What are we teaching our children?
Guest post by Russ Steele, NCwatch
Ellen and I spent the day at the new California Academy of Science building yesterday and really enjoyed the experience, except for the crowds. I break out in crowds. With spring break in full force, there were hordes of children, the lines to the tropical rain forest sphere, the aquarium, bugs in 3D, and the planetarium were long. One display that did not receive much attention was the global warming, save the planet from global warming display. Or, as it was properly labeled the Ocean Warming display.
The interactive display to save the polar bear cub, by creating more ice by reducing greenhouse gases was empty the three times I passed by the booth. [A carbon] “hockey stick” was is full view.
There was a clever device to demonstrate the value of carbon credits to off set the family carbon foot print stood unused except for one young man and his dad. There was no pushing and shoving to observe these displays or use the interactive tools.
For the most part these displays were ignored, except for a few casual observers seeking refuge from the long lines at the real science displays. This lack of interest and participation seems to reflect the recent Gallup Polls indicating people are not really concerned about global warming, or ocean warming either. It could be our children have caught on to the scam, or they have reached global warming overload for the school lessons, and want some real science for change of pace.
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J Hansford – journalists don’t do science, they do newspaper sales.
DR (16:18:55) :
“Climate models, using typical presumed scenarios of climate forcings for the
past century, suggest that the planet should be out of energy balance by +0.75 ± 0.25 W/m2, but observations of ocean heat content change (averaged over the 11-year solar cycle) suggest an imbalance of only +0.5 ± 0.25 W/m2 (absorbed solar energy exceeding heat radiation to space).”
Anyone else notice the ‘suggested’ imbalance is exactly the margin of error? Wattsupwiththat?
Mr. Watts,
I don’t know about anyone else here, but if you sold a device that could measure CO2, I would buy it. Of course, I have no idea how expensive they are, but you probably do. Are they absurdly expensive?
REPLY: Cheapest ones are about $500, but they only have a +/- 50PPM accuracy. Useful for monitoring industrial environs, not so useful scientifically.
http://www.zefon.com/store/tsi-7515-iaq-calc-carbon-dioxide-co2-meter.html
REPLY: Cheapest ones are about $500, but they only have a +/- 50PPM accuracy. Useful for monitoring industrial environs, not so useful scientifically.
That’s too bad. Ever since this whole thing started I have wanted to check the air here in Ohio out. You know, a measure in my neighborhood, one in an urban area, one in Hocking Hills. Guess I’ll have to keep saving, or hope for a government grant… 🙂
Slightly OT, but on the points about science being used for indoctrination, can I commend the following site to your readers:
http://www.aqa.org.uk/qual/newgcses/science/new/physics_materials.php?id=03&prev=03&tabid=2
It lists past question papers for various science GCSE papers (British High School leaving exams)
Further can I refer the good readers to the March 2008 Unit 1a Physics (Energy and Electricity) question paper. This is what my son, and thousands of other British high school children like him, is being taught. Frightens the proverbial out of me.
One expects the media to be sceptical and challenge the status quo, yet for some reason world wide climate and science reporters for all the major newspapers have bought in to the IPCC world view, we need to know why.
Its been reported that 70% of journalists (even on Fox News) have a socialist inclination, does this have a bearing on the lack of media scepticism about the claims of the Hansen Gore IPCC ideology. Probably
Or does it reflect the relative young age of most science /climate reporters, who are low on the pecking order, and the shallow science Education they have received.
Does it reflect a political agenda from the owners and editors who perceive that alarmism sells papers better than trying to explain real science, and the huge uncertainties in the climate debate.
Ohioholic
We went through this exercise a few months ago here. The cheapest that would have any sort of meaningful accuracy was about 2000$ The ones Ernst Beck uses are more like 4000$
I dont know if such a thing would find its way on to ebay?
Tonyb
Christopher Booker’s just kicked a big hole in the sea level story.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/5067351/Rise-of-sea-levels-is-the-greatest-lie-ever-told.html
He’s quoting Nils-Axel Mörner.
“One of his most shocking discoveries was why the IPCC has been able to show sea levels rising by 2.3mm a year. Until 2003, even its own satellite-based evidence showed no upward trend. But suddenly the graph tilted upwards because the IPCC’s favoured experts had drawn on the finding of a single tide-gauge in Hong Kong harbour showing a 2.3mm rise. The entire global sea-level projection was then adjusted upwards by a “corrective factor” of 2.3mm, because, as the IPCC scientists admitted, they “needed to show a trend”.
If this is true, then it’s a real smoking gun.
I think I’ll drop it into the maw of “Unreal Climate”. Any bets on it being a) censored or b) heavily denied with a big ad-hom on the good Danish Dr?
From the article. . .
