Bill McKibben thinks Al Gore has been ‘diminished’ by skeptics:
We actually had a charismatic leader in Al Gore, but he was almost the exception that proved the rule.
For one thing, a politician makes a problematic leader for a grassroots movement because boldness is hard when you still envision higher office; for another, even as he won the Nobel Prize for his remarkable work in spreading climate science, the other side used every trick and every dollar at their disposal to bring him down. He remains a vital figure in the rest of the world (partly because there he is perceived less as a politician than as a prophet), but at home his power to shape the fight has been diminished.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-mckibben/movements-without-leaders_b_3777136.html
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Speaking of Gore’s “diminished role”, this is what he’s up to now*
Duke C. says:
Al Gore at Work: $8.7 Billion to ‘Repair Sound Barrier’?
The EPA has already begun discussions with environmentalist thought leader Al Gore about developing a series of Public Service Announcements to inform the public and to caution them about the damaging effects of supersonic speeds. When reached by phone, the former Vice President and filmmaker shared his newfound expertise on the topic, “Most of the smaller residual sonic disturbances seem to be concentrated in some of the least populated areas, like ranches and rodeo arenas.” He further quipped that, “This truth is looking pretty inconvenient as well.”
*Spoof article
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Mike Bromley the Kurd says:
Oh Noes Department: European Forests aren’t the carbon sink they once were……
http://phys.org/news/2013-08-europe-forests-carbon-saturation.html
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Stresiand effect in 3, 2, 1…
Mr Bliss says: A potentially very damaging story regarding UK wind farms:
“Sources have said that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) run by Ed Davey, a Liberal Democrat wants to stop Owen Paterson, the Conservative Environment Secretary, publishing a major report that he has commissioned on renewable energy and the rural economy. ”
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It took them this long to figure this out?
NASA scientists relate urban population to air pollution
Live in a large city like New York, London, Beijing or Mumbai, and you are likely exposed to more air pollution than people in smaller cities in surrounding areas. But exactly how a city’s pollution relates to the size of its population has never been measured, until now.
http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-scientists-relate-urban-population-to-air-pollution/#.UhKAMT92EhV
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Fearmongering from National Geographic, which is why I don’t subscribe anymore.
Steve Wilent says:
Have you seen the cover of the September 2013 National Geographic Magazine? Cover story: Rising Seas. Image: The statue of Liberty with water up to about Liberty’s waist — more than 200 feet above sea level.
http://press.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/15/national-geographic-magazine-september-2013/
I wonder if they tell readers how long that will take to get to that level, like I did here:
Freaking out about NYC sea level rise is easy to do when you don't pay attention to history
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UHI and social justice?
ut8t5 says:
Reducing Urban Heat Island effect in Toronto a matter of social justice, “experts” say
Toronto Public Health claims that the urban heat effect makes poorer neighbourhoods even hotter than wealthier neighbourhoods.
“The Urban Heat Island problem “doesn’t affect everyone equally… In Toronto, there is “almost a perfect overlay between poor areas and hot areas,” says Kevin Behan, deputy director of the Clean Air Partnership, an environmental group.”
“Modern scientists have confirmed that the average temperature difference between an urban heat island and its rural belt is usually 1 C to 2 C but can reach as much as 12 C in extreme cases.”
Chicken Little is very worried about this and want to spend our money RIGHT NOW.
“Mitigating the Urban Heat Island effect — which can be as easy as switching roof colours — is a matter of social justice, many experts say. And as climate change continues to amplify weather extremes, that task is increasingly urgent.”
LOL
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Heatwaves Projected to Double by 2020
New Computer Models Project Rapid Increase in Heatwaves
John Marincic writes:
Heatwaves are projected to double by 2020 based on new computer models and reviewing an “exceptional number of extreme heatwaves” over the last decade. The scientists from Germany and Spain use the latest heatwaves in Australia, US, and Russia as examples of what will become more prevalent over the coming decade.
The study is in the Journal of Environmental Research Letters. There is a link to the study in the article (see URL) published by Reuters.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Environment/2013/08/16/21052391.html
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I am 75 years old and have never been without the National Geographic in my household. I paid for a subscription for all the kids as they left home for a total of seven subscriptions. Now the number is zero and it will stay that way.
H.R. says (August 20, 2013 at 8:53 am): “… I wonder if Bill McKibben has an extra nickel bag of whatever it is he’s using that he’d sell to me?”
Isn’t that sort ‘a showing your age? Of course so am I… hadn’t seen one of those in many ‘a coon’s age.
Funny how Bill McKibben thinks that he is part of a grass roots uprising; the underdogs struggling to have their voice heard; fighting on a shoestring budget against the hugely well-funded juggernaut of ‘Denialests’. Is this a strange form of projection disorder? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection)
He kind of seems like a guy with a bad toupee. He thinks that his argument makes him look good, but actualy, everyone is laghing at him behind his back….
“Bill McKibben thinks Al Gore has been ‘diminished’ by skeptics:”
Everybody knows that Al Gore has needed no help in the diminishing department. He has screwed his own reputation all by himself.
The real movement without leaders is that of the AGW Skeptics.
AGW belief is pure astroturf, carefully packaged, marketed by way of high level conferences, and self-selecting committees, and paid for by huge amouints of tax payer money. How many showed up in support of the President’s war on ‘flat earther’s last week?
