The Week That Was: 2015-08-29 (August 29, 2015) Brought to You by SEPP (www.SEPP.org) The Science and Environmental Policy Project
THIS WEEK: By Ken Haapala, President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)
Divergence: It is summertime in the US, and temperatures are warmer. Several readers have asked TWTW for comments on the recent claims that July 2015 was the hottest month ever and similar announcements by certain US government entities, including branches of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). These entities are making strong public statements that the globe continues to warm, and the future is dire. A humorist could comment that the closer we are to the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11, the hotter the globe becomes.
However, there are three significant forms of divergence that are being demonstrated. One divergence is the increasing difference between atmospheric temperatures and surface temperatures. The second divergence is the growing difference between temperatures forecast by models and observed temperatures, particularly atmospheric temperatures. This leads to the third divergence, the difference between the activities of what can be called the Climate Establishment and what is observed in nature.
The atmospheric temperatures are reported by two independent entities: the largely NASA-financed UAH entity at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) in California. The surface temperatures are reported by NOAA, NASA, and Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office, combined with those of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia. These measurements depend, in part, on the historic record maintained by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Unfortunately, for more than two decades, the historic record of the surface temperatures has been adjusted numerous times, without adequate records of the details and the effects. The net effect is an inflation of a warming trend, particularly obvious in the US where excellent historic records continue to exist. The UAH data have been adjusted, but the adjustments and effects have been publically recorded.
The divergence between the temperatures forecasted by the global climate models and the observed temperatures is becoming extremely obvious, particularly with the observed atmospheric temperatures. The adjustments to surface temperatures lessen this divergence somewhat, particular with the latest adjustments by the NCDC, where superior measurements taken by fixed or floating buoys were inflated to correspond with earlier, inferior measurements taken by ships. The director of NCDC, Tom Karl, was a lead author in the paper announcing this change. As a result, we should see announcements that sea surface temperatures, and global surface temperatures, are increasing, although the increase may be strictly an artifact of human adjustments rather than an occurrence in nature.
The questionable adjustments in reported surface temperatures leads to the third form of increasing divergence – the differences between what is reported by the Climate Establishment and what is occurring in nature. The Climate Establishment can be defined as those who embrace the findings of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), particularly the assertion of a high confidence, a high degree of certainty, that human emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are causing unprecedented and dangerous global warming. Simply because data is adjusted to reflect the IPCC view, does not mean that the IPCC view is occurring.
The greenhouse effect takes place in the atmosphere, yet it is not being observed in the atmosphere. The satellite data, independently verified by four sets of weather balloon data, clearly shows it is not. There has been no significant warming for about 18 years. These data are the most comprehensive temperature data existing and are largely independent of other human influences that bias surface data such as urbanization, including building of structures and impervious surfaces, and other changes in land use. Those who broadcast claims of the hottest year ever, based on adjusted surface data, are actually emphasizing the divergence between science practiced by the Climate Establishment and Nature, and are not engaged in a natural science.
Unfortunately, many government entities and government-funded entities are involved in the Climate Establishment. The leaders of such government entities and funding entities demonstrate a lack of concern for institutional credibility, no respect for the scientific bases on which such institutions were built, including those who came before them and those who will replace them, and will leave their institutions in an inferior condition, rather than strengthen them.
It is important to note that not all government-funded entities are so involved. The National Space Science & Technology Center (NSSTC) at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), which is largely funded by the federal government (NASA) is a notable exception. See links under Measurement Issues.
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Quote of the Week: “If we torture the data long enough, it will confess” Ronald Coase, Nobel in Economic Sciences, 1991 [H/t ICECAP]
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Number of the Week: 0.7%
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Ice Ages: Nature Communications published a new study proclaiming evidence that greenhouse gas concentrations drive the advance and retreat of glaciers, including those in the last Ice Age. The assertion was immediately emphasized by various organizations in the mass media. The opening sentence illustrates the quality of the work: “The ongoing retreat of glaciers globally is one of the clearest manifestations of recent global warming associated with rising greenhouse gas concentrations.” At best, the statement is a logical fallacy, petitio principii, better known as “begging the question.” That is, the main point of contention, the influence of greenhouses gases on temperatures, is assumed to be conceded.
The logic used in the abstract is similar to that Al Gore used in his film “An Inconvenient Truth.” Studies of carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperatures from ice cores with finer resolution than used by Gore showed that the inflection points [significant change in direction] do not match, and the CO2 inflection points lagged behind temperature inflection points by up to 8 to 10 centuries. If CO2 is the primary driver of temperature change, changes in its concentration should occur first.
