Ray G writes:
Donna Laframboise has a post up on the upcoming Royal Society-sponsored meeting with 2,500 attendees expected. the topic is climate change. Donna holds up the ridicule the list of attendees, singers, bureaucrats, song writers, PR professionals. The list is short on physicists, chemists, statisticians and, of course, she supports her conclusions with facts. The RS deserves the attention that your megaphone provides.
happy to help Ray
The Royal Society’s Blatherfest
A “major international conference” will begin on Monday in London. It’s being hosted by the Royal Society, the oldest science academy in the world and previously the most prestigious.
But over the past decade the Royal Society has abandoned its longstanding neutrality and become a political lobby group.
The depths to which this formerly esteemed body organization has now sunk may be seen on the website for this conference. A number of official blog posts appear there, including one written by the event’s co-chair, Mark Stafford-Smith. It declares:
our science tells us that the Earth has entered the ‘Anthropocene’, a geological era in which human impacts are now as important in driving how the planet operates as geological and astronomical forces have been in past eras. [backup link]
But this is nonsense. As I observed last August, a scientific body called the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) is responsible for naming geological eras. It has made no such determination that a new one has begun.
This strange claim can be traced back to informal musings a decade ago by atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen. He is not a geologist. He’s doesn’t belong to the ICS. He has no more authority to announce the beginning of a new geological era than I do.
more here:
http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2012/03/24/the-royal-societys-blatherfest/
Until I can power my home with my own windmill, my car with my own garden and lihgts with the sun, and the taxpayers pay me a a big bonus, I want cheap gas.
Ask your neighbor if they want windmills and algae fuel which costs 200 times that of gas, or plain old gas for their energy needs.
The past of the Royal Society does not happen to be squeeky clean.
Newton got the Roy Soc involved in his prior publication dispute about
Calculus with Leibniz. The Roy Soc commttee, effectively appointed
by Newton, then slimed Leibniz.
Also, I notice the mention of Robert Hooke. Newton really did not like Hooke
and Hooke died poor and in obscurity. The famous phrase
“If I have seen further, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants”
came from a letter of Newton to Hooke who was a hunch-backed midget.
I am pretty sure that the Roy Soc members in the 17th, 18th centuries behaved
in an manner consistent with its 21st century leadership.
Jim
EJ says:
March 25, 2012 at 12:17 am
I’m a geologist and no we have not entered a new geological era.
Geological Eras last 200 to 300 million years. Geological Periods, for example, The Jurassic, last typically 50 million years.
Had we entered a new geological era i’m pretty sure none of us would be here to talk about it.
I used to be under the impression that methane was a fossil fuel until I found out that a moon of Saturn, Titan, had an atmosphere of methane, or natural gas comparable to our water atmosphere.
I think the term natural gas is best. Methane appears to be natural through out the solar system.
Never again let someone say that CH4 (natural gas) is a fossil fuel, lest you have found life on Titan.
How about the “Squalorcene”
Named in honor of the intellectual and moral squalor of our time……
I think it needs to be repeated that:
There is no difference between a rabbit, a bear, a lawn mower, a person, a power plant or a snake. They all eat carbon based fuel and exhaust CO2 and water.
Thanks Jimmy
Goldie says:
March 24, 2012 at 11:32 pm
This just makes me sad. The Royal Society is (was) such an august body…. Nowadays scientists give up if there’s no money or fame in it.
Monckton is right, we stand on the edge of a new Dark Age.
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Humanity had a bright future and the love of money and power is destroying it. That the Royal Society is joining the ranks of those who love money and power instead of standing for scientific integrity is indeed very very sad.
We have the knowledge and wealth to see that everyone in this world is well educated but John Dewey found that a well educated mind was an independent mind and therefore a danger to those who wish power over all humanity.
