Dr. James Hansen, now no longer on a leash under NASA policy, has started what I expect will be the first of many ugly comments and actions in his new role as activist.
Niall from Canada writes in asking for help from WUWT and the readership:
This Saturday morning Canada’s state broadcaster (the CBC) aired, on their weekly politics & current affairs show “the House”, a 15 min. ‘interview’ with James Hansen, in which he denigrated our Government as “neanderthal” in it’s approach to AGW, and that climate change science is “crystal clear”.
He also angled for a carbon tax (presumably to support his desired global wealth re-distribution scheme). I know you’re a very busy guy, but if you could formally respond in writing to the CBC, and indicate the gross errors Hansen voiced, and also post to your own site, many of us Canadian climate ‘realists’ would be very grateful for your help in exposing this grotesque charlatan.
Att’d is the link for the show, and the address to respond to.
Yours very truly,
Niall from Winnipeg
the Story:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/04/26/pol-hansen-oliver.html
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@ralfellis
I agree with Pamela Gray about swinging your brush too far. But hey I am not that offended. I used to be a fan of a number of environmental groups when I was young. In fact in those days many of them were actually interested in the environment and did some good. Now that I am older and wiser I see them for what they have evolved to, mostly self serving alarmists on every issue from the warming of the planet to the mass destruction of hundreds of species. Don’t get me wrong, I am a planetary advocate but I think the advocacy has to be based on facts. So – many of us old codgers will not be falling for the false imagery of these politically/financially motivated save the earth types. I still like the humor of all of it and the more the better. And find me a truly good cause and I’ll support it.
Bernie
The CBC is giving Dr. Hansen a soapbox for advancing a deceptive argument about the methodology of his global warming studies. This argument is called the “equivocation fallacy.” It occurs when a polysemic term changes meaning in the midst of this argument and a conclusion is drawn from the argument; a term that is “polysemic” has more than one meaning. In arguments about the methodologies of climatological studies the terms “model,” “science,” “scientist,” “scientific,” “prediction,” “projection,” “validation” and “evaluation” are polysemic and are used by climatologists in leading dupes to false or unproved conclusions about the methodologies of their studies ( http://judithcurry.com/2011/02/15/the-principles-of-reasoning-part-iii-logic-and-climatology/ ). For example, arguments using the polysemic term “model” lead dupes to the false conclusion that IPCC climate models convey information to policy makers about the outcomes from their policy decisions on CO2 emissions when these models convey no such information. Hansen’s extremely expensive taxpayer supported research has failed in its intended purpose but seems to duped taxpayers to have succeeded.
I wonder why Dr. James Hansen doesn’t go to China and call the Chinese Premier / Government Neaderthals for their increasing use of deadly coal?
You may be right ‘Pedantic old Fart’ but recent research suggest 45,000 years.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130204153714.htm
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1207656110
RE: Old Mike says:
April 28, 2013 at 7:24 am
—————–
Some weeks ago I had cause to write to the CBC Ombudsman with regard to a statement on the CBC “National” news programme on the role of CO2 as a greenhouse gas. My complaint was fowarded to the producers of the programme and I did receive an e-mail in response. Below I have copied and pasted a part of the response I received.
You are right; water vapour is by far the most abundant heat trapping gas in the atmosphere and
accounts for the largest percentage of the greenhouse effect, up to about 85 per cent when clouds are included. However, it is rarely mentioned in any discussion of anthropogenic climate change. The reason is that water vapour only lasts for a few days in the atmosphere before falling back to earth again.
CO2, on the other hand, accumulates, staying in the atmosphere from anywhere from 30 to 100 years. So the more we create through the combustion of fossil fuels, say, the more there will be in the atmosphere.
————————-
I do not know if it was Wendy Mesley who replied. Anyway, the respondent is clueless. CO2 only stays in the atmosphere for about 7 years. The comment that water vapour lasts for a few days is also out to lunch. It is very mobile transferring much more energy than CO2 during that time. The few days is not a problem as it is always being replaced existing in much greater amounts than CO2. They always fail to respond to the question of measurement. There is not one study that has measured the amount of heating caused by CO2.
But you can always count on CBC giving easy access to anyone spouting the Warmist agenda.
The wheel is spinning but it must be on solar power because the hamster is already mummified.
According to some disreputable research Dr. James Hansen’s genomes are 1–4% Neanderthal (assuming he came from Europe and not Venus). 😉
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100506/full/news.2010.225.html
This reminds me of when Dr. James Watson of DNA fame said that black people were less intelligent UNTIL he took a DNA test to look into his ancestry. It was found that he had
“16 times the number of genes considered to be of African origin than the average white European does”.
LOL.
@ur momisugly old mike quoting the CBC;
You are right; water vapour is by far the most abundant heat trapping gas in the atmosphere and
accounts for the largest percentage of the greenhouse effect, up to about 85 per cent when clouds are included. However, it is rarely mentioned in any discussion of anthropogenic climate change.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Rarely mentioned? The entire CAGW meme is predicated on the theory that 1 degree of warming from CO2 will be doubled to quadrupled by water vapour!
Good lord, before we can argue their science with them we first have to explain to them what their science is!
Yes… CBC is noting less than brutal with its progressive posturing and overt disdain for politics it does not support.. Its so bad that right thinking Canadians cant even click on a CBC link for fear that this will be spun into support..
Vote for the CBC and its politics by using its services.. Not..
The funny thing is.. Our Conservative neanderthals (lol) have already jumped ship $$$ in regards to climate change / carbon tax.. They haven’t stated it yet, but I can smell it on them..