This would be an ideal time for some Realist origanizations to demand “equal time” at this conference. Perhaps Senator Inhofe could be enlisted. They should say something like,
“We do not believe there is a crisis. We do not believe CO2 emissions present a problem. CO2 is good for plants, good for the Earth, and good for us! We have good scientific evidence that no man-made ‘global warming’ is occurring. And we know that all so-called ‘mitigation’ measures will be disasterous for the US and world economies. We demand that our side of this debate be heard at this conference!”
For some election cycles now the political parties have sent ‘Truth Squads’ to follow opponents around and create ‘corrective’ media events. How about organizing Climate Truth Squads to show up wherever the Alarmists are spouting forth?
As for propaganda exhibits like the one in California, have any of the commentators here sent official complaints to the museum authorities? Have they sent letters to the newspapers? This kind of outrageous distortion of science deserves resounding condemnation. It would be a good opportunity for a local Climate Truth Squad to create a steady stream of complaints, hold public meetings denouncing the exhibit, even demonstrate before it.
I’m as reluctant as anyone to get off my duff and engage in public protest, or any kind of confrontation. But I’d be willing to join an organization whose aim was to stand up for science in the face of its perversion by a political orthodoxy. There is strength in numbers, and the clock is ticking.
/Mr Lynn
In response to Rob’s earlier post about small birds in Ireland a recent radio item mentioned an increase in long tail tits due to warmer winters.
Strangely the survey was carried out this January, one of the coldest for years.
Mostly blue tits around here although, while trying to spot the thrush in the bush, I saw a pair of great tits hanging out by the pond.
Sadly I haven’t seen any coal tits this year. Perhaps they need a more politically correct name?
OT but very interesting! Looks like Earth Hour was really Mirth Hour in our part of the world as it was a complete bust. Power usage actually went up at 8:30! Thanks to all who actively particpated in Human Achievement Hour.
http://www.theimo.com/imoweb/siteShared/demand_price.asp?sid=ic
Anyone else check what actually happened at their power authority?
Mr. Lynn
I like your idea of some kind of “Truth Squad” to combat AGW mania. Like you, getting of my duff requires more and more effort but it would be well worth it. I am currently emailing my elected ‘representatives’ a couple of times a week and would encourage all to do the same. I would love to see some sort of pro-active response to the insanity of AGW. I mean, I enjoy the postings here but…what effect are we having on the potentially catastrophic policies being dreamed up in ‘smoke filled rooms’ by ignorant pols egged on by the AGW cult? Can we do more? I think so…
At least the war on prosperity is going well…
The building and display concept went the wrong way in examining ideas of pollution. Kids are attracted to grossology. If you want them to learn about something that is bad for you, they have to see it (preferably close up and with a microscope and it should look really hairy and monster like), smell it (it should smell really bad), touch it (it should have the consistency of throw-up), and dissect it (it should be like opening up a fresh chicken gizzard). Otherwise you end up with a display with too many words. Children learn, not through words, but through playing with gross stuff, like the debris from their own nose.
I have a book on experiments for 3rd through 5th graders that examines anything that can be made to explode, smoke, or look/smell really bad. These experiments are designed to discover basic biology and physics and how to apply these theories. Whenever we get to the regular science chapter on physics I throw the text out and get out my handy dandy grossology experiments book. Then after we are done making really gross things happen, I throw the text back at them. They read it with new enthusiasm.
There are ways to explore gross pollution that should lead children to understand these emissions should not be a part of our productivity. Soot comes to mind. And yes, the book of experiments covers the stuff you get out of your nose. That one is always popular with the boys.
Today, Obama announced an International Forum on Energy and Climate to be held in Washington in April.
His objective is to turn the December UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen into a success.
This step also allows him to concentrate on the establishment of a new Economic World Order during the upcoming G20 meeting.
How much slag are we going to give this crackpot of a President who is prepared to drop an atomic bomb on the economy.
Thousands of Americans having lost their houses already live in tents.
Are we risking the revival of the Civil War?
There is NO climate problem and there is no reason to shut down our economies.
This is “Change” nobody asked for.
http://climaterealists.com/news.php?id=3119
[snip – off color]
Part of the CAS display on AGW includes a bit about a mass extinction, drawing parallels of the present state to catastrophic worldwide extinction events such as “the big five” — K-T, Late Devonian, Triassic/Jurassic transition, Permian-Triassic transition, and Ordovician-Silurian.
I have colleagues in CAS. I pointed out to some of them that Cenozic climate variation such as the Eocene/Oligocene transition caused abrupt extinctions much more serious than now, but not as severe as the “big five.” It was hyperbolic and disingenuous to assert that the present condition is at all like the K-T event or other catastrophes.
The present extinctions (where documented) are on the species or genus level. I know of only one recent family level extinction and that was a relict dolphin (Baiji, Family Lipotidae) and that as caused by habitat loss, not climate change. I added that the worst-case scenarios postulated by the AGW crowd still fell well within Late Holocene normal climate fluctuations. A one meter rise in sea level over the next 100 years is insignificant when compared to the 100 meter drop in the Early Oligocene.
