WUWT commenter Cal65 from Hawaii burns away all of the irrelevancy of posturing and pronouncements and gets to the core truth of what the Durban climate deal is really all about. He writes:
The UN plan will shift wealth from the first world’s poor to the third world’s rich without making any difference in climate control.
Don’t believe that? All one has to do is look at the whiny grifters known as the Maldives, who are building airports like crazy to handle the increased tourist trade…
11 new airports to be constructed in Maldives
The Government is working to construct 11 new regional airports in 11 regions and work is under way to complete them as soon as possible, said Minister of Communication and Civil Aviation Mahmoud Razi. Razi who is among the newest three cabinet ministers appointed by President Mohamed Nasheed in June said so answering questions in the People’s Majlis Razi said regional airports will be constructed in Shaviyani, Noonu, Raa, Baa, Lhaviyani, Alifu Dhaalu, Dhaalu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu and Gnaviyani atolls.
…while at the same time wailing “please save us” [from rising sea levels].
With the cry “mic check!” a large crowd of activists took over the COP17 international climate negotiations taking place in Durban, South Africa. “Listen to the people, not the polluters,” they cried, before repeating a plea from the delegation of the small island nation of the Maldives: “Please save us.” The occupiers were also addressed by Greenpeace International president Kumi Naidoo. After sitting down and refusing to move, the occupiers were escorted out by security.
…
The real issue is spelled out clearly by weak minded regurgative reporter Laura Flanders of The Nation without so much as a thought given to what is really going on.
That’s not acceptable to the people of the Maldives. And they’re not the only ones. “Climate change is a matter of justice,” Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu of the global Council of Elders declared on the eve of the Durban meeting.
“The richest countries caused the problem, but it is the world’s poorest who are already suffering from its effects. In Durban, the international community must commit to righting that wrong.”
It’s not justice, its called a “shakedown”.
Recall that the Maldives is the same country that pulled this sort of stupid publicity stunt before Copenhagen COP15:
Let’s tally up the FAIL on these boneheads.
From TV New Zealand:
An Auckland University researcher has offered new hope to the myriad small island nations in the Pacific which have loudly complained their low-lying atolls will drown as global warming boosts sea levels.
Geographer Associate Professor Paul Kench has measured 27 islands where local sea levels have risen 120mm – an average of 2mm a year – over the past 60 years, and found that just four had diminished in size.
Working with Arthur Webb at the Fiji-based South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission, Kench used historical aerial photographs and high-resolution satellite images to study changes in the land area of the islands.
They found that the remaining 23 had either stayed the same or grown bigger, according to the research published in a scientific journal, Global and Planetary Change.
“It has been thought that as the sea level goes up, islands will sit there and drown,” Prof Kench told the New Scientist. “But they won’t.
“The sea level will go up and the island will start responding.
2. The Maldives can’t take a joke (Delingpole’s satire omitting Maldives from new map with higher sea levels causes the government to respond)
3. Willis explains how Floating Islands work, and he should know, he spent a lot of time working on one. He also explains why CO2 isn’t an issue. He writes:
Does increased CO2 cause increased sea level rise?
Short answer, data to date says no. There has been no acceleration the rate of sea level rise. Sea level has been rising for centuries. But the rate of the rise has not changed a whole lot. Both tidal stations and satellites show no increase in the historic rate of sea level rise, in either the short or long term. Fig. 1 shows the most recent satellite data.
Figure 1. Change of sea level over time. Radar data from the TOPEX satellite. The light blue line is sea level with monthly anomalies removed. The interval between data points is usually ten days. The gray line is the 1993-2004 linear trend projected to the end of the timeline. Gaussian average using a 71-point filter. Photo taken at Taunovo Bay Resort, Fiji.
Up until about the end of 2004, there was little change in the rate of sea level rise. Since then the rise has slowed down. The average (dark blue line) does not stray far from the trend (black line) up until 1994. Since then, it is well below the projected trend (gray line). We were supposed to be seeing some kind of big acceleration in the sea level rise caused by increased CO2. Instead, we are seeing a decrease in the rate of sea level rise. So the first claim, that increasing CO2 will cause increased rates of sea level rise, is not supported by the evidence.
Note that I am not saying anything about the future. The rate of sea level rise might go up again. What we can say, however, is that there is no hint of acceleration in the record, only deceleration. The claim of CO2 induced sea level rise is false to date.
4. The sea level is actually dropping now:
Source: http://sealevel.colorado.edu/files/2011_rel3/sl_ns_global.png
Of course that is the highly adjusted Colorado SL data. Let’s look at others.