Im looking for a more politically suitable libertarian party in Canada now.. In the past my family has voted Conservative or not at all.. Now it seems never again is a third option..
Re the “Neanderthal” remark by our old friend Hansen, you can see the text and make a posting at:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/04/26/pol-hansen-oliver.html
There are many postings, sadly largely supportig the CBC and Hansen. In reply I posted the following, but it is so far down the list that I wonder if anyone will read it:
“So sad. I’ve read maybe 40 comments and everyone seems to believe what Hansen says. Hansen has no formal training in climatology- his background is in astrophysics. Yes, you need brains to do that field, but it doesn’t mean that he knows anything about climate. Hansen is an activist and is pushing his beliefs, but that does not guarantee that he knows what he is talking about. For a start…..there is no valid proof that CO2 determines climate. This is the conclusion only from computer models, and anyone who knows anything about computers knows that GIGO.
Would someone kindly point out just where this supposed warming is taking place? It was exceptionally cold this winter almost everywhere. And it still is. This is a characteristic of WEATHER; it varies from year to year. Fact: it stopped warming 16 years ago. What we are hearing is just the endess echo of wannabees who are mindlessly repeating the message that they got from activists. They do not check the facts for themselves but are content just to repeat what someone on their wavelength says- but that is no guarantee that they are right.
Our federal government should be doing MORE to counter the wave of nonsense being perpetrated on the general public. Facts are finally starting to become known, but as long as the MSM, like our beloved(!) CBC keep pushing the “global warming” theme there will be no end of people who believe what the alarmists say.
To the ignorant, 400 ppm sounds like a lot. The “m” in “ppm” stands for “million:; CO2 is less than 0.0004 of the air we breathe. Water is also a GHG and there is 10-100 times as much water as CO2 in the air.
To repeat: there is no valid relationship between CO2 and climate, so there is just no justification for any form of restriction on our emissions of CO2.”
IanM
Hansen who? Why are people still paying attention to this clown? His pronouncements and attention-seeking will only grow more bizarre as he becomes increasingly irrelevant. He had become tiresome even before he retired – just a shill, a one-trick pony masquerading as a scientist.
Brains and common sense, unfortunately, do not always go together.
High intelligence and madness have been observed.
In Hansen’s case he has managed a hat-trick.
High Intelligence, lunacy and no common sense.
@ur momisugly Jay: indeed, it looks as if Harper is measuring what needs to be done in order to at the same time develop the oil sands and pay the minimum green tax imposed by the green lobby. This is highway robbery literally by the Maurice Strong and consorts. Of course, ordinary Canadians will pay the bill and make Thomsons and friends even wealthier. If Harper plays this game, as he did with the Income Trust issue, look for the tepid Justin Trudeau being backstabbed by those who are putting him on a pedestal now. Of course, Harper may simply get shame and war as to paraphrase Churchill.
@ur momisugly Ian McQueen, I had not been on CBC news website for months and the level of political pandering is beyond belief. And all this paid for by our taxes… Disgusting.
It will be interesting to observe as the ‘real’ Hansen we have always exists suspected emerges in his new public record.
PM Harper may well be playing (green) politics, but he also playing with fire with about 1/3 of his long time Conservative supporters.. There is nothing a right wing mind loves more than kicking posers to the curb.. Its in our DNA to reject ideas / politics that dont work.. This base will abandon CPC and leave them no better than the broken Libs and the delusional NDP..
Thinking that we have no place else to go hasnt helped the UK with the unstoppable rise of UKIP..
Secret political meeting? Getting in line with the USA? Making due with the political situation?
All of it irrelevant if you are dishonesty $$$ off base..
Early-onset senile dementia is a terrible condition… just sayin’
Hansen is a rabid species-ist. Shun him.
That radio program interviews people from all sides and I heard nothing to be be mad at the CBC about, except that it let Mr Hansen pronounce Neanderthal with a “th” (as in “thirst”) sound and described him after the interview ended as a “climatologist”.
Hansen is neither here nor there for me.. He is the talking head of the green dragon that holds his legacy in its hands.. So he will shop himself around and visit every tax funded left wing political ghetto in the world.. Lord knows he has helped them and they will repay in kind with legacy face time and maybe even a few more tax dollars as a professional speaker..
Which really has nothing to do with science at all..
If Hansen’s thinks skeptics are neanderthals does that make him a dinosaur ?
If the climate science is “crystal clear”, how come his predictions so, so wrong? I’d say he must use a Magic 8 Ball, but even that is considerably more accurate.
Felflames says:
April 27, 2013 at 4:19 pm
“Dr Hansen , you have been writing books since the 1960′s , each one has predicted doom for humans within 10 years. Each time you have been wrong in your predictions. Why should anyone believe a word you say when you have always been proven wrong by empirical evidence?”
Now that is a question someone needs to put to him.
———————————————————-
Maybe he’s just playing the odds
He may think he has to be right once in his life.
Although he does have a very bad track record kind of like Ted Turner.
cn
If AGW skeptics are “neanderthals,” than Hansen must be an australopithecine. Let’s do a genetic test on him to see if he’s human. Of course he wouldn’t submit to that because it might prove he isn’t. /sarc
The Monster (@SumErgoMonstro) says:
April 27, 2013 at 5:28 pm
@DocMartyn
Approximately 7% of my DNA is inherited from my Neanderthal ancestors, thus as a member of an ethnic minority I take affront to this disparagement of my forebears.
Preach it, brother! How long must our people submit to these racist slurs?
—————————-
I’m with you.
I’m near my breaking point with these subspecies slurs.
Before you know it out come the jokes about my forehead, again.
cn
Are the Climate Clowns now exposed?