A summary from Dr. Benny Peiser’s daily newsletter:
Delay is preferable to error.
–Thomas Jefferson
A world treaty on climate change will be delayed by up to a year and is likely to be watered down because countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions are refusing to commit to legally binding reductions. The admission that no treaty will be signed at Copenhagen marks the failure of the process agreed at a UN meeting in Bali in December 2007, when industrialised countries agreed to deliver a binding climate-change agreement within two years.
–Ben Webster, The Times, 6 November 2009
Nitin Desai, a member of Manmohan Singh’s council on climate change and a former top UN official, said a hard-nosed concession-based negotiation to reach a global consensus on how to combat global warming would likely founder.
–James Lamont, Financial Times, 6 November 2009
The deadline for 192 countries to complete a new global-warming accord may slip by as much as one year, as negotiators hold back on pledges to slash emissions or pay financial aid to poor nations.
–Alex Morales, Bloomberg, 6 November 2009
We must all be willing to disagree about climate change; and respect each other for it.
–Mike Hulme, 5 November 2009
A British judge has decided that belief in human influence on climate has the status of religious conviction. This is being celebrated as a success by some activists. As a scientist who works on climate change, I find it deeply alarming. Is Jeremy Clarkson similarly entitled to protection if he declares himself a conscientious objector and wants to keep his 4×4?
–Myles Allen, The Guardian, 5 November 2009
The Times newspaper says it won’t be repeating an advertisement that contained a false and misleading piece of environmental alarmism. The advert, part of a series boasting its eco-credentials, claimed that the world’s oceans would be free of fish by 2048. Boris Pope had made the claim in a 2006 paper in Science, which despite its reputation as a prestigious peer-reviewed journal, has a weakness for publishing shoddy junk science on environmental subjects. He’s since recanted.
–Andrew Orlowski, The Register, 6 November 2009
Politicians use drama to build support and gain a reaction from the public. Look at the “Weapons of Mass Destruction” campaign over the Iraq war. And certain climate change activists have distorted facts about global warming, appealing to sentiment rather than logic, to scare citizens into believing their theories of impending apocalypse. Such tactics have undermined the scientific credibility of their argument but may still carry the day, enforcing a terrifying upheaval to our way of life. Their persuasive narrative – even if it is wrong – shows starkly the power of emotion.
–Luke Johnson, Financial Times, 3 November 2009
(1) ALL HOPE IS LOST FOR COPENHAGEN CLIMATE TREATY, BRITISH OFFICIALS SAY
Ben Webster, The Times, 6 November 2009
(2) INDIAN GOVERNMENT ADVISER WARNS CLIMATE TALKS COULD FAIL
James Lamont in Delhi, Financial Times, 6 November 2009
(3) NEW CLIMATE TREATY LIKELY TO BE DELAYED INDEFINIETLY AS NATIONS ‘PLAY GAMES’
Alex Morales, Bloomberg, 6 November 2009
(4) OPINION: THE QUIET DEATH OF THE KYOTO PROTOCOL
Samuel Thernstrom, The American, 5 November 2009
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Copenhagen not happening = good
maybe there is a link:
Massive ice slab = global cooling
Must be one of these:
http://nsidc.org/data/iceshelves_images/ross_w_loc.html
The image shows many lesser and several greater pieces of the Ross Ice Shelf. Dated January 2003 “…eight or nine years ago…”
What is a sheet of brittle ice supposed to do when the water it is floating on lifts and falls?
“I believe that reality is FINALLY starting to set in.”
One way or the other, reality will prevail in the acrimonious court of ‘who pays’.
A large part of me says the technical work and perseverance of Steve Mac has had a bearing on this. Who knows whether ‘institutionalised science’ would have done the same by this time. Let’s not specualate – just appreciate the warm feeling that the scientific method can prevail over political soundbites, even if it takes a little time.
The work that ‘A’ has done in raising and publicising issues should be appreciated in equal measure.
What was the Tipping Point? Boxer’s bungle in the Senate or India & China’s refusal to do anything; or, perhaps, just the realisation of the enormity of the cost.
I don’t think China and India are bad guys – I think they’re the sane guys.
George E. Smith (15:29:01) :
Mark Wagner (13:59:41) :
Jeeze, George! I guess you two must be friends. Nothing else explains you unloading on Mark otherwise.
Now, say something nice.
Expect the Green Shirts to start getting more uppity.