Here’s a composite of measures, note the Envisat in yellow, nearly flat then falling:
Source: http://www.aviso.oceanobs.com/fileadmin/images/news/indic/msl/MSL_Serie_ALL_Global_IB_RWT_GIA_Adjust.png
5. Lorne Gunter: Global warming is the least of Tuvalu’s worries
Swedish geologist and physicist Nils-Axel Mörner, formerly chairman of INQUA, the International Commission on Sea Level Change, has studied real-world sea levels for nearly 40 years. Rather than relying mostly on computer models, as most climate scientists do, Dr. Morner has concentrated on using satellites, photographs and detailed measurement records to determine whether the oceans are rising, falling or remaining pretty much the same.
“The sea is not rising,” he has told anyone who will listen. ”It hasn’t risen in 50 years.” What’s more, if it rises in the 21st Century, it will be by ”not more than 10cm (four inches), with an uncertainty of plus or minus 10cm.” That’s pretty much the same prediction as that derived by the other real-world measurers, Houston and Dean.
…
Two American experts on coastal construction and sea-level — James Houston, director emeritus of engineering research and development for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Robert Dean, professor emeritus of civil and coastal engineering at the University of Florida — examined decades worth of data from all the tidal monitors around the U.S. and determined earlier this year that “worldwide-temperature increase has not produced acceleration of global sea level over the past 100 years.” indeed, the rate at which oceans have been rising has “possibly decelerated for at least the last 80 years.”
6. If sea level is such a big problem, why is the Maldives government allowing new development?
“Only 6 luxurious beachfront private residences will be built at both the sunrise and sunset sides of this magical island, Soneva Fushi Resort.”
…
The Republic of Maldives in the Indian Ocean, home to some of the world’s finest white sand beaches and exceptional marine life, has to date never allowed ownership of private real estate to foreigners. Soneva Fushi by Six Senses will be among the very first to offer this privilege.
Source: http://www.ilre.com/maldives-luxury-real-estate.html
And this just isn’t an isolated event, it’s part of the official policy for tourism:
The Ministry of Tourism embarked on an ambitious expansion of the tourism industry with 37 new islands opened for bidding in the period 2004-2006. The first round of developments was announced in 2004, with 11 islands being opened for bidding.
All this while they were simultaneously squalling about “inundation” by the sea.
7. And again, if sea level rise were really a problem, why would the Maldives government allow this?
11 new airports to be constructed in Maldives
The Government is working to construct 11 new regional airports in 11 regions and work is under way to complete them as soon as possible, said Minister of Communication and Civil Aviation Mahmoud Razi. Razi who is among the newest three cabinet ministers appointed by President Mohamed Nasheed in June said so answering questions in the People’s Majlis Razi said regional airports will be constructed in Shaviyani, Noonu, Raa, Baa, Lhaviyani, Alifu Dhaalu, Dhaalu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu and Gnaviyani atolls.
Oh, wait, I know… to serve the government approved “ambitious expansion of the tourism industry” in #6
8. So why all the government sanctioned pronouncements about sea level/CO2 ??
Follow the money at the Copenhagen and Cancun climate talks
The accord promised $30bn (£19bn) in aid for the poorest nations hit by global warming they had not caused. Within two weeks of Copenhagen, the Maldives foreign minister, Ahmed Shaheed, wrote to the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, expressing eagerness to back it.
30 billion? Heck, that’s 10 times more than the gross domestic product of the whole country! They’ll say anything to get their hands on that.
| Maldives GDP (PPP) | 2010 estimate | |
| – | Total | $2.734 billion[7] |
| – | Per capita | $8,541[7] |
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives
==========================================
So since the Maldives is fond of making grand pronouncements about how climate change is going to hurt them/kill them make them climate refugees or other such silliness, let me make a pronouncement of my own based on the available data shown above.
Anything coming out of the mouths of Maldives officials related to climate, CO2, or sea level is pure bullshit.
The only purpose of it is to continue to paint Maldives as a victim, so they’ll get some of that climate cash promised by the fools that attend these climate conferences. Meanwhile, they continue to expand their travel industry, build new resorts, build new airports, and promote tourism while laughing all the way to the bank.
Thinking people should cross the Maldives off their vacation possibilities list. I have, I refuse to go there, even if offered a free trip, because these grifters are playing victims at the expense of taxpayers everywhere.
The Maldives shakedown is only slightly more sophisticated than a Nigerian email scam.
The Maldives is building all those airports so the Chinese can go on holiday
“Beale says:
December 11, 2011 at 8:57 pm
And yet the 2004 tsunami didn’t.”
