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.
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),…
Rowan Williams? The former Archbishop of Canterbury? They would’ve done better with
Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) or perhaps Robin Williams (or both). At least the jokes would
have been funny, as opposed to the expensive joke that is CAGW.
Also, what does the London School of Economics have to do with the science of climate/weather?
Judging from their Fabian roots, I suspect it’s mostly to do with Watermelon science (carbon
trading, wealth redistribution, et. at.) as opposed to real research….erm, they use models
too?
This is just too rich… we’ve reached the point where an al-jezeerah journalist has to defend the Western ethos of open scientific debate against a British prat. Unbelievable.
PS: palaeopiezometr? that is the study of Italian good ole’ boys, i.e piezoms.
Aw shit! – a low grade geologist opens his big mouth…………. it reflects badly on the better ones! (still, hopefully folk will realise that we do not all have the same level of ignorance and low order communication skills!)
rogerknights says:
March 7, 2013 at 9:46 am
One amusing sociological finding is that job categories are disproportionately filled with persons having names relating to their field.
Re – such as the neurologist dr. Brain and the psychiatrist dr. Dement. (Is there a cardiologist dr Hart?)
Richard Lindzen – Scientist with a considerable pedigree.
Bob Ward – failed academic with a job in PR for his Carbon trader employers
Difficult one that. Hmmm… can I phone an “Atmospheric Scientist” please Anthony?
The guy is a Clown.
[Barry Woods – Top of thread]
I enjoy reading Dr. Betts at BH. Agree with him or not, I class him as a Scientist who spends a full day examining ‘the evidence’. Strange that Ward would publicly demonstrate just how quickly his bullshit PR machine will happily attack ‘Allies’ (in the loosest sense) should they go and ‘correct’ an obvious PR nonsense story in ‘the (legacy) media”.
I don’t think Bob needs that ‘w’ in his Twitter tag
Websters explains that “piezometry” is the measurement of hydrostatic pressure affecting the occurence and movement of water; “paleo” is remote in point of time, involving ancient forms and conditions. So one can reasonably assume that a paleopiezometrist is someone who studies the conditions inside Strom Thurmond when he conducted his record-setting fillibuster of the senate.
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/03/rand-paul-filibuster-strom-thurmond-bathroom
Hope this helps.
Better to keep your mouth shut and let people to think it than to open it and confirm. Mr Ward would be better off studying camel hygiene than insulting a learned Professor.
It would appear that lying and cheating is the currency used by global warming alarmists.
I wonder what Bob Ward makes of David Suzuki. When was the last time he did any science?
Or Al Gore, not a noted scientist at any point.
Why are the shouty and bossy people in the CAGW debate always on the alarmist side?
They aren’t. Most sceptics can’t get a pulpit, but can you imagine the sky dragon people if they could?
Plus Lord Monckton is a buffoon. Take away the “Lord” and his support would evaporate.
The thing that gets me about Ward and his ilk is that they are so into their AGW theory I really don’t know if they are covering up and aware of the trouble they are in…or just ignorant.
Ward mentioned something about a problem with the met office…..does he really think we are still warming?…or is he lying as part of a cover-up that will only get worse?
His jibe at Dick Lindzen…is it fear? I suspect so.
I wonder if Ward knows the significance of the of the reduced water vapour as reported on here yesterday.
MarkW says: March 7, 2013 at 8:07 am
The Observer is the Sunday edition of the infamous Guardian. And like the Guardian it has an online comment section ironically called ‘Comment is Free’. It may be free, in the sense that you don’t have to pay for it, but free speech is certainly not allowed. For example. any commentator suggesting that climate change has happened before is barred.
Bob Ward published an article in the Guardian (he is allowed to because he is’ on message’) and, not surprisingly, the majority of comments were marked as ‘Comment removed’.
Dolphinhead says:
March 7, 2013 at 10:41 am
>>I don’t think Bob needs that ‘w’ in his Twitter tag<<
That – Sir ir Madam – is very funny!
“Warmist Bob Ward argues that former IPCC lead author Richard Lindzen isn’t qualified to talk about climate science”
Isn’t it the case that 97% of IPCC Lead Authors are not qualified to talk about climate science? Or have I misunderstood the theme of” The Juvenile Delinquent”?
Is Bob Ward related to Bud Ward? If so their parents were not very creative.
Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a “Sky Dragon Person”?
It pretty much says it all when Al-Jazeera is forcing the Warmist Team to move to more balanced presentation. Really, truly says it all.
MikeB says:
March 7, 2013 at 11:35 am
Oh yes, Comment is Free, not so jokingly referred to as Komment Macht Frei.
DaveE.
It’s fear. They know Lindzen will wipe the floor with them, might as well attack the event.
Bob Ward really has got some cheek to question Lindzen’s authority to even offer an opinion. It would be like me trying to cast doubt on Anthony Watts’ suitability to host his own blog! Quite astonishing arrogance from Ward.
The fear and anguish pervading the Warmist narrative nowadays is really quite delightful.
Once, in fact not that long ago, second rate spin doctors like Ward were un-touchable…my how times have changed!
@DickF says:
March 7, 2013 at 7:46 am
“If professor Lindzen is not qualified to comment on matters of atmospheric science, i’d like to know who is.”
Behind Lindzen at #1 and coming in at #2, Buckeye Chuck and Puxatony Phil seem to fall somewhere in between Lindzen and Ward, with Ward anchoring the #3 position.
The MSM holds Chuck and Phil in high regard.
Mooloo says:
March 7, 2013 at 11:01 am
That’s the stupidest thing I’ve seen on this blog (or any blog, for that matter) in a long time, Mooloo.
You owe Lord Monckton an apology.
(You should also read what the Viscount writes, or is the level a bit beyond your limited understanding?)
Yet another No One trying to claim his place on the “Climate Change Gravy Train” by name calling and trying to censor debate..Pathetic and who is Bob Ward??? Lindzen a giant, Ward LSE, Ah say’s it all.
Less about science, more about politics and money. No question.
http://www2.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/About/home.aspx
Bob Ward, media apparatchik, employed to massage the meme eg:
‘If the BBC wants to retain the public’s trust in its coverage of issues such as climate change, it needs to place greater value on objectivity as defined by Sambrook, and drop its ill-conceived fetish for impartiality between facts and opinions’.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/bob-ward/bbc-climate-change-the-bbc-is-sacrificing-ob_b_1649122.html
…..that is, as long as one adheres to warmist assimilative dogma.
And the Grantham ‘Research’ Institute, Bob’s institutional home…
‘The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment is a research centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The Institute was established in May 2008 with the support of philanthropists Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham, through their Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment.
Current members of the advisory board include Stern, Rees, Nurse et al. Stern is the Research Institute Chair.
http://www2.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/whosWho/Other/AdvisoryBoard.aspx
This comment in NO way defends Ward
but
Piezometry is a well-established field of hydrogeology – study of standing water levels and their movements by the use of monitored drillholes (piezometers). It is used extensively for many projects (farming, mining, construction etc etc) and provides absolutely critical data
Palaeopiezometry is the study of ancient standing water levels (obviously without 200m year old piezometers !) It may provide data critical to the understanding of geological events
That so many ignorant, frivolous comments are directed at an area of geological science that is not known to the general public (in fact, most areas of geological science are unknown to the public) speaks volumes about the general level of science education. No wonder that the CAGW propagandists have won the “hearts and minds” wars
I have long despaired of any improvement here