There is ample proof of the “Dumbing Down”
http://www.rense.com/general75/pass.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/century-old-8th-grade-exam-can-you-pass-a-1912-test/2012/01/04/gIQAxjC00P_blog.html
The reason for trashing our education systems is because the Regulating Class wants to promote the idea that humanity needs a lot of bureaucratic leeches. They want us to think we can’t function without the government holding our hand every day of our life. The corollary is that we must give a large portion of our labor to the state for the privilege of being told what to do allowing the leeches the opportunity to siphon a portion of that wealth into their pockets.
“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. If you teach a man to learn, you feed him for a lifetime and he doesn’t have to only eat fish.” -Chinese Proverb
The addendum should be “If you teach a man not to think, it is easy to turn him into a serf.”
Remember the recent SciAm blog by Gary Stix about effective world government being needed to stave off climate catastrophe? Stix references an article in Science magazine to bolster his case, called “Navigating the Anthropocene: Improving Earth System Governance”, and here is the transcript of a podcast featuring Prof Frank Biermann, one of the authors:
http://tinyurl.com/7skdu9v
“We know from the natural sciences that there are a number of core processes in the Earth’s system that are changing fundamentally. This is why natural scientists have coined this term of “The Anthropocene” that has been described as a fundamental transformation of key planetary systems”.
This is what he proposes, to cope with the Anthropocene:
“…we argue for the creation of a new counsel within the U.N. system – a counsel on sustainable development that should better integrate sustainable development changes – the economic, the social, and the environmental pillars of sustainable development at the highest level in the U.N. system. We also argue for the upgrading of the existing U.N. environment program toward full-fledged specialized U.N. agencies, which would give this agency better possibilities, better mandate to influence norm setting processes, a better source of funding, and a higher influence in the international governance.”
No surprise, really, that Frank Biermann will be one of the speakers at “Planet Under Pressure”.
The Royal Society Hippyfest is all about quantifying concern and bed wetting. Blood pressure monitors and beakers will be handed out and the data will be recorded. The scientific findings will be published in the next IPCC report. This is real science in action, go RS.
I was thinking of registering but the attendance fee is 450 pounds !
Check out “policy briefings: http://www.planetunderpressure2012.net/policybriefs.asp
You will learn how :
“Humanity is at a crossroads. Social, economic and environmental crises that have played out in recent years offer a unique opportunity for a step change in the way humanity does business. Although the concept of the ‘green economy’ was introduced to address today’s challenges, its continued dependence on traditional – and questionable – trickle-down economic growth theory has rendered it inadequate. “
Here is some more to enlighten us:
“Inequality destabilizes societies and leads to environmental degradation through ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ and the hedonic treadmill effects. We must strive for a post-consumerism and post-materialist society.”
“The international scientific community, spearheaded by the United Nations and its various organizations, to provide recommendations to redesign trade rules, financial flows and investment within the context of planetary boundaries and the well-being of all people.”
“Human societies must change course and steer away from critical tipping points in the earth system that might lead to rapid and irreversible change, while ensuring sustainable livelihoods for all.” The 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development must become a major stepping stone towards introducing a stronger institutional framework for sustainable development. We urge decision makers to seize this opportunity to develop a clear and ambitious roadmap for institutional change and bring about fundamental reform of current sustainability governance within the next decade.”
All this talk of “fundamental transformation”…and now we’re told (thanks, Frank Bierman) we’re so bad we are affecting (negatively, of course) “key planetary systems.” Will Steffen in the Slow TV presentation above is quick to disparage any evidence of humankind, assume the worst. Such an estranged coterie of catastrophic misanthropes seems bound by an alien intelligence. Maybe they ARE zombies. How to falsify?
I didn’t realize that science is a popularity contest. The RS has me convinced to accept GHG’s and all the other claptrap.( I don’t think).
What shall we call the new era when the ecogenicists assume control and rid the overpopulated planet of its undesirable excess -the anthrophobscene?
Brent Hargreaves: March 24, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I think what is happening here is “AGW theory under pressure”, rather than Planet, hence the need for a massive propaganda hit before Rio. The trouble is, the network is now so vast that you can find links between all of the sponsors and participants, often the same people on the different boards, but hey, what a consensus you can claim.