So you feel lucky?
If the West has to pay all this money and reduce energy consumption the Maldives will get no tourists from the first world. developing world will not be able to go either because the monies paid to their governments will end up in the accounts of the corrupt politicians. Their poor will remain poor.
“The UN plan will shift wealth from the first world’s poor to the third world’s rich without making any difference in climate control”
A deserving quote. What I find somewhat stunning is how the statist method of creating a “we are owed” mentality in certain segments of a population (often called community organization) is now being used by those of the same totalitarian elitist mindset to create divisivness between nations.
engendering the mindset of whatever natural and normal weather event causes any damage being ALL the fault of the nasty 1st worlders and carbon…is sure going to backfire when the financials go crash bigtime and no ones going to fork over the funds they dont have anyway.
how many enraged poor who fell for the lies, and accept it with no means or desire to know if? its true or not, dont get any better life or money.
a huge huge mountain of resentment indeed.
maybe Al and james would go have a “oops we screwed up” apologia session?
hung drawn and quartered I suspect
@A physicist
Looking at the reports on the erosion of the outer islands, there is no doubt that this is anthropogenic. However it is far more the result the geomorphological impact of poor siting and design of coastal structures and land use changes than changes in sea level.
Eric, I don’t think you grasp that an outer island can be as small as a nine-hole golf course, and that every tree on that island is owned by a specific individual, with each tree valued according to its production of food, clothing, and materials for shelters and canoes. The islands have no “designed coastal structures” in the sense that your post postulates. Neither is moving to high ground an option; there is no high ground.
It seems to me that Father Hezel’s analysis of the situation (Father Hezel is a distinguished anthropologist and Jesuit priest) is far more solidly grounded in science, economics, sociology, and morality than Mr. Watts’ understanding.
Anthony has it exactly right, this is an extortion racket. As such, it should be settled as all criminal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) violations are, with SWAT teams busting down the doors at the UN, flash bang grenades and body bags. But that would take cojones and everyone knows that the progressive liberal socialists in the White House and other positions of power along with their voters, are neutered metrosexual girly men.
But that is to be expected from modern castrated politicos. There is also a level of treason, because at the root of these schemes from the International order of Robin Hood (steal from the rich, give to the poor) lies treacherous westerners that thus far have been able to operate in the shadows with little fear of repercussions. These cheerleaders working behind the scenes, whispering in the ear of these crooks for action against their native countries will have to be dealt with when the time is right. They are no better than Benedict Arnold, Klaus Fuchs or the Rosenbergs.
The infection of political correctness has paved the way for such utter nonsense, it has hammered the immune system of the body politic. The big boys on planet Earth have been busy self-flagellating thanks to the suicidal tendency to entertain the mindless meanderings of their environmental patients, rather than treating them like the insane babbling idiots they are. What is needed is to tell them (Maldives and all other rent seekers) to go stuff yourself.
Look for the UN and their tentacle organizations to expand this to using American Indians and Eskimos and Australian Aborigines and anyone else they can find to eat away at the modern West. And why not? No-one has really smacked them in the mouth like they should have. This is what happens when you don’t discipline the unruly. US out of the UN, UN out of the US. In a perfect world the building would be razed and the ground salted. But being NYC we should just hand out cans of spray paint and let the kids use it to demonstrate their artistic skillz. We can call it American Graffiti.
Note to presidential candidates, if you really want to make a splash and turn President Dumbo out in a landslide, promise to shut down that UN cesspool, sterilize the buildings, and turn it into a low income housing project. Promise to terminate all involvement with their treaties and send them a bill for past rent. Finally, promise to add the Maldives and all other rent-seeker to a banned list of travel destinations. They should be treated no better than anyone involved with piracy on the high seas.
Anthony has it exactly right, this is an extortion racket. As such, it should be settled as all criminal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) violations are, with SWAT teams busting down the doors at the UN, flash bang grenades and body bags. But that would take cojones and everyone knows that the progressive liberal socialists in the White House and other positions of power along with their voters, are neutered metrosexual girly men.
But that is to be expected from modern castrated politicos. There is also a level of treason, because at the root of these schemes from the International order of Robin Hood (steal from the rich, give to the poor) lies treacherous westerners that thus far have been able to operate in the shadows with little fear of repercussions. These cheerleaders working behind the scenes, whispering in the ear of these crooks for action against their native countries will have to be dealt with when the time is right. They are no better than Benedict Arnold, Klaus Fuchs or the Rosenbergs.
The infection of political correctness has paved the way for such utter nonsense, it has hammered the immune system of the body politic. The big boys on planet Earth have been busy self-flagellating thanks to the suicidal tendency to entertain the mindless meanderings of their environmental patients, rather than treating them like the insane babbling idiots they are. What is needed is to tell them (Maldives and all other rent seekers) to go stuff yourself.
Look for the UN and their tentacle organizations to expand this to using American Indians and Eskimos and Australian Aborigines and anyone else they can find to eat away at the modern West. And why not? No-one has really smacked them in the mouth like they should have. This is what happens when you don’t discipline the unruly. US out of the UN, UN out of the US. In a perfect world the building would be razed and the ground salted. But being NYC we should just hand out cans of spray paint and let the kids use it to demonstrate their artistic skillz. We can call it American Graffiti.
Note to presidential candidates, if you really want to make a splash and turn President Dumbo out in a landslide, promise to shut down that UN cesspool, sterilize the buildings, and turn it into a low income housing project. Promise to terminate all involvement with their treaties and send them a bill for past rent. Finally, promise to add the Maldives and all other rent-seeker to a banned list of travel destinations. They should be treated no better than anyone involved with piracy on the high seas.
The long view? Okay, from Wickipedia …
The Maldives are riding a slow but unstoppable freight train straight into the fires of hell underneath Asia where they will be summarily recycled as liquid hot magma and ejected at the nearest convenient volcano, their ashes scattered into the stratosphere. If they look real hard they might notice that the north ends of their islands are sinking just a tad faster then the south. They are gonna have to sue Alfred Wegener. I just wish they would sink faster. Buh Bye.
Wonderful phrase! I’ll be using that.
a physicist says:
“It is not clear (to me) that the present skeptical culture of WUWT is capable of analyzing these issues in any serious sense — but I would be very happy to be proven wrong!”
Then today is your lucky day. You’re wrong. You say:
“It seems to me that Father Hezel’s analysis of the situation (Father Hezel is a distinguished anthropologist and Jesuit priest) is far more solidly grounded in science, economics, sociology, and morality than Mr. Watts’ understanding.”
That is a textbook example of a strawman argument. You set that strawman up and knocked it right down, what a guy. However, Anthony was specifically referring to what the Maldives officials were saying. Try to respond on topic. Defend the officials’ statements, if you can.
And since you apparently believe that sea level rise is accelerating, let’s see some empirical evidence backing your belief system.
Smokey, I commend to you Father Hezel’s writings, and I think you and other WUWT regulars can learn much from them.
Regrettably, Anthony saw fit to delete an analysis of (e.g.) the economic rationality of 20-year Maldive runway construction bonds. But I think you can work these numbers for yourself.
A physicist says:
December 12, 2011 at 7:45 am
It seems to me that Father Hezel’s analysis of the situation (Father Hezel is a distinguished anthropologist and Jesuit priest) is far more solidly grounded in science, economics, sociology, and morality than Mr. Watts’ understanding.
I haven’t seen “Father Hezel’s anylysis” (whoever the heck Hezel is), but it is a sure bet the only thing he’s firmly grounded in is the basic tenets of the CAGW quasi-cult/religion, and whatever “morality” he has or professes to have goes entirely out the window by his pushing of what is fundamentally a lie, which he then compounds by attempting to punish those who refuse to go along with that lie.
Bruce, I am happy to point to resources that will help improve your faulty understanding of Father Hezel life, work, and thought.
It would be no form of rational skepticism, and moreover a very substantial injustice to the good Father, if the assertions in your post were left uncorrected.
OK, physicist, I read some of that complete nonsense. Namakin writes for Herzel stuff like: “…in the South Pacific, the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea are fighting a losing battle against the ocean. It’s estimated the six islands will disappear into the water by 2015.” Three years to go and the Carteret islands will be submerged?? As if. That would make the islands currently only a few millimeters high at their highest point.
He blames all “climate change” on GHG’s. Naturally a religious mystic who believes mankind is evil would blame evil humans for everything he considers to be bad. We must atone for our carbon sins!
What’s next, tarot cards to predict runaway global warming?
Smokey, I am sure that both you and Father Hazel sincerely pray for enlightenment … as for whose prayers are the more efficacious, time will tell! 🙂
physicist,
I’m already enlightened; I don’t need that kind of pseudo-scientific mysticism.
BTW, I read a few more columns of Fr Hezel’s wacked out craziness. It was very amusing. I think the equatorial sun must addle the brains of folks who live there [think what a super genius Willis would be if he had avoided that area]. I especially liked the essay on marijuana. After admitting that there were no laws against drug use, the writer wonders why there aren’t lots of ‘criminal’ marijuana convictions on record.
