I had planned to write about this, and specifically that Joe Romm’s blog “Climate Progress” appears to have died a quiet death of assimilation by the borg greens, saying:
We are now merging with ThinkProgress Green, and that means we’ll be adding two new regular bloggers, Jessica Goad, manager of research and outreach for CAP’s Public Lands Project, and Rebecca Leber, a ThinkProgress blogger and research assistant. They join Stephen, me, and all the regular Climate Progress contributors from the CAP energy team and blogging news room.
But Tom Fuller beat me to it in a guest post over at Jeff Condon’s place called Bookends and Separations. The assimilation of Climate Progress (which once had its own domain name) is just a symptom of a larger trend, and such assimilation must be a bitter pill for “Hero of the Environment″ Romm to swallow, as Fuller writes:
But people have pretty much stopped listening. They’ve even stopped writing. Joe Romm has folded his Climate Progress blog into the rubric of Think Progress’ larger efforts and now interns do much of his writing for him. Deltoid is down to one post a month, and it’s an open thread. Michael Tobis has fled Only In It For The Gold and is now writing at Planet 3–and complaining about a lack of traffic.
In a Republican primary with nine initial contestants, the amount of conversation about climate change was effectively zero. Over on the other side of the aisle, President Obama has almost abandoned the issue. The IPCC’s upcoming AR5 is, by all appearances, going to be much more subdued in its claims and much more reasonable as a result.
…
And this is the way it should be.
It’s the way it should be because climate change will return as an issue. Especially in America, where we love a second act to every story, anthropogenic climate change will return. Temperatures have plateaued at a high level and may even dip during this decade due to the muting effect of several natural cycles. But those cycles will end. And a new generation of scientists is readying itself to take up the argument again, untainted by the past disasters and mistakes of those currently sagging against the ropes.
The next generation of discussion may be calmer and more grounded in facts–looking at all the things humans do to influence climate and not just the CO2 we emit. It may not.
Read the whole post: Bookends and Separations.
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Meanwhile, WUWT traffic remains strong:
A lower number is better, for example Google is #1. Note the traffic blip on Feb 14th of Peter Gleick’s “Fakegate” didn’t last for DeSmog blog, as I’ve previously reported. My competition can’t seem to get out of the >100,000 “we don’t bother to track them” zone. You can run your own comparisons here.
I can’t compare Climate Progress or Deltoid, since they are subdomains of larger blogging aggregators, but before CP lost its domain name we were beating the pants off it traffic rank wise. With one post a month, Deltoid can’t have much in the way of traffic.
UPDATE: in related news, the Orange County Register seems to agree (h/t to Climate Depot)
Global warming alarmism becoming much less alarming: ‘Maybe it’s the Cry Wolf syndrome. Maybe it’s just taking notice of reality. Maybe it’s only a fad that’s run its course’
On a related note.
Many of you have written to me expressing concern for Steve McIntyre because he hasn’t posted anything since March 20th. I called him Friday and spoke with his wife. He’s fine, but engaged in a work project outside of blogging and is focusing on it. I can’t say that I blame him. Blogging, especially climate blogging with so many technical details, is a huge time sink. My own business has suffered due to WUWT and I know Steve’s has. Where’s those big oil checks when we need it most?
Anthony, his mods and contributors do a great job and much appreciated. As for the issue of “a well funded denialist machine” I have to wonder thy Anthony uses WordPress. 😉
The scare will eventually dissapate and Anthony’s blog might get fewer visitors. 😉 I think that one reason for the great number of visitors is because AGWers, Greens, Media and politicians have waged a relentless campaign against the scientific method / observations and to stiffle voices that disagree. So we all went looking for different avenues to make our voices heared.
This over fed zombie is not dead yet and there are more battles ahead, but die it will. A slow death.
I wonder what their criteria are. Defending the safety of fracking? Some wishy-washy feel-good ads about how we’re all trying to conserve? I doubt there have been any oil-funded “attack” ads challenging the Climate Casandras.
J. Philip Peterson says: @ur momisugly April 15, 2012 at 4:19 am
Check it out, is your town or city a member of ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives)….
Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEHWsdimVO4 for a really entertaining and informative talk on the subject!!
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Wow, that is the best analysis I have seen and it is great it is coming from a Democrat Activist. Now if she can wake up more of the democrats.
Jimbo says:
April 15, 2012 at 12:37 pm
“The scare will eventually dissapate and Anthony’s blog might get fewer visitors. 😉 I think that one reason for the great number of visitors is because AGWers, Greens, Media and politicians have waged a relentless campaign against the scientific method / observations and to stiffle voices that disagree. So we all went looking for different avenues to make our voices heared. ”
Well, that was what brought us here for sure. But WUWT has become the place to go to for realtime data. It’s sticky. Nobody will go back to MSM articles describing the terrible sea ice melt in endless comparisons (Manhattans per minute anyone?) when he knows where to get the graphs.
Also, you can count on our alarmist friends to switch to cooling alarmism anytime now.
Tom Harley says:
April 14, 2012 at 9:05 pm
OssQss says:
April 14, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Anthony, I have been a successful entrepreneur for decades. The time is right for you to grow. I am an interested investor, as passed on in emails.
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A publication devoted to science to take the place of those propaganda outlets Nature, Scientific American, New Scientist, and the like, with Anthony at the helm looks good to me…a big market with all the moderators, commenters, readers and lurkers here for a start.
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To put it another way, an investment in SCIENCE would be greatly appreciated. Just SCIENCE. Not politics, not grant/rent-seeking, not world-saving–just pure, simple, honest, open, transparent, reproducible/refutable SCIENCE.
You know, old school SCIENCE. What we all fell in love with, way back when, and mostly still are (us here).
Can the Zombie of CAGW survive without BRAAAAINS!
“Troed Sångberg says:
April 15, 2012 at 4:49 am
I’m Swedish. If you want my opinion on US politics you have two parties to the extreme right, with only minor differences to quibble about. We don’t see the same “conservatives against CAGW, liberals pro” as you do.
I’m an active Pirate Party member.”
When you see me commenting on Swedish politics you’ll know I’m strongly interested in your opinion on US politics. But don’t hold your breath (on either possibility).
I don’t know whether the phrase “Pirate Party” carries some seriousness in Sweden. From an American’s perspective, it sounds not much different from the “Clown Party”. But maybe it’s a translation issue.
“boston12gs says:”
blah, blah, blah . . .
In any case, I thought this was intended as a SCIENCE forum. Don’t we have enough to talk about without having to deal with a Swede’s questionably (to say the least) informed opinion of American political dynamics (one might ask just how far left one has to be in order to seriously perceive Obama as being “right-wing”)? More to the point, when was the last time on this forum an American posted a critique of the Swedish political system?
We are now merging with ThinkProgress Green, and that means we’ll be adding two new regular bloggers, Jessica Goad, manager of research and outreach for CAP’s Public Lands Project, and Rebecca Leber, a ThinkProgress blogger and research assistant. They join Stephen, me, and all the regular Climate Progress contributors from the CAP energy team and blogging news room.
Shouldn’t that be under “Quote of the Weak”…?
Gail Combs says:
April 15, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Bill Tuttle says: @ur momisugly April 14, 2012 at 9:19 pm
…. My neighbor’s kid goes to Rutgers and was unaware that you could take *direct* measurements of temperature and atmospheric composition by sending radiosondes ‘waaaay up in the sky
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THAT is truly frightening.
It was a teaching opportunity. Got him enthused about model rocketry as a result, and I have the (since repaired) hole in my tool shed to prove it…
There are several aspects to this blog.
The science, which I enjoy unless it falls into a Leif Vukevic slanging match.
The updates on the global warming news, which is really why I come here. The redefinition of science as consensus is very worrying to me.
And then there’s the politics. That is parochial and of no interest to me. From the UK perspective both your parties are right wing. Yes, they are. Obamacare is not the NHS. And as a socialist I like the NHS. But that’s why I (usually) comment on politics on the Guardian website (a UK website) and leave you Yanks to your US politics.
@boston12gs
There’s no translation issue 😉 It’s no longer Sunday, but when you feel like reading:
“Europe’s youngest, boldest, and fastest growing political movement: the Pirate party.”
“In three years, they gained their first seat in the European parliament (they now have two) and became the largest party in Sweden for voters under 30. Since then they’ve gained political representation in Germany and swept large parts of Europe.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/22/rick-falkvinge-swedish-radical-web-freedoms
“In just four years the new arrival has overtaken the Green Party to become Germany’s third most popular political grouping, with 13 per cent support.”
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0412/1224314639181.html
That’s why you really need to get out from your two party deadlock in the US. There’s no room for change – real change.
(And to the topic of this blog – Pirates are technologically progressive, not repressive)
Bennet,
If you’re still around to read this, please vote. I don’t take it as a right or a privilege, but as a duty, for the whole project goes to hell if we don’t vote. Hell, that’s true even in Illinois, where my national candidates never stand a chance! And look where that’s gotten us :<
Troed Sångberg you need to ‘lighten up’ a little so maybe you could view my favorite youtube video:
and this next one is about how ‘UN agenda 21’ is being implemented locally in the USA:
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEHWsdimVO4 ]