This is a discussion the often leads me to propose a units problem.
Could all seven billion people stand shoulder to shoulder, four square feet per person, in Pierce County WA? Yes, easily.
If you have a tract of land that is 32 miles by 32 miles, all the world’s population could stand on this tract of land.
This “Conference” in 2010, was one of the Royal Society’s finest moments:
“Rising to the Climate Challenge: Artists and Scientists Imagine Tomorrow’s World”
The link is still live: http://royalsociety.org/events/2010/age-stupid/
“Tate (gallery) and the Royal Society collaborate by bringing together scientists and artists to imagine the social and psychological impacts of climate change. On 19 and 20 March, (2010) Tate and the Royal Society collaborate to bring you a screening of the film “The Age of Stupid” following, (sic) by a discussion and a public symposium about the social and psychological impacts of climate change.”
The director of the Age of Stupid, Franny Armstrong, was the director of the 10:10 climate campaign “snuff” movie, “No Pressure”, which “blew up” dissenters. So much for the science of the 300 year old Royal Society and its friends.
I have just browsed the programme for the RS meeting. Unbelievable. The sociologists have taken over what they think is science. When will the real Royal Society stand up for science?
Allan MacRae says:
March 24, 2012 at 8:29 pm
Is it not about time that the warming alarmists tuned down their very-scary rhetoric, and stopped scaring little kids and old people?
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Can’t speak for the kids but as an old person — 67 this year — I’d say most senior citizens can recognise bullshit when it appears. I’ve come across just one person in my age group who’s been taken in by the alarmists; a rather dim-witted acquaintance of my wife’s.
The foot soldiers in the warmist army are overwhelmingly young. As idealists in search of a cause they’ve landed on CAGW. A good number of their boosters seem to be of advanced years, however; mostly chancers who’ve been corrupted by the baubles on offer to promoters of the cause.
Dave says:
March 25, 2012 at 3:37 am
I have just browsed the programme for the RS meeting. Unbelievable. The sociologists have taken over what they think is science. When will the real Royal Society stand up for science?
This is the same as you see in the scientific journals and popular ‘science’ magazines. Pick up Nature, Scientific American, New Scientist – they are all following the same sociological path – with Gaia and sustainability and politically correct research results. It doesn’t take a lot of people in ‘the Team’ to skew today’s world view; ask Fenton communications.
Probably get snipped here, but humorous is NOT spelt with a u in Brit Eng. Humour, the noun is but not its derivatives e.g. humorousness.
Probably re-snip, but Sherri, please take this as an opportunity to learn more about the science, I too when only listening with one ear, believed the appeals to authority, and confused CO2 with CO (one of my best friends, a very intelligent guy did too). A few days mozying round WUWT and I learnt so much.
And please forget this fear of modern chemistry. You do know we are all chemistry, everything we do eat, cook breathe is chemistry? What you’re saying is you want to go back to old-fashioned chemistry. Do you really think cleaning your house with C2H4O2 is better than cleaning it with O-Cedar? I’m not sure which is better, but the answer is not based on one is evil chemistry, they are BOTH chemical compounds, BOTH produced in a factory using industrial techniques. You do know white vinegar (C2H4O2) is acid right? You know that living in Brittany will expose you to natural radioactivity from the granite all around?
I’m reminded of a retired perfumer of my acquaintance’s comment: he couldn’t understand the fashion for Organic perfume, from his point of view Organic perfume is exactly the same chemistry as his perfume, but doing less well things his industry has been doing better for 150 years …
I will repeat. Science is going to get the black eye it richly deserves and hopefully the Royal Society chair, Sir Paul Nurse will get liberally smeared when the fecal material hits the rotating blades.
As a chemist I hang my head in shame…
The Royal society contact page is here: http://royalsociety.org/Contact-us/
Perhaps those with degrees in science may want to make a comment direct to the society.
Anthropocene, shmanthropocene.
They used to call it “holocene”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene