Wow, this is just nuts. I mean really, really, “Trenberth’s missing heat is going to jump out of the ocean and get you” kind of nuts.
The website scaredscientists.com looks like this at right.
Like the wailing we saw in the hand written letters of feelings last week, this one is also from Australia. Personally, I think this is some sort of mental disorder on display coming to light because Australia has done an about-face on the carbon tax and have put a lot of climate change programs on the back burner or eliminated them altogether.
And of course, there’s an “ACT NOW” button, which is a code word to send money, but there is no mention of what that money will be used for. A list of “fears” follows with comments by me interspersed in blue.
They write in the About page:
A quick chat to the experts and it’s immediately apparent that climate change is not only real: it’s serious. Very serious.
But this isn’t what scares scientists. They’re afraid humanity will continue to bury its head in the sand; instead of facing its greatest challenge head on.
Scientists don’t want to be right, they want to be wrong. Research shows this is our last decade to slow climate change before it’s too late. The science community believe if people are willing, we can transform the current trajectory from one of fear to one of hope. But the science can only take us so far. If we want a safe and sustainable world, we need to take the facts seriously – and do what needs to be done to change them.
Source: http://scaredscientists.com/About
Here’s the big list of scared scientists:
WILL STEFFEN
Earth System Scientist
University of Florida, University of Missouri, Australian National University
FEAR: LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE CLIMATE SYSTEM
The climate is related to many parts of the Earth; the land, the ocean, the ice, the atmosphere. We’re noticing abrupt changes in all of these areas.
We’ll reach a point where we’ll lose control over the system. Right now, if we reduce our emissions, we can probably stabilise the system. If we push the climate too far, if we start losing ice too rapidly, start flipping things like the Amazon, then the internal dynamics of the climate will take over – and even if we pull emissions back, we won’t be able to stop very large changes – that’s my biggest fear.
The thing people don’t realise, is getting emissions down is not only feasible but economically promising and will actually lead to a better life. The narrative needs to change, it’s not all doom and gloom. Yes, it will be another massive transformation in human history, but it will lead to a cleaner environment, to more jobs, and an easier lifestyle.
We still have a chance to pull back climate change, but we need to act vigorously and we need to act soon.
(Funny, I never knew any scientist who said we were “in” control of the climate, much less lost control of it. The hubris on display here could fill a stadium.)
LESLEY HUGHES
Ecologist, Macquarie University, Sydney
FEAR: SPECIES EXTINCTION
My work on the potential impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems has made it clear that the human species is now threatened.
We need to acknowledge the time lag between what we do to the atmosphere and its impacts on the climate. What we do now, affects the climate decades into the future. This means we need to drastically cut our emissions, now and forever, to stabilise the climate in the second half of the century.
(Odd, she doesn’t seem frightened at all. Good luck stabilizing the climate though, because in the entire history of the planet, the climate has never been stable.)
![next%20ice%20age[1]](https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/next20ice20age1.jpg?quality=83)
TIM FLANNERY
Mammologist, Palaeontologist
University of New South Wales,
Monash University, La Trobe University
FEAR: DISRUPTION OF GLOBAL CIVILISATION
Climate Science underestimated the pace of climate change, it was too conservative. We’re now having far more rapid change than originally projected. Change that if not slowed, will undoubtedly affect my children and my grandchildren.
There is genuine potential for a change in climate to disrupt our global civilisation. If that happens, we know human nature has a dark side, people will fight over an ever diminishing resource pool, and that is a future we want to avoid.
This decade is critical, it is our last chance to prevent our children from that type of world. We have to make significant progress and get the global emissions trajectory turning downwards. That is the urgent task at hand.
(I think maybe Tim has been smoking the same thing that always-wrong doomster Paul Ehrlich has been smoking. “We’re now having far more rapid change than originally projected.” Hmmm. I suppose he must not know about ‘the pause’ and all the excuses being made for it.)
SARAH PERKINS
Extreme weather researcher
University of New South Wales
FEAR: INCREASE IN EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
As the background climate warms due to human activity, this increases the frequency and intensity of hot temperature events. I am concerned about how the very broad and damaging impacts of heatwaves will affect human health, infrastructure, agriculture, and natural systems. By the time we realise we need to make changes and start to put these changes in place, it might not be enough to balance out the range of catastrophes we will be facing.
(This lady should read my 2014 paper with Michaels and Knappenberger to understand heat waves, plus my essay on how technology and reporting bias figure in to extreme weather fears. She should also spend some time reading why some of the much touted heat waves have nothing at all to do with “climate change”.)
MATTHEW ENGLAND
Oceanographer, Climate scientist,
University of NSW, Sydney
FEAR: CLIMATE INDUCED GLOBAL CONFLICT
Accelerated warming and expansion of water in the oceans, and increased melting rates of glaciers and ice caps are expected to increase sea levels by a metre or more over the next 100 years. This will pose a decisive threat to the existence of human settlements, infrastructures and industries across the world that are close to the shore lines. Those environmental degradations will aggravate global conflict as tens of millions of people migrate and their food supplies become threatened.
We need to understand that the cost of solving the problem is so much less than the cost of dealing with it down the track; that cost is going to be huge for future generations. Not dealing with it is selfish, short-sighted, narrow minded and obscene. It represents such a level of injustice as those that are going to be impacted are not playing a role in the decisions that are being made now.
(Hmmm, the only climate wars I’m aware of are those being fought in the mind of Michael Mann, who fits England’s description of “selfish, short-sighted, narrow minded and obscene” pretty well.)
SHAUNA MURRAY
Biological Scientist
University of Technology Sydney, University of Tokyo, University of New South Wales
FEAR: REACHING THE FOUR DEGREES OF WARMING
We’ve recorded all sorts of climate change shifts in multiple areas. However, the scientific process is consistent. Every single individual study that has been done, has gone through the same rigorous process, data collection, research analysis, and qualified peer review. At the moment, we’ve at least 10 000 different papers, completed over 20 years, each using different data sets, and they are all coming to the same climate change conclusions. We’ve a weight of evidence that the average person is simply not aware of – and this frightens me.
I’d like to think that we’re not going to reach the projected four degrees of warming this century; because I can’t even imagine what that would look like. 80 years is not that long, and unless we act soon, my seven year old daughter will probably have to live through that.
(Apparently she only reads the papers that scare the crap out of her. Or maybe Skeptical Science, who posted this graph:
Meanwhile, The BBC reports ‘the pause’ may go on for another 10 years or more.)
PETER MACREADIE
Marine Ecologist
University of Technology Sydney, Deakin University
FEAR: GLOBAL CATASTROPHE
IPCC predicts that the impacts of climate change will be catastrophic. This affects everybody. Nobody is safe. We’re going to lose low lying countries, there will be a loss of live stock, potential wide spread famine and species extinction.
One thing people need to remember, is that scientists are the biggest skeptics on Earth. We’re constantly trying to disprove each other. This is the one thing we agree on. The evidence is endless. We’re not making this up, this is really serious, we’re very concerned and there’s not enough being done about it. We really need to be pushing our governments. Let’s not look back and regret what we’ve done.
(“Nobody is safe“, and this guy has the temerity to suggest scientists like him are the “biggest skeptics on Earth”? Wow. )
PENELOPE AJANI
Biological Scientist
University of Macquarie, Sydney
FEAR: UNKNOWN REPERCUSSIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
The scientific community know sea levels will rise, people will be displaced and food resources will diminish. But I work on the small things, the ocean’s plankton, and we are already seeing climate shifts in these organisms. How those changes will affect the global ocean is something we really can’t answer – and that scares me. For example, the fact that we’re seeing tropical species all the way down the east coast of Australia, means massive changes are occurring. However, we currently can’t predict the exact impact of these shifts.
Another example is that climate change will create winners and losers, there’ll be some species that get wiped out and some that will become prolific. Will it be the toxic algal species that are going to survive?
There will come a time when we need to have answers, when these changes will greatly challenge humanity.
(Any biologist who thinks that life is a static enterprise really should go back to school. Like climate, life changes. It also evolves, and adapts.)
Each “scared scientist” vignette ends with:
If you think these facts are frightening, help us change them.
Take action here
I’ll point out that there isn’t a hard sciences person in this group, and not a one of them appears to have any basic meteorological training, much less any climate science training. In their case, ignorance is not bliss, but a ticket to being scared out of their wits.
You gotta love the black and white photography and the caricatures of dark doom the portraits exude. It looks more like “performance art” than science.
Note the website traffic rank:
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/scaredscientists.com
Nearly 15 million. Wow, off the scale of lower than low.
Meanwhile, WUWT is at:
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/wattsupwiththat.com
Lower traffic rank numbers are better, for example Google is #1. This comparison says a lot:
Finally, about that money they ask for when you “act now”, I wonder if it ends up here? Gotta love the domain registrar they use, quite appropos.
==================================================
Domain Name: SCAREDSCIENTISTS.COM
Registry Domain ID: 1801341743_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.syrahost.com
Registrar URL: http://www.crazydomains.com
Updated Date: 2014-08-08T02:08:31+08:00
Creation Date: 2013-05-15T00:00:00+08:00
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2016-05-15T00:00:00+08:00
Registrar: CRAZY DOMAINS FZ-LLC
Registrar IANA ID: 1291
Registrar Abuse Contact Email:
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +61.894220890
Reseller: CRAZY DOMAINS
Domain Status: ok
Registry Registrant ID: 12093151
Registrant Name: RACHEL GUEST
Registrant Organization:
Registrant Street: 6/5-13 LARKIN ST
Registrant City: CAMPERDOWN
Registrant State/Province: NSW
Registrant Postal Code: 2050
Registrant Country: AU
Registrant Phone: +61.299944154
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax: +.
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email:
==================================================
In case anyone gets bent out of shape for me posting that info, I’ll point out it is public domain information, available to anyone who makes a WHOIS query, like this one:
http://whois.domaintools.com/scaredscientists.com
Anyway, good luck with the gloom and doom Rachel, you’ll need it to get past the laughing, especially after your last flop, the Years of Living Dangerously, which tanked in ratings after burning through several million dollars in production costs.
“OK Tim, put on your best sad face now. That’s it. Bit more of a frown on the forehead. Think sad thoughts. That’s it. Perfect. Hold that.”
Flannery’s prose is pure drivel. How’s this sentence for example: “This decade is critical, it is our last chance to prevent our children from that type of world.”
He writes like a primary school child who hasn’t learned the basics of expression or grammar.
There is only one possible appropriate comment about the heap of steaming that is “Scared Scientists”.
L. O. L.
More proof that only upper middle class Whites are truly anal organisms.
Not usual , those who been enjoying the high life thanks to scams often worry about the scam being found out and so the end of of their high life . The smart ones move on to the next scam but the hangers on spend the rest of lives moaning about the ‘good old days ‘ Add in a ‘we are saving the planet ‘ self righteous mind set , and you can how this toxic mix would make them worried .
The sad part is that due to failure of the gatekeepers its unlikely that just the scam artists will suffer , lots of other environmental issues and science is likely to find public perception and funding going strongly down hill, at a cost to us all.
Just some general advice , if you don’t want to be treated like a self-serving , dishonest BS artist , it is a good idea not to act like one in the first place. That the careers of ‘the Team’ and some of it hangers on will crash and burn if ‘the cause ‘ falls is something to only celebrate .
They reveal their propensity to believing in myths when they use the ole head in sand expression. Ostriches don’t really bury their heads in the sand.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2006/11/02/1777947.htm
Pure, unadulterated emotional manipulation on their part. What they are spouting is the exact oposite of science. It is a last-gasp effort to rally the troops, i.e the hard-core pea-brained Believers. The jig is up, and they know it.
“TIM FLANNERY
Mammologist, Palaeontologist
University of New South Wales,
Monash University, La Trobe University
FEAR: DISRUPTION OF GLOBAL CIVILISATION ”
Well I’m less and less convinced these people deserve a civilized treatment, so he’s got a point there.
I want you all to donate to my latest effort: ScaredOfScaredScientists.com this is really scary
In a sane world, these cats would have every right to be scared — of going to jail for such attempted flim flannery.
(pun intended)
Among the many porkies they tell is this multi-layered beaut: “Scientists don’t want to be right, they want to be wrong.”
First of all, the moment a scientist becomes focused on “being right” as opposed to simply doing good science is the moment he stops being a true scientist. Secondly, when they say “scientists” what they are talking about is the so-called consensus. But, not only is the “consensus” itself a lie, but science by consensus isn’t science at all. Finally, they, meaning the CAGW faux science ideologues don’t really care whether they are right or wrong, just that they appear to. That is their ultimate, most shamefaced lie of all. They do however, care about keeping their gravy rolling along for as long as possible, to the detriment of all of humanity.