Is that statue the slave child of Thomas Jefferson?
The picture is “lille havsfru” ( I think that is what it is called in danish). It has its own very special history with cut off head and other weird sabotage.
In the background you see Sweden which is just cut off from denmark by a very narrow ocean which take about 20 min to bass with a ferry between Helsingborg and Helsingör( which is roughly 100 km north of Copenhagen)
One interesting thing about Denmark and sweden is that the southern part of sweden, for example the Skåne which is visible in the background, was dansih until 1658. That year, ort the year before that(cant remember exactly) Denmark declared war on Sweden while the swedish army was in Germany. Since denmark consists of roguhly 50% islands and Copenhangen is on an island it can onyl be attacked from sea. But during this winter it was so cold, even this far south that the swedish army could march towards Copenhagen over the sea ice which where strong enough to carry horses this far south. And as most of you know, who are regular visitor on this page, the 17th century suffered from the little ice age ( which do not exist according to Mann). Thanks to ( I am not sure if it is good or bad thoug) the little ice age and unprecedented frocen seas Sweden where able to recapture this land area which has been swedish since 1658.
Anyhow, Philip you were caught cherry-picking
No cherry picking. No data to cherry pick. Just Just pointing out that icebergs in an area far north of Antarctica where they haven’t been seen before, and with little melting, being evidence for global warming is rather stretching credulity.
But if you want to believe this is evidence for global warming, I say go for it. Because belief is clearly much more important in this debate than rational evaluation of evidence.
“Copenhagen – not happening”
Is this a worldwide outbreak of sanity or just the appearance of sanity.
Dan (15:31:36) : “Before painting China and India as bad guys, it’s important to note that China has 17 large nuclear power reactors under construction and India has 6.”
As far as I’m concerned, they’re about the only “good guys” in this whole mess:
(1) They’re busily raising large numbers of human beings out of poverty, which is something the whole world should be doing.
(2) Their pragmatism is a major obstacle to the wave of stupidity threatening the so-called advanced industrial nations (“Hey, they’re not sacrificing for the Goreacle, why should we?”).
If the West really does commit eco-suicide, I take some comfort that patches of relative sanity will survive elsewhere. They deserve all the rewards they’ll reap from our idiocy. More power (heh heh) to ’em!
Ack (14:00:22) :
Well, they’ve already done Bali and Rio.
Acapulco? Tahiti? Isle of Capri?
Somehow, they never seem to end up in Detroit or Manchester.
The reason for this? Environmental nimbyism. From waste incinerators to nuclear power, low risk technological solutions are discarded. Everyone loves modernity, but nobody wants it in their back garden. On the other hand through neccessity here in the UK, we are selling our electricity industry to the French, because they have had the brains to develop and maintain a high technology nuclear power industry.
But on the OP, that Copenhagan was going to be a massive flop was obvious from the start. It’s interesting and somewhat amusing to me that the alarmism has peaked (I would say it peaked last year) at just around the time the temperature levelled off and may indeed be falling. If I believed in God, I would say he has a great sense of humour ;).
But they will have to go through the charade. After all, the world was going to end in 50 days.
Now, they cannot NOT turn up to the funeral.
I would hold off the celebrations for the moment. We seem to have reached a phase where the climate profiteers and their dumb lackeys will plumb any depth to sell a carbon credit. Although I do have one suggestion if Copenhagen is a no-go … Take the money that the (?) 20,000 professional box tickers would have spent in Copenhagen and use it to raise one selected ‘third world’ country out of poverty.
I bet you could build the entire basic infrastructure (water, sewerage, power) of said country using only the Wine, Lobster and ‘additional expenses’ budget. As an additional bonus the reduction in hot air will help us move more quickly into the cooling phase. Most of us are a winner.
It may be just me but it seems like the propaganda is going beyond shrill and rapidly heading for “hey if it gets the job done then just make (sh)it up”?
Gore, seeing the possibility that his investments are at risk suggests that a bit of ‘non-violent lawbreaking’ never did anyone any harm.
Al we feel for you we really do. It must be heartbreaking to watch European markets heading to $100 billion (pdf) while your own can’t get off the ground. Loved the section title … ‘Cashing in on Carbon During the Credit Crunch’, gives me that warm fuzzy ‘saving the planet’ feeling all over.
On the same day, same paper we have the agony of the victims as we delay action..
Do these people have no shame? Busily saving the planet one scammed dollar at a time.
The big future problem that I see emerging from growing climate reality is that those who really need help most, the ‘third world’ are likely to be the only innocent victims long term. Can’t see myself shedding a tear for Al or any of the ‘first world’ climate scammers having lost their investment but, after this, I will also never back ‘third world’ charities such as Oxfam.
Would be funny if China comes out at Copenhagen and says
translated: “Our top scientists have found that AGW is nothing more than a western hoax, our top psychologists advise us that Al Gore displays the behavior of another fat american conman”
I was robbed ! When the forum was closed on the “status of religion” for AGW in the UK before I got the chance to ask the question:
What exactly does the status of religion mean for a movement?
Does it mean that they are protected from having to explain themselves, but at the same time, they don’t have the right to impose thier religious convictions about climate by force of law?
And in the US, would it mean that the law looks upon thier views as a belief, but not as factual in the present tense?
I’m looking for the implications that this might have on laws, or separation of church & state.
Or take the money that was invested in goverment control of energy laws and use it to clean up toxic spills and polluted lands/waters.
I never had a problem with the SuperFund concept. Picking up the garbage is ok by me. Spring cleaning, Gaia scrubbing, that sort of stuff. Cleaning the oil off of birds and animals when a spill occurs. Catching the toxic wastes that are dumped irresponsibly. You know, the real Green stuff that should be done.
Hire lots of people who have no jobs and do something useful instead of hijacking our weather and forcing everyone back to the Dark Ages of fuedalism.
No on Green Greed.
Yes on Cleanup on Aisle #4.
Wake up guys, those behind the scam are a tough bunch of characters and they won’t back off. They will try to set the political frame work (which is the most vicious part of the treaty) and fill in the details later.
Don’t let the media sprinkle sand in your eyes and stay vigilant.
They don’t need to make arrangement up to the year 2050.
So I think they will try to set up a deal for 20% in Co2 reductions by 2020.
It will come as bad as it comes. Don’t forget they’ve invested almost 100 billion dollars in this hoax and they want “value for the money”.
What they can’t finish in Copenhagen will be finished in Mexico.
Yesterday during a visit of the Royal Dutch Family to Mexico the Prins of the Netherlands held a speech about Global Warming.
He only speaks about a subject when success is assured.
There will be a tremendous pressure on the US Government from abroad and there already is a tremendous pressure on the Decision Makers in Washington so despite what the Press is stating, Copenhagen could go anywhere.
So watch it.
I’m truly heartbroken over this. I mean, truly, my heart bleeds. We have to wait one more year before another worthless “Chicken Little” conference takes place? The inhumanity. I mean, I thought that this was absolutely critical, isn’t that what the UN Gen. Sec. said? Well, what good will the conference be now when no one is alive to attend? Or are they going to rent Kevin Costner’s raft and search for the last spit of land?
With all the hype they threw on this conference, there is but one term to use: Epic Fail. By that I mean it only gives more time for the skeptics to continue de-programming the brain-washed masses who have yet consumed the kool-aid. This is one more nail in their coffin. You don’t preach about the dire need for an event only to cancel because you can’t get a couple of kids to play. Keep up the pressure everyone, the broadfront strategy is working.
Re: jerker Andersson (15:59:30)
This summer I saw The Little Mermaid from the opposite view, from a tourist boat which got close enough to get a good look at dozens of tourists on the shore taking photos.
During the tour I asked the guide if Copenhagen had sea ice, which was on my mind since I had seen ice breakers in another Baltic harbor, and he quickly and dismissively said that the sea did not freeze there. He was young, and had no appreciation of history.
Those who gather in Copenhagen in early December have no understanding of history, either.
China and India are not the only “good” guys. As of this week, Japan started burning plutonium in their power reactors.
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/ENF-Japan_starts_using_MOX_fuel-0511094.html
And they have a healthy development program for fast breeder technology.
Ack (14:00:22) :
“Gives the participants another chance to have more big parties next year.”
Far less expensive than what they have in mind for the rest of us.
What exactly does the status of religion mean for a movement?
It means they can do things that are irrational, unscientific, and not supported by the evidence without being legally liable for the consequences.
Rather appropriate if you ask me.
An example is not vaccinating a child say for polio. If the child gets polio then the parents could be criminally negligent in not vaccinating their child. But if the parents claim they didn’t vaccinate because of religous belief then that would be a valid defence.
Maybe there is some hope afterall. What an incredible waste.