Cameron backs out. So much for that attempt to sink skeptical arguments.
From King of the World to Chicken of the Sea: Director James Cameron challenges climate skeptics to debate and then bails out at last minute
Via the SPPI Blog, Source: Climatedepot
Hide the Debate: Cameron ducks Climate Debate with Breitbart, Morano, & McElhinney
by Marc Morano
ASPEN COLORADO: Hollywood director James Cameron challenged three high profile global warming skeptics to a public debate at a global warming and energy conference. But Cameron backed out of the debate at the last minute after environmentalists “came out of the woodwork” to warn him not to engage in a debate with skeptics because it was not in his best interest.
Cameron challenged Andrew Breitbart, Climate Depot’s Marc Morano and filmmaker Ann McElhinney of ‘Not Evil Just Wrong.’ The debate was already in the program for the Aspen American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY) summit. The website program described the agreed to debate as “AREDAY Climate Change Debate: Reality or Fiction?” (see image below)
After setting up the public global warming debate, Cameron and his negotiator then changed formats multiple times and initially said it would be open to the media and then said he would only participate if it was private with no recording devices. The skeptics agreed to all the changes. According to AREDAY organizers, activist Joseph Romm of Climate Progress urged Cameron not to go ahead with the debate as well.
Cameron’s cancellation of the agreed to debate did not happen until one debate participant (Morano) was already in mid-air, flying from DC to Aspen on Saturday August 21 to attend the debate. (AREDAY did grant Morano a 90 minute slot to speak at the summit. See: Climate Depot’s Presentation at Warmists’ Summit Met By Hostile Interrupting Moderator and Crowd; Call for Morano to Kill Himself!)
(Morano Note: After ducking debate, James Cameron boldly slammed global warming skeptics as “swine” on the day he was supposed to be debating them. “I think they’re swine” Cameron told a friendly audience at the AREDAY summit. Also see: Cameron Morphs Into Gore, Quits AGW Debate: ‘Chickened out–even after he won Gore-like concessions that there would be no media and no audio or video record kept’ — How does Cameron square ducking a climate debate he set up when just a few months ago he seemed so confident? See: Director James Cameron Unleashed: Calls for gun fight with global warming skeptics: ‘I want to call those deniers out into the street at high noon and shoot it out with those boneheads’)
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Below is detailed report from Ann McElhinney of www.NotEvilJustWrong.com on how Cameron ducked out of debate he set up.
James Cameron—King of Hypocrites
Written by Ann McElhinney
Sunday, 22 August 2010 17:49
Last March James Cameron sounded defiant.
The Avatar director was determined to expose journalists, such as myself, who thought it was important to ask questions about climate change orthodoxy and the radical “solutions” being proposed.
Cameron said was itching to debate the issue and show skeptical journalists and scientists that they were wrong.
“I want to call those deniers out into the street at high noon and shoot it out with those boneheads,” he said in an interview.
Well, a few weeks ago Mr. Cameron seemed to honor his word.
His representatives contacted myself and two other well known skeptics, Marc Morano of the Climate Depot website and Andrew Breitbart, the new media entrepreneur.
Mr. Cameron was attending the AREDAY environmental conference in Aspen Colorado 19-22 August. He wanted the conference to end with a debate on climate change. Cameron would be flanked with two scientists. It would be 90 minutes long. It would be streamed live on the internet.
They hoped the debate would attract a lot of media coverage.
“We are delighted to have Fox News, Newsmax, The Washington Times and anyone else you’d like. The more the better,” one of James Cameron’s organizers said in an email.
It looked like James Cameron really was a man of his word who would get to take on the skeptics he felt were so endangering humanity.
Everyone on our side agreed with their conditions. The debate was even listed on the AREDAY agenda.
But then as the debate approached James Cameron’s side started changing the rules.
They wanted to change their team. We agreed.
They wanted to change the format to less of a debate—to “a roundtable”. We agreed.
Then they wanted to ban our cameras from the debate. We could have access to their footage. We agreed.