But, as per usual in this debate, even to learned scientists in the tank, the empirical data really doesn’t matter anymore.
Maybe the local “Truth Squad” can enhance the display. I wonder how much metal stands for truth panels would cost. I wonder how long such things would be left standing next to the official display.
Welcome to “spring” in frozen Kanada!
I did my part for “stupid hour.”
Here is what I did. (I have both solar and wind power to augment my grid power but I turned them off for the “stupid hour.”)
Last night at 8:30pm I started all my farm vehicles, turned on all my appliances, turned on all my lights, turned up the thermostat and opened a window, even though it was -15 C and there is still over four feet of snow in my fields and no sign of melting 8 days into “spring!!” SOMEONE had to make up for any loss of CO2 by “stupid hour!”
This is probably the most serious threat to humanity in our time. The study done on the “environmental” effect of a Prius vs. a Hummer is indicative of the farce being brainwashed into our children. Can you imagine the amount of coal and natural gas required to produce and distribute (along with the huge loss in transmission) enough electricity to charge up the inefficient “electric” and “hybrid” vehicles if everyone was forced to drive one? (Not to mention the vast costs to produce, and the environmental disaster that would be caused by the spent poisonous batteries!) We would need more than the 650 “dirty” coal fired power plants that China is currently constructing with NO outcry from the hypocritical and destructive “environmentalists!!”
A chart of CO2 for the past 500 million years shows that it is now at almost the lowest point in the studied geological history of the Earth. CO2 was vastly more concentrated during the last ICE AGE! What does that tell you?
I recently saw a show on Geographic channel where a huge icebreaker and a crew of “scientists” were hired by National Geographic to crash through extremely thick ice in the Arctic, TO “STUDY” HOW GLOBAL WARMING WAS CAUSING THE ICE TO THICKEN!! Even Geographic has bought into “junk science!”
Ohioholic (21:35:27) :
Probably what you’d like is an IR spectrometer. Ebay has three listed between $1,000 and $10,000. You’re a student, right? How old? You might try looking around your community for a hospital, business, or college that has one in their lab and might be willing to let you use it for a community-interest project or hire you as a lab tech for the summer (lab tech == testtube washer and petri dish cleaner). If you contact some vendors, they might tell who has their machines. If you’re really lucky, they might slip you in to a demo program and lend you one for a month.
If you’re really crazed, make one. Seriously. It can’t be that hard to make one that is good only for a single wavelength, and that’s all you need. You need an infrared source (light bulb), diffraction grating, CO2 sample containers (possibly a tube with IR-transparent – glass? plastic? germanium? – caps), an IR sensor (TV remote?), and power supplies and meters (Radio Shack). Any local Ham (Amateur radio operator) should be glad to help out or give you most of the electronics.
Someone made an Atomic Force Microscope using Legos for the structures, a single wavelength spectroscope ought to be doable and blow away any media types who get wind of it.
Actually, Ron, there is a climate problem. It’s the Sun.
And the attendant lack of activity.
Instead of preparing for upcoming consequences of colder climate, they are instead chasing a mirage, and playing silly games with energy economics.
They should be finding ways to conserve energy usage, as in addressing superfluous lighting, inefficient forms of transport, etc.
Globalized trade is the biggest energy hog ever invented.
“enough (10:57:08) :
Global Warming and Green House Gas Emissions are all about the politics of wealth redistribution(US left and UN). There supposed science is a smoke screen.”
What it really reminds me of is the Monty Python Robin Hood parody sketch…
“Steals from the poor, give to the rich”
DaveE.
My family and I were there 3/21, and spent about a half-hour at a table next to the AGW displays. We did not see a single person who appeared to give anything but a cursory, while-heading-elsewhere, look at any part of the displays in view from our seats. We heard no one comment on the displays while we stood in lines for the cafe closest to the AGW area. We did not look at any of it, but were predisposed to ignore it. Our family group spanned 3 generations of life-sciences enthusiasts.
Anthony.
You state the cheapest CO2 monitors have an accuracy of +/-50ppm.
What is their precision?
ie are they consistently out by that + or – 50ppm?
If they are consistent, they are still useful.
DaveE.
Somewhat OT: A PBS Nova episode, Extreme Ice” was broadcast last night in the Puget Sound area. It was an outrageous misrepresentation of what is happening in Alaska and Greenland. Some of the filming and data from 2008 was incorporated.
All contradictory research was ignored. There was no mention that Alaskan glaciers, the Juneau Ice Field, and Greenland Ice sheet gained mass in 2008.
I changed stations after 30 minutes rather than break my TV.
PASPORT Carbon Dioxide Gas Sensor $259
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Measure CO2 uptake during photosynthesis in a terrarium
Compare indoor vs. outdoor CO2 levels
Study cellular respiration of yeast
Conduct chemical reaction studies
Conduct qualitative comparisons of carbon dioxide concentrations up to 300,000 ppm.