Hezel says:
“We simply don’t have the luxury of waiting until we have settled the global warming question to address this issue. It is affecting us now.”
So “physicist”, the extent of his “expertise” on climate is that old Warmist standby, the Precautionary Principle? It appears my assumptions were indeed incorrect; I greatly underestimated the lameness of his grasp of not only climate, but of the principles of both science and logic.
Bruce, as Father Hezel describes in-detail, the Pacific outer islands are plainly seeing the effects of rising sea-level already. Thus, skeptical references to “the Precautionary Principle” carry no logical sense. Please try again.
@ur momisugly Smokey
There is a phenomena that I have observed known as “beach stupid”. This occurs in many people that move from more temperate climes to the tropical beaches. As the Maldives are, in fact, mostly beach, perhaps the good friar is similarly affected? 😉
Nick, your theory of “tropical stupid” explains Anthony Watts’ “whiny grifters” of the Maldives … and Smokey’s “wacked out” priests of Micronesia … and maybe even “strangely strong” videos by Texas governors (is it those scorching West Texas summers?).
But obviously, such arguments are no form of rational skepticism, eh?
Nick,
If Fr Hezel really believes what he writes, that might be an explanation. But it would be really scary if would be if a physicist believed that nonsense!
Despite the blind faith, the sea level around Tuvalu in Kiribati [pronounced “Kiribas”] isn’t rising. In fact, the global mean sea level is naturally rising very slowly from its LIA lows. And recently, the sea level rise began to decelerate. Here’s a Bill Illis chart.
The credulous mouth breathers who sat through Algore’s movie, which showed 20 meter sea level rises, can’t believe that the actual rise has really only been a few inches per century – and now the rise is slowing. But so much of their egos are invested in the narrative that even when they are proved unequivocally wrong, they still won’t admit it.
physicist, don’t you get tired of posting strawman comments? This has nothing to do with Rick Perry, Republican politics – or any politics for that matter. [BTW, IANAR]
But I guess it’s no crazier than announcing that the Carteret Islands will be sinking beneath the waves in the next 3 years.
Smokey, skepticism that expresses itself in phrases like “tropical stupid” [Nick], “whiny grifters” [Anthony], and “wacked out” [Smokey] obviously has zero logical force.
Of course, neither does cherry-picking … and so may I suggest instead that you consult comprehensive surveys like “Sea level extremes in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands” (2010) …
… which arrives at pretty much the same conclusions as the wise Father Hezel.
That’s mighty good to know, eh? That the climate change science agrees so well with the common sense, personal observations, and decades of experience of a sandals-on-the-ground priest?
A physicist says:
December 12, 2011 at 11:12 am
Hezel says: “We simply don’t have the luxury of waiting until we have settled the global warming question to address this issue. It is affecting us now.”
Bruce Cobb says: So “physicist”, the extent of his “expertise” on climate is that old Warmist standby, the Precautionary Principle?
Bruce, as Father Hezel describes in-detail, the Pacific outer islands are plainly seeing the effects of rising sea-level already. Thus, skeptical references to “the Precautionary Principle” carry no logical sense. Please try again.
Apparently, you are the one who is logic-challenged, making the idea that you could be a physicist somewhat laughable. You see, the idea is that, according to Hezel, the “global warming question” isn’t settled, which is true. The global warming question has to do not whether or not some warming has taken place, which is a favorite strawman of you people. No, the question has to do with whether or not man is affecting climate in any significant way. Therefore, what Hezel has put forward is indeed the Precautionary Principle. His argument is that we should act now, regardless how little the evidence is, and to what extent that man is responsible.
der physicist is all over the map. The link he posted has nothing to do with Hezel’s false claim that sea level “is affecting us now” [at least, any more than it ever has]. The natural sea level rise [≤≈3mm/yr] isn’t affecting Micronesia or the rest of the globe any more than it did prior to the industrial revolution, so this is just another false alarm.
Sea level extremes refer to anomalies, not to the trend, which is almost flat. From the link:
Understand? The average trend hasn’t changed much – except that now it’s declining below trend.
Priests operate based on faith, so we can give the good Father a pass. He apparently believes that islands will sink beneath the ocean waves within three years. But a physicist should know better. Would said physicist wish to make a wager that six Carteret islands will sink beneath the ocean surface within the next, say, four years from today? Say, a kilobuck to the charity of the winner’s choice, paid by the loser? My charity would be Dr Tim Ball. The gauntlet is down. What does a physicist say?☺