Well, let’s see.
I figure there are somewhere between 500 and 600 coal fired power plants in the U.S. right now, generating an average of about 500MW each. Something like that. Ballpark of 100-500 million per replacement plant capital costs, we are looking at hundreds of billions just to get started, in up front construction costs. Energy storage systems? Smart grids? What about our cars?
I just hate it when people B.S. me. Admit it’s going to cost several large fortunes and damage us economically, and then at least I’ll have reason to suspect you’re speaking straight for goodness sakes!
If we want a safe and sustainable world, we need to take the facts seriously – and do what needs to be done to change them.This is an interesting sentence. The object of the sentence is “facts,” then “do…change them.” What “facts” do they propose to “change,” and how do they propose to “change” them? If there were one sentence that encapsulated the entire “climate change” forces, and they are a force, this would be that sentence.
I’m not going to get all worked up, but to finish:
And for what? Humans can adapt to every set of environmental conditions on earth for pete’s sakes! You find us in Death Valley. You find us at the South Pole. You sometimes find us in machines deep beneath the surface of the ocean. Every once in a while you find some in space. Alive and well.
But no! A few paltry degrees change in our average temperatures is absolutely going to devastate us. No question. The scientists have spoken.
PuhLeeze!
@ur momisugly tm willemse’
I believe that is what’s known as a “fraudian slip” on their part.
A narrative of fear is very effective with “sheepal”.
If these scientists are confident that they are correct in their attempts to scare the gullible, then why do they not use this site to enlighten we sceptics with the ‘overwhelming empirical evidence’ that supports their argument, we can then argue the points from a genuine scientific viewpoint? So come on Messrs. Stephan, Hughes, Flannery, Perkins, England, Murray, Macreadie and Ajani, On behalf of all sceptics who find WUWT to be a genuine debating platform for the subject of the climate, I invite you to answer your critics in these columns and offer us the opportunity to analyse your evidence for the terrifying scenario for the future of civilisation that you proffer. You must surely have masses of evidence for you all to put forward collectively such a frightening scenario which you say will lead to the extinction of mankind and the beautiful world in which humanity and all other forms of life have lived successfully for millions of years. The platform is yours!
“Scientists don’t want to be right, they want to be wrong. I have great news, they are.
Global warming aka climate change is about “scientists” publishing scare papers to get more govt. grants so they can “study this problem further.” It’s about money, power, and politics.
The psychopathology of climate alarmists realizing that their gravy train has derailed is truly awe-inspiring (just send money!!!). Perhaps Lewandowsky could do a study; he wouldn’t even need to make stuff up.
If you donate, do you get a bottle of snake oil and a copy of Algore’s latest book….
Does their publically stated life background (openly stated by themselves on the internet and elsewhere) resemble the following kind of pattern?
As teenagers some people often feel lost and scared in a world they feel is indifferent and they feel isolated from it. Then becoming undergraduate students those people can see a fashionable ideological cause that gives them a sense of belonging and purpose so they often choose a profession that aids the fashionable ideological cause. They then feel safety in having fellow cause members which alleviates their isolation and scared feelings. Then later in life if the fashionable ideological cause disintegrates then those people can revert back to feeling a profoundly based isolation of their teenage scared metal state.
Or, instead of that pattern just described, is there a more rationally pre-meditated and calculated pattern.
John
I think the new moderation rules mean I can’t say what I think 😉
Alyric
Some Random Guy on the Internet
Sol System
FEAR: COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA DISGUISED AS ENVIRONMENTALISM AND CLIMATE SCIENCE
See above article. Also, keep your hands off my wallet. Pinko.
Glenn
August 24, 2014 at 7:31 pm
“At the moment, we’ve at least 10 000 different papers, completed over 20 years, each using different data sets, and they are all coming to the same climate change conclusions.”
Shauna has it spot on. Too bad she isn’t rational.
==============================
Anyone want to buy a second hand data set…… thousands to choose from…. tell us what result you want and we can supply a data set tailored to your requirements.
Not only do you get a data set but for a little extra we can supply you with a “concerned climate change scientist” ™ who will promote your cause.
This is a limited offer so ACT NOW!
Anthony,
From your whois inquiry I checked the address of the registrant, idle curiosity, and it is a stone throw from the “university” of sydney.