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.
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These scientists aren’t soon to be unemployed they ARE unemployed. Will Steffen, who I met at the Ipswich climate conversation can’t even get his story straight, one minute it’s 3 degrees per doubling next it’s 5 degrees by century end (something like 7 degrees per doubling). Despite his quals he is math challenged.
This appeal for cash could be illegal, and may constitute fraud – a police complaint might be warranted.
Why do all things horrible have a tie to the University of Queensland?
Anthony I haven’t received emails for days. I got the message through direct from your site.
Thanks for any help.
REPLY: no idea what you are talking about. – Anthony
I once agreed with Professor Flannery. About 12 years ago, whilst working at the Australian Museum, he gave a talk to the volunteers. He laboured the point that global warming wasn’t as important an issue as the imminent disappearance of endangered species and that is where the money should be spent. He was even critical of the ‘scientists’ who were pushing the heating scenario. I think he found the money!
Firstly, I like the new look of the site.
Secondly, have you noticed that the most shrill comments come from ecologists and biologists. While I’m sure they are good scientists within their given field, do they really understand the nuances of the climate models they put so much faith in.
The front page looks like an obituary to me. I guess it is.
You might think this would be impossible to parody. But see
http://livefromgolgafrincham.org/2014/08/25/portraits-of-climate-terror-black-and-white-120px/
Paul Matthews, I followed the link and I laughed myself to tears! One thing is obvious, skeptics absolutely rule in the humor category!
Tim Flannery, is well known for his bad public predictions associated with AGW.
Sydney Telegraph journalist, Tim Blair reminds us periodically of Tim’s bad predictions, this one:
http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/can4/
Tim Blair
Tuesday, August 19, 2014 (2:03pm)
CAN’T STAND THE RAIN
“Sweet memories. Remember the good old days of climate panic?
Back on June 11, 2005, the ABC reported alarming news from a reliable alarmist: “Professor Tim Flannery has warned that Australia is now entering long-term climate change, which could cause longer and more frequent droughts. He also predicts that the ongoing drought could leave Sydney’s dams dry in just two years.”
Two years on to the day, let’s see how Tim’s prediction worked out. Here’s an ABC report from June 11, 2007: “Sydney’s largest dam, Warragamba, received 43mm of rain since Thursday, while the region’s smaller dams got a better soaking, including the Upper Nepean which got 108mm. Sydney’s catchment is 36.9 per cent full.”
So let’s see where Sydney’s catchment levels are now, following seven more years of terrible climate change:
image : showing 81% full, as of Monday 18 August”
PS as of today it has increased to 83.9%.
More Tim Flannery Dud Predictions (from Andrew Bolt).
In 2008, Flannery said: “The water problem is so severe for Adelaide that it may run out of water by early 2009.”
Adelaide’s water storage levels today: 89%.
In 2007, Flannery predicted cities such as Brisbane would never again have dam-filling rains, as global warming had caused “a 20 per cent decrease in rainfall in some areas” and made the soil too hot, “so even the rain that falls isn’t actually going to fill our dams and river systems … “.
Brisbane’s dam levels today: 86%.
No wonder Tim is sad!
I reread Peter Macreadie’s “fears” with Stewie Griffen’s voice from Family Guy.
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.
Oddly, it sounds more plausible that way.
I can see why there is no guest book. It might tip some of them over the edge.
Looking at the eight black and white photos of the Australian scientists on scaredscientists.com, I got the impression that there appears to be a quizzical and somewhat skeptical expression on faces of three of the four women.
Did anyone else get that impression?
John
Climate change is very real. For example, the average climate of the northern hemisphere is so cold as to cause the ground to be buried under a thousand feet of ice. The cycle of glacier on/glacier off takes place every several hundred thousand years and can be clearly seen in many ways. Even as the science is settled that glaciation has taken place, the causes are still undergoing vigorous debate.
With respect to the idea that humans are causing harmful changes to the climate at this very moment, I am waiting for some peer-reviewed papers that propose what the optimum climate is for our biosphere. The first question that would naturally flow would be where is our current climate and trend in relation to this finding.
That nobody seems interested in this vital comparison indicates that climate is primarily being studied for other purposes. Since all the urgent demands that flow from today’s climate science coincidentally converge on policy solutions that involve statism, bigger government, higher taxes, less personal liberty, the bigger picture tells me all that I need to know about “climate science”.
Isn’t it wonderful – here in Australia we have both crazy people who think the world is about to end, and sane people who wish it would!
Not all of our scientists are this bad – ponder on the words of professor Ian Plimer – in his book Heaven and Earth – but unfortunately those with the climate apocalypse meme ignored it and have held sway for far too long. Fortunately I am not employed by the government so I do my best with some articles in our industry newsletter and – amazingly – not one voice raised in anger over two years! One person did say at our recent industry conference that they were planning to send a rebuttal to my articles – so I asked her to do so – but she spoiled it by then saying she hadn’t done so as she didn’t have the knowledge to do so and would need help from someone else to write it! That’s the level we are dealing with….
Fortunately there are some sane ones out there and they far outnumber the insane, as demonstrated by the repeal of the useless carbon pricing – although we also seem to have more than enough insane ones in our parliament to mess other things up.
I am currently warning about the next ice age as the Antarctic sea ice continues to creep towards my home – maybe we will be some of the first climate refugees?
“FEAR: LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE CLIMATE SYSTEM” Um….they never HAD it to begin with.
MY biggest fear is that these hysterical, rent seeking twits will actually have some influence on policy.
Did you notice the lack of facts in any of the fears? I surmise they’ve gone off to hang out with Trenberth’s missing heat.
And, my goodness, is there something in the water in Oz that encourages this kind of lunacy?
Of course they’re scared – and with good reason: their grants are going to dry up.
Palindrom shows that even total fruitcakes can have fruitcake feeelings too… Aw shucks.
I’m sure that Professor and Dr.Lysenko must have had occasional feelings as he conducted the Party-line Genetics Inquisition before coindemning them to the Gulag