Bishop Hill reports:
…there was a debate at the Fisher House / Von Hugel Institute seminar “Global Warming & Equitable Development: the Ethical and Political Priorities” last night, and MIT’s Dr. Richard Lindzen was invited.
Chaired by Rowan Williams, with a panel of: Lord Deben, Prof Sir Brian Hoskins, Prof Richard Lindzen, Prof Peter Wadhams (Prof Physics & Head of Polar Ocean Physics Group, Cambridge), Professor Sir Colin Humphrey (Cambridge), Prof John Loughlin Von Hugel Institute), Prof Chris Whitty (long job title – govt advisor) & Peter Lilley (late addition, not advertised), plus a paper by Prof Emeritus Tony Kelly (Cambridge) read by his son as he was unwell.
I’d expected this to be a bit of a greenfest with Lindzen as the token denier but it wasn’t at all. The panel was quite balanced in representation of “warmist” and “denier” viewpoint as was the audience, and it was quite a civilized affair.
That is, until Bob Ward got onto Twitter afterwards…..
Twitter / ret_ward: .@mehdirhasan But why have …
Bob Ward @ret_ward .@mehdirhasan Yet another example of the media hosting a falsely balanced debate about climate science instead of covering the real issues.
Mehdi Hasan Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan @ret_ward 1) Not true at all. Its not a ‘balanced debate’. Its a fair but tough interrogation of his views. I’m not neutral on this.
Bob Ward Bob Ward @ret_ward .@mehdirhasan But why have you made Lindzen the focus of the debate? He no longer contributes to the science and is irrelevant to policy.
Mehdi Hasan Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan @ret_ward But he’s not irrelevant to the world, is he? You (and me) not liking his views doesn’t make him disappear, does it? Or his claims?
Mehdi Hasan Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan @ret_ward Which ‘sceptic’ would you like me to interview? He’s more credible than the rest. Or is your position, no intvs with them, ever?
Ben Pile Ben Pile @clim8resistance Oh, look, Bob Ward @ret_ward trying to close down debate and discussion again. The self-appointed censor has no shame. @mehdirhasan
Richard Lindzen – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Siegmund Lindzen (born February 8, 1940) is an American atmospheric physicist and Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lindzen is known for his work in the dynamics of the middle atmosphere, atmospheric tides and ozone photochemistry. He has published more than 200 scientific papers and books.[1] He was a lead author of Chapter 7, ‘Physical Climate Processes and Feedbacks,’ of the IPCC Third Assessment Report on climate change.
Bob Ward – Grantham Research Institute on climate Chnage and the Environment
Background
Bob joined the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) from Risk Management Solutions, where he was Director of Public Policy.
He also worked at the Royal Society, the UK national academy of science, for eight years, until October 2006. His responsibilities there included leading the media relations team.
He has also worked as a freelance science writer and journalist.
Bob has a first degree in geology and an unfinished PhD thesis on palaeopiezometry.
He is a Fellow of the Geological Society.
Thanks to Tom Nelson for spotting these.
UPDATE: Bishop Hill writes in with a clarification.
These are actually different debates. Bob Ward is trying to punish Mehdi Hasan and Al Jazeera for hosting Lindzen at the Oxford Union tomorrow. The Cambridge event was yesterday.
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Prof @Richardabetts (Met Office) said of Bob this month:
“Once again I seem to have attracted the disapproval of the climate thought police”
https://twitter.com/richardabetts/status/290510275508072448 …
full story here
https://twitter.com/richardabetts/status/290426341600419840 …
also Prof Richard Betts speaking of Bob Ward (see url above)
“It’s the 3rd time he’s tried to tell me what to say or not say. He didn’t respond to rational argument the 1st two times.”
Prof Richard Betts (Met Office, Head of Climate Impacts, IPCC Ar4 & Ar5 lead author) has previously also said to Bob Ward
“you seem to be trying to shut down legitimate scientific debate,which is unhealthy.”
http://www.yaleclimatemediaforum.org/2011/11/climate-doomsday-clock-winding-down/#comment-37232 …
Bob Ward. Legend.
Bob Ward states
“He (Richard Linzen) no longer contributes to the science and is irrelevant to policy.”
I could equally argue that Bob Ward has never contributed to science and only relevant to the politics where is lack of balance is well known!
I love this — a classic case of projection. What Mr Ward’s unconscious mind knows all too well is that it’s not Lindzen who’s unqualified, but rather that — by his own standards — it is he himself (with his unfinished Ph.D.) who should bow out of the discussion.
Headline: “Non-Qualified Self Appointed Climate Scientist Tells Qualified Climate / Atmospheric Scientist He’s Not Qualified”.
He’s like Pachauri. A non climate scientist (are there really any climate scientists?) proclaiming who is qualified to be one.
When do the Heresy Trials start with Algore as Chief Inquisitor?
palaeopiezometry.??????? huh
Does anyone know what that is?
Message to Bob Ward: Please read THIS and then shut your yap.
And I thought my scientific credentials were spotty. Bob makes me look like a scholar.
If professor Lindzen is not qualified to comment on matters of atmospheric science, i’d like to know who is.
WTF is “palaeopiezometry”.
p.s. I don’t really want to know, so I didn’t look it up. It just sounds silly.
Bob Ward must have slept through most of his geology classes.
Who’s Bob Ward?
Pathetic tweet. Pathetic censor.
Yikes, a media hound saying Lindzen isn’t a scientist?
Oh that is very interesting, a PolySci guy saying that an Atmospheric Physicist isn’t qualified to comment on climate! Course they say the same thing about engineers, geologists, geophysicists, physics and chemical PhD’s, forestry PhD’s, meteorologists and anyone else that doesn’t “follow the program. So if you don’t have an Arts or PolySci degree you don’t count. (No insult to any of my Artsy friends or any other Arts Student – the world needs you to offset the the technocrats like me 😉 )
Here is a fun Delingpole essay of “What on earth is Bob Ward”.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100058818/what-on-earth-is-bob-ward/
…and for a simple summary from Pielke Jr.:
http://rogerpielkejr.blogspot.com/2010/10/hiding-behind-bob-ward-at-lse.html
So, “He no longer contributes to the science and is irrelevant to policy.” would match only with Bob “Barking Mad” Ward.
It seems that our venerated Royal Society, up holder of scientific excellence, the scientific method and scientific integrity needed a Department of Propaganda headed by a failed palaeopiezometrist.
Little wonder that it degenerated to it’s present position and there seems little chance of it being Nursed back to health with the present regime.
“He no longer contributes to the science and is irrelevant to policy.”
Translation: He no longer supports the collective.
But surely, given his background and scholastic achievements, Bob Ward is eminently more qualified than Professor Lindzen to comment on climate change.
(Do I really need to turn sarc off?)
Bob ‘fast fingers ‘ Ward profession is spinning for his pay master , in other words its his job to lie in support of those that pay him . Setting aside that in pratice his often not very good it , the reality is there are recently dead hamster that carry more authority to know who is and it’s in a position to provided valid evidenced on this subject, than Bob.
Love the comparison of CVs. What a larf.
Why is it ‘”warmist” and “denier”,’ not “alarmist” and “skeptic”?
“palaeopiezometry”?