Bizarrely, for a brief while, the worlds most successful film maker suggested that no cameras should be allowed-that sound only should be recorded. We agreed
Then finally James Cameron, who so publicly announced that he “wanted to call those deniers out into the street at high noon and shoot it out,” decided to ban the media from the shoot out.
He even wanted to ban the public. The debate/roundtable would only be open to those who attended the conference.
No media would be allowed and there would be no streaming on the internet. No one would be allowed to record it in any way.
We all agreed to that.
And then, yesterday, just one day before the debate, his representatives sent an email that Mr. “shoot it out ” Cameron no longer wanted to take part. The debate was cancelled.
James Cameron’s behavior raises some very important questions.
Does he genuinely believe in man made climate change? If he believes it is a danger to humanity surely he should be debating the issue every chance he gets ?
Or is it just a pose?
The man who called for an open and public debate at “high noon” suddenly doesn’t want his policies open to serious scrutiny.
I was looking forward to debating with the film maker. I was looking forward to finding out where we agreed and disagreed and finding a way forward that would help the poorest people in the developing and developed world.
But that is not going to happen because somewhere along the way James Cameron, a great film maker, has moved from King of the World to being King of the Hypocrites.
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Addendum
In other news from the SPPI Blog
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Climate Depot’s Presentation at Warmists’ Summit Met By Hostile Interrupting Moderator and Crowd; Call for Morano to Kill Himself!
Source: Climatedepot
Global Warming Summit’s Warm Welcome: Morano told to drive car into garage with engine running and then close the doors
By Marc Morano
[SPPI Note: This is the same arrogant and hapless Joe Romm who claimed that global warming cause the collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis in August of 2007. For other entries on Romm see here: http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/commentaries/climate_mccarthyism.pdf
and here: http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/blogwatch/climate_inquisition.pdf
and here: http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/commentaries/romms_fairy_tales.pdf ]
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Note from Climate Depot’s Executive Editor Marc Morano:
My presentation at Aspen American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY) summit on Sunday August 22, 2010 at 5:30 was met by a rude moderator and hostile audience. I was offered the 90 minute time slot to present the skeptical view of man-made climate change after Hollywood director James Cameron’s cowardly final cancellation of a pre-planned and agreed to global warming debate. See here: From King of the World to Chicken of the Sea: Director James Cameron Sets up Debate with Skeptics Then Flees! Cameron Ducks Climate Debate with Breitbart, Morano, & McElhinney
Cameron’s cancellation of the debate did not happen until I was already in mid-air, flying from DC to Aspen on Saturday August 21 to attend the debate. After challenging us to the public debate, Cameron was spooked by Joseph Romm of Climate Progress who warned him not to debate us. Finally, we were told Cameron would debate us if Romm joined the debate and at Romm’s insistence there would be no cameras or media present. We agreed and I flew to Aspen. (See full report of Cameron’s chickening out here. How does Cameron square ducking a climate debate he set up when just a few months ago he seemed so confident. See: Director James Cameron Unleashed: Calls for gun fight with global warming skeptics: ‘I want to call those deniers out into the street at high noon and shoot it out with those boneheads’)
After arriving I found out that Cameron had canceled the debate that he challenged us to. The AREDAY global warming summit organizers then offered me the consolation prize of 90 minutes to speak to the conference and present the skeptical argument with Q and A from the audience. But the 90 minute event turned out to be further evidence of manipulation by Cameron and the ARDAY conference organizers.
My PowerPoint presentation was repeatedly interrupted by ARDAY moderator Richard Greene and the audience was not receptive to me continuing my presentation. Instead, the bulk of my presentation turned into a disjointed moderator and audience rant session. I attempted several times to return to my presentation, but the crowd and moderator refused to cooperate and seemed completely disinterested.
One participant confused carbon dioxide with carbon monoxide. She suggested I kill himself by driving my car into my garage and then close the doors with the engine running. I twice attempted to explain to the ARDAY conference participant that there was a difference between carbon dioxide — a harmless trace essential gas we exhale from our mouth– and toxic carbon monoxide, but to no avail. I sadly shook my head and told the audience: “Wow, what a warm welcome I have gotten here.”
In the end, the ARDAY’s offer of 90 minutes for me to present the skeptical view of man-made global warming after Cameron’s debate cancellation revealed itself to be essentially disingenuous.
Brave James Cameron, let’s sing his praises!
Brave James Cameron ran away
Bravely, ran away…away…
When danger reared its ugly head
He bravely turned his tail and fled
Yes, brave James Cameron turned about
And gallantly he chickened out
Bravely taking to his feet
He beat a very brave retreat
Bravest of the brave, James Cameron.
Apologies to Python (Monty).
I did try the conference website near the appointed time but the live feed was down. I suspect the “debate”, had it taken place, would have been more of a three ring circus than a reasoned exchange, but it is exceedingly poor form to invite folks for a debate, demand numerous changes (perhaps hoping for Morano and Co. to object and pull out instead) as the date came close and then decide at the last minute to skip out.
There was an excellent NPR/Intelligence Squared debate a few years back in front of a reserved NYC audience, with Lindzen, Crichton and Stott on the skeptic side, and Gavin S, Eckwurtzel and Somerville on the alarmist side; I’d like to see a reprise of that format, which was a rout with its audience firmly on the RealClimate side of the aisle to start with a major shift at the end.
” Bruce Cobb says:
August 24, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Stu, have a look at this video, in which Marc Morano”
You’re right, the interview was very much weighted to Watson’s side. I’d agree with Morano’s points over Watson’s and understand Morano had to fight to have himself heard, but I assume that for a lot of people watching that it must have been Morano, not Watson- who came over as the unreasonable one. Watson’s name calling of Watson at the end was unjustified, but I’ll admit that the first time I saw that interview, I was feeling the same thing. How can Morano be right and still come out all wrong? It’s his style which turns (some) people off… perhaps this is a cultural thing but a ‘just the facts maam’ approach would have served much better in this case, imo. I’ll admit that I don’t really know that much about Morano, but he presents as a very political type of guy, the kind that if global warming was a republican issue, he would be supporting it. I don’t know. Perception and trust count a lot in this battle, a certain amount of restraint from Morano would have gone a long way here. Morano’s ‘oooooooh’ as he was being told to shut up by Watson, was unnecessary. Holding back would have given Morano the edge, as Watson was obviously beginning to lose his cool and blow the presentation of himself as a detached scientist. The ‘ooooooh’ turned Morano into a schoolboy and the argument into a playground taunt. Scientist against bully. Watson won.
Bruce, I also suggest reading over Lucy’s letter here to Morano again, as I feel she may have similar concerns or point to make regarding Morano’s ‘presentation’.
” I’d like to suggest you point towards the importance of the quiet persistence of the likes of Steve McIntyre, and indeed the importance of accountability, openness, and comprehensible, repeatable statistics; the non-existence of any “big oil” funding in almost all sceptics’ efforts; the high level of science as well as “green” concerns among skeptics, and the general counter-productivity to Science when it becomes “alarmist”. People will expect you to deliver a blustery speech and it would be interesting to see the effect of the opposite.”
but that arrived after the event, about which Marc simply said “Things did not go well”.”
Charles S. Opalek, PE: August 24, 2010 at 2:34 pm
…Michael “I reconstructed the entire world’s temperature using one pine tree proxy in the Yamal Penninsula” Mann.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRKVXG3DV-I&fs=1&hl=en_US]
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2010/08/24/emails-refute-james-camerons-reason-cancelling-global-warming-debate
jeff brown says:
August 24, 2010 at 9:10 am
“Bruce, I have no motives except to tell it like it is. I’m surprised you don’t think Morano has a motive here. He shows up after “he” says the “debate” was “canceled” and was more than happy to give a talk and was smiling the entire time, loving firing up the audience, he gets his name all around the blogosphere and you think this wasn’t orchestrated? I think Morano likely had this planned all along in order to give himself more visibility and publicity. After watching him speak I certainly didn’t walk away thinking the guy was honest in any way.”
Um, jeff, given that the program stated this to be a debate I find your comment above to be a great threat to your credibility. Or am I/we to believe that Mr. Morano was able to convince the organizers to print a misleading agenda?
Interesting emails, Pops. Thanks for posting that link.
I’d like to hear Julienne Strove’s explanation for why her team chickened out of the debate at the last minute, and why Joe Romm decided to take her place. Did she protest? Did she ask why she was being bumped? Or was she relieved, knowing the likely debate outcome? How did Julienne get involved with that disreputable crowd, anyway? Is she unable to recognize the abject lack of character in her own team members? Their obvious bargaining in bad faith? If so, will she continue to be part of their alarmist shenanigans? Will she publicly distance herself from those conniving cowards? Or does she approve of their insincere actions? Where exactly does Julienne stand?
It appears that fair dealing and ethics are as passé with the alarmist crowd as the Scientific Method is.
jeff
Thanks for your answer.I have no doubt Morano gave as good as he got.I have no doubt that he was smiling and laughing all the time.I have seen a number of his interviews and he is always smiling or laughing,that’s why I like him.
He should have been allowed to finish his presentation,no matter what the content.It is common courtesy is it not?
One particular thing he says in this debate cannot be refuted.
“If we face the climate catastrophe they’re all talking about we would all be doomed if we relied on Kyoto,Koyoto 2 or congressional cap and trade”
End
Ok boys and girls, it is time for Saturday morning cartoons!
When you find yourself in danger,
When you’re threatened by a stranger,
When it looks like you will take a lickin’, (cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck)
There is someone waiting who
Will hurry up and rescue you,
just call- for Super Chicken! (cluck, awk!)
Fred, if you’re afraid, you’ll have to overlook it,
Besides you knew the job was dangerous when you took it! (cluck, awk!)
He will drink his super sauce
And throw the bad guys for a loss
And he will bring them in, alive and kickin’ (cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck)
There is one thing you should learn
When there is no one else to turn to
Call- for Super Chicken! (cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck)
Call…for Super Chicken! (cluck, awk!)
I can imagine a person with a typical ‘left-wing’ outlook being eager to participate in a debate to expose what he thought was the evasive ‘denial’ of a ‘clear and present’ social responsibility to prevent ‘dangerous’ global warming. I do not think that person could be faulted for avoiding that same gratuitous debate if he later found the topic was not as simple and sure as he had first thought, involving highly complex technical issues of which he was unqualified and could not be expected to speak with any real authority. He must, however, be prepared for certain amount of levity at his expense.
Can Cameron actually fire a weapon? Or any of his other lefty friends? I mean, I know that they know how to shoot blanks and make huge explosions for special effects, but can they ACTUALLY shoot it out? Since skeptics are notorious (from the AGW crowd’s perspective) for being right wing big-oil supported nut jobs and are therefore more likely to be card-carrying NRA members, you would think they would NOT want to shoot ANYTHING out with the skeptics.
It’s really too bad that the world supports the thespians with so much money that they have free time to use their often uninformed and logically incapable minds. Also a tragedy that they make pretty good entertainment. I don’t have the fortitude to skip the good movies as my father-in-law has with “Hanoi Jane” since her stunt in Vietnam. So I suppose I’m part of the problem, too.
Cameron, move to Pandora and email us your ideas from there.
Well, if the science is settled to the point that it need not be debated, maybe the new tack should be to cut funding to all those government-funded Global Climate Warming Change institutes, research centers and university chairs. After all, if there’s no need for any more scientific work to be done regarding GCWC, why do we need to pay any of those groups to do science? Why do we need to send people to expensive, carbon burning conferences to discuss GCWC when there’s nothing left to discuss?