What follows is my irreverent humor in response to the stories in the WUWT hot sheet, some of which are pretty dang funny. Skip this post if you don’t like that sort of thing.
still reading? okay, it’s on you, I don’t want to hear any complaints… 😉
Al Gore has been spreading climate science. I finally understand why Super Scott Mandia wears hip waders.
I know Al Gore, although he made a ton of money, didn’t get the full happy ending that he wanted to his climate story. This must have left him hot and bothered. I’m sure he’s delighted that Bill McKibben is taking this matter into his own hands in order to insure a successful climax to his efforts.
Speaking of Lady Liberty’s ‘whatsis,’ I know this isn’t the biggest problem that we face when sea levels rise 200 ft above today’s levels. But still, forewarned is forearmed. If Liberty’s ‘whatsis’ is at sea level, it will eventually get covered with marine growth, barnicles, oysters, mollusks, etc. She’ll be needing a female statue’s equivalent of a good Brazilian waxing from time to time. I hope the Park Service is making their contingency plans.
UHI is a social justice issue? Having lived in a poor Mexican town with only one paved street, and having seen how dirt streets turn into often impassable morasses of mud and malaria spreading mosquito ponds during the rainy season, I think the poor of the world need more pavement, not less. At the very least, let’s not settle this question until we ask the poor people for their opinions. Hint: pretty sure the poor want paved roads in their barrios and to be able to afford a car, air conditioning, reliable electricity, etc
NASA must have figured out that urban areas were more heavily populated by finally launching into orbit more powerful cameras with adequate resolution to make out details of urbanized areas. I hope it wasn’t just computer models, I’ll be so disappointed if it was just computer models.
Speaking of models, with these new computer models that predict more heatwaves, did they use the word “powerful” to describe them? NO. Did they talk about running them on powerful supercomputers? NO. Obviously, these people aren’t real climate scientists. They don’t know how to communicate science. Ergo, I think it’s safe to completely ignore them.
On the Streisand effect: I think the world would be so much better off if we were all just people who need people… if we were people who needed people, we’d all be the luckiest people in the world. Aw crap, I just thought of a complication. If we’re all the luckiest people in the world, won’t the bookmakers and casinos be relatively unluckier? So obviously they’re not among the luckiest people. But wait, they still need people, or else they’d not have any business, so then THEY must also be the luckiest people… aw, screw it, this is too hard to figure out.
“…for another, even as he won the Nobel Prize for his remarkable work in spreading climate science…” (in re Al Gore): I was under the impression that the Nobel Prize caper had already been debunked. Did I miss something? Has he actually been given one now?
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Maybe “Yamal 06” didn’t come from Yamal after all?
Al Gore spreading “climate science.” Hmph!
Joe Crawford says:
August 20, 2013 at 12:13 pm
H.R. says (August 20, 2013 at 8:53 am): “… I wonder if Bill McKibben has an extra nickel bag of whatever it is he’s using that he’d sell to me?”
Isn’t that sort ‘a showing your age? Of course so am I… hadn’t seen one of those in many ‘a coon’s age.
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I’ll dial you up from a payphone and we can discuss the matter. Just be sure the operator puts me straight through to you and that no one else is on the party line, m’kay? ;o)
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Al Gore… phhtttt! The little dead voles my dogs leave by the door have more charisma than Al.
Anybody else notice that IARC/JAXA at http://www.ijis.iarc.uaf.edu/seaice/extent/plot.csv hasn’t been updated for a few days? According to http://www.ijis.iarc.uaf.edu/en/home/seaice_extent.htm
The latest value : 5,867,813 km2 (August 16, 2013)
When you consider the type of ‘prophets’ , such as St Gore and Mann, that lead ‘the cause ‘ you can almost get all you need to know about its actual value from that alone.
Hype and BS with a big fat dollop of self-serving interest..
Peter Bocking told me that if Al Gore’s hair were set on fire it would provide enough heat and light for a small English village.
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Walter Dnes says:
August 20, 2013 at 2:58 pm
ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/DATASETS/NOAA/G02186/masie_extent_sqkm.csv
It is interesting that someone as rich as Gore bothers so much with this sort of thing. What’s the drive?
McKibben: “there [Al Gore] is perceived less as a politician than as a
prophetprofit”I’m sure that’s what Billy REALLY meant.
“Modern scientists have confirmed ”
What exactly is a Modern Scientist? Is that someone who has a new “scientific meathod”?
I think they mean Post Modern Scientists?
I would like the see the UHI effect tested in ghost cities.
We have several ghost cities in China and Spain. Just the buildings, no people.
I think it is not the number of people but the size of the town which makes the UHI effect.
” Is that someone who has a new “scientific meathod”? ”
No, according to Lew it is a new “scientific methud”, not “meathod”, but still new. Just listen. The old ways were simply too constrained to match his conclusion.
Don’t laugh, but another sound barrier source is gunshots, so the nut jobs might take up that argument, which oh by the way, outlaws most guns.
I don’t know whether to be amused or appalled at the idea that UHI is undesirable in a cold city like Toronto (where the average summer high temperature is only 25C).
25 is comfortable; add on several degrees of urban heat island effect in the worse-off neighbourhoods, and it’s uncomfortable on average. Even moderate heat waves quickly get to be dangerous.
the average temp for summer around the world is 15C not “25C”
Buy Curt made a different claim:
I think so. I think your report will give the individuals a good suggesting. And they will show thanks to anyone later