someone who knows thay are right”.
She disliked the rigidity of thought that is not open to alternative ways of seeing thing, and had a “fixed credo”. A scientist needed a mind open to new ideas and hypotheses.
Maybe some BBC pundits should have listened to this programme.
The EPA is out of control. It’s a poster child for sunsetting all federal agencies after 10 years and forcing an audit of their regulations, expenses, cost to the economy, etc., versus the purported benefits of the regulations.
There is definitely a problem here in the US with a president who absolutely thinks CO2 is poison gas. My theory is he is staking out radical positions to stay in the limelight and increase his value as a speaker and writer when he leaves the office, which can’t come too soon for me.
It is going to take a while for this leveling off in temperatures to sink in. Having been evident for a while, we finally had a confluence of events to bring it to the forefront including increases in polar ice, the UNIPCC’s pending report and Obama’s insistence on destroying the coal industry and throwing thousands of middle class families into poverty.
“Quote of the Week: A difficult question for the climate science community is, how is it that this broad community of researchers — full of bright and thoughtful people — allowed intolerant activists who make false claims to certainty to become the public face of the field? – Roger Pielke, Jr.”
Pielke is so naive. The climate science community is a construct brought forth by the exact same powers who created the Enviro NGO industry. And he didn’t notice all these years?
StephenP says:
September 23, 2013 at 6:23 am
“Yesterday Professor Susan Greenfield, a neuroscientist, was interviewed by Mark Tully on a BBC Sunday morning programme about the role of reason vs religion in science. What made me sit up was her quote from Michael Faraday that “nothing is quite as frightening as someone who knows they are right”.
She disliked the rigidity of thought that is not open to alternative ways of seeing thing, and had a “fixed credo”. A scientist needed a mind open to new ideas and hypotheses.”
This is a standard that progressive scientists are only capable of applying to others. They appear to have no power at all to apply these standards to themselves. I have observed that in some cases they may be unaware that they are strictly following personally held assumptions, and excluding others who can bring broader discussions and careful questions of the assumptions they are favoring.
Progressive scientists, to be clear, are capable of expressing scientific standards very eloquently and compellingly, and they are capable of applying them in narrowly defined and carefully selected circumstances, but not to themselves. The ideal of truly beginning from a Socratic position of assuming that we know so very little, and following evidence, and checking for disproof at each step, and having several alternative explanations, or admitting the data is not sufficient, is merely a magickal talisman they display for appearances’ sake. It works well to say such things to the public, which prefers to trust experts. But progressive scientists will only perform one function and that is to affirm their own ideologies. They love Thomas Kuhn because he gives carte blanche to a “community of experts” to generate a “paradigm” in all subjects, and to buttress it with selective science. The greenhouse gas paradigm is but one example. Thomas Kuhn’s scientific philosophy of “paradigm shifts” in science is at the root of this top down, exclusively ideological, activist science.
The Australian ABC actually mentioned the ‘pause’ today, for the first time. They also had a shot of Andrew Montford blogging! Is something happening to the MSM?