In informal correspondence, physicist Donald Rapp, author of Ice Ages and Interglacials: Measurements, Interpretation, and Models, makes similar observations about the study, and states that the authors may have confused cause with effect. He emphasizes that no one really understands why and how the last ice age ended over a 10,000 year period from about 18,000 to 8,000 years ago. The hypotheses that have been advanced are highly speculative. We know that as the earth came out of the ice age, CO2 levels rose as the oceans warmed, but why did the oceans warm? See links under Un-Science or Non-Science?
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Dramatic Sea Level Rise? A newly formed NASA Sea Level Change Team issued a press release stating it found dramatic increase in sea levels. According to team member Steve Nerem: “Given what we know now about how the ocean expands as it warms and how ice sheets and glaciers are adding water to the seas, it’s pretty certain we are locked into at least 3 feet of sea level rise, and probably more.” The date not specified, except it is sometime in the future. Further, it may be completely unrelated to carbon dioxide.
The press release goes on to state: “Scientists estimate that about one-third of sea level rise is caused by expansion of warmer ocean water, one-third is due to ice loss from the massive Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, and the remaining third results from melting mountain glaciers. But, the fate of the polar ice sheets could change that ratio and produce more rapid increases in the coming decades.”
If the claims can be substantiated, the findings are significant, and disturbing. But as of August 29, there is little else to review other than the press release. The world-wide sea level rise that is claimed to be observed, 3 inches since 1992, significantly exceeds that observed using traditional tidal gauges. We must await the details, otherwise the whole episode just becomes an example of science by press release. See links under Lowering Standards.
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Limits of Knowledge: The New York Times has an op-ed with the provocative, and perhaps misunderstood headline “The Case for Teaching Ignorance.” Understanding the limits of knowledge is an important part of education. Learning to form penetrating questions are often critical to advancing knowledge. The approach explained in the article is refreshing, compared with the unfounded certainty commonly found in professional life. See link under Other News that May Be of Interest.
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Other Causes of Warming? According to recently published research in Advances in Space Research, the surface temperatures of many rocky planets and moons in the solar system can accurately be predicted over a broad range of atmospheric conditions and radiative regimes only using two forcing variables: top-of-the-atmosphere solar irradiance and total surface atmospheric pressure. The planets and moons considered are Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars, Titan (a moon of Saturn), and Triton (a moon of Neptune). If the research is verified, then the case for global warming from increased greenhouses gases becomes weaker.
This analysis brings up an interesting issue raised by some global warming alarmists. At the surface, the atmospheric pressure of Venus is about 90 times that of earth at its surface. As the ideal gas laws indicate, this pressure, alone, will result in far greater temperatures on Venus than on earth. The atmosphere of Venus is about 96% carbon dioxide. Yet, many alarmists have warned that Venus is an example of what will happen on earth with the an increased greenhouse effect, not pressure, if human created greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere from three to four parts per 10,000. See links under Other Scientific News and http://nova.stanford.edu/projects/mod-x/id-pres.html
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Number of the Week: 0.7% According to the US EIA, utility-scale solar generation by photovoltaics reached a record in the US in June 2015 with 2,765,000 MWh of electricity generated. This record was 0.7% of the total 361,698,000 MWh generated in the US for that month. See link under Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind.
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ARTICLES:
Please note that articles not linked easily or summarized here are reproduced in the Articles Section of the full TWTW that can be found on the web site under the date of the TWTW.
1. Why Is the EPA Cleaning Up Mines?
Private mining companies have already shown they are better equipped to deal with the mess.
By Rhett Larson, WSJ, Aug 21, 2015
http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-is-the-epa-cleaning-up-mines-1440196476
SUMMARY: The author, an associate professor of law at Arizona State University, opens with the blunt statement: “Images of the bright-yellow Animas River in Colorado, fouled by millions of gallons of toxic wastewater accidentally released from an abandoned mine by contractors working for the Environmental Protection Agency last week, prompt a serious question: Why was the EPA even managing this waste in the first place? Mining companies that have the skills and experience to clean up such sites should be doing this work.”
“There are more than 557,000 abandoned hard rock mines in 32 states throughout the country. These sites often have been inactive for decades, and the responsible party either no longer exists or cannot be found. Abandoned mines can have devastating effects on the environment, and mismanaging them can lead to catastrophic spills like the one in the Animas River. Acids, heavy metals and toxic sediments from these spills can persist for years, preventing use of the water and harming agriculture, fishing, wildlife and recreation.”
The author cites specific examples of successful clean-up operations performed by private companies, then states that mining companies are reluctant to take on such tasks. If the EPA “disaster had occurred at the hand of a mining company, the firm and its leaders would face a public relations nightmare, and perhaps a legal one. Mining companies are understandably reluctant to risk such liability without some assurance that they will not be punished for accidents resulting from reasonable efforts to clean up somebody else’s mess.
“Three reforms can get the best people involved in cleaning up pollution from abandoned mines. First, mining companies that voluntarily agree to help remediate orphaned mines should be eligible for “Good Samaritan” permits for cleanup operations. These permits could provide that, if mining companies use the best available pollution prevention measures and otherwise comply with permit requirements, they would be shielded from liability under state and federal law.
“Second, companies that generate net ecological benefits by remediating orphaned mines should qualify for expedited permitting for other projects. New mines typically must obtain permits under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and other environmental laws before they begin operations. When a mining company agrees to remediate an orphaned site in connection with a new mining project, the regulatory system should make such permits less expensive and easier to obtain.
“Third, states could form environmental credit markets that would enable mining companies to make money from activities that help the environment. When a mining company remediates an abandoned mine and improves water quality, it could receive credits allowing certain other limited discharges into that river or aquifer, so long as those discharges do not violate water quality standards. Even if the mining company does not itself have any use for the credits, it could sell them to another firm—say, a manufacturer whose operations release pollutants into the water.
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2. Improved Storm Modeling Since Katrina Changes Insurance Equation
By Ben DiPietro, WSJ, Aug 27, 2015
SUMMARY: “Hurricane Katrina changed the way insurance companies and some corporations build catastrophe models and calculate the potential damage from a big storm, leading to more accurate damage predictions, better risk assessments and more strategic and cost-effective insurance policy decisions, some risk management experts said.
“Catastrophe storm models from when Katrina hit 10 years ago were fairly crude and largely used by insurers to assess portfolio exposure–basically attempting to understand how much risk a company or insurer had in a given geography, wind zone, earthquake zone or flood zone, said Steve Truono, vice president of global risk management and insurance at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. But those models in many cases were inaccurate and weren’t necessarily developed or tailored to address complications that might arise, he said.”
The article emphasizes the more accurate modeling by insurances companies of the costs of replacing losses, including how they collect and assess data from storms, rather than better modeling of significant storms. All this applies to risk management as seen at the corporate level.
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3. The EPA’s Own Email Problem
Another government employee, another private account, another crashed hard drive.
By Kimberley Strassel, WSJ, Aug 27, 2015
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-epas-own-email-problem-1440718297
Discussing the subpoena of Phillip North by a federal court in regard to EPA’s denial to a permit for the Pebble mine in Alaska, the author states: government workers don’t use private email because it is “convenient.” “They use private email to engage in practices that may be unsavory, or embarrassing, or even illegal. Let’s be clear about that.
“Mr. North was, until a few years ago, a biologist at the Environmental Protection Agency, based in Alaska. Around 2005 he became enmeshed in reviewing the Pebble Partnership’s proposal to develop a mine there. Mr. North has openly admitted that he was opposed to this idea early on, and he is entitled to his opinion. Still, as a government employee his first duty is to follow the law.
“In the normal course of law, Pebble would file for permits and the Army Corps of Engineers would get the first say over approval. The EPA has a secondary role. But records show that EPA officials, including Mr. North, had no intention of letting the process get that far. They set about to “pre-emptively” veto the mine, before Pebble could even file for permits. But for the EPA to so flagrantly insert itself into the process, it needed cause. This is where Mr. North and his private email come in.
“The biologist was deeply involved in most of the work on Pebble, and would later brag about his role in killing the project. He had briefed high-level officials; drafted an early “options paper” laying out the veto strategy; and taken a star role in the “science” the EPA would use to justify the 2014 veto. But perhaps Mr. North’s biggest contribution was as serving as a liaison to (and coordinating with) anti-mine activists.
“The EPA would ultimately claim that it acted ‘in response to petitions’ filed against the mine in 2010 by Native American tribes. But those petitions didn’t spring from nowhere. According to documents Pebble has given a federal court, Mr. North was working with those outside activists to engineer the petitions—from inside the EPA. He also worked with the activists, including a lawyer representing the tribes, to hone the EPA’s veto strategy. And he did this via a private email address. Why? Because he shouldn’t have been doing any of it.”
It gets weirder, in that Mr. North was one of those Obama employees whose government hard drives conveniently crashed. Only after Congress started investigating the Pebble scandal did the EPA inform lawmakers that Mr. North’s crash just happened to wipe out documents from the period in question.
“Mr. North, meanwhile, has fled the country. He retired from the EPA in the spring of 2013. The House Oversight Committee in July of that year asked him to appear for an interview. They went round and round on a possible date, until in October 2013 he claimed he was on a world boat tour, and that moreover his boat had suffered damage. He also hired a lawyer, who has not made Mr. North available for in-person or telephone interviews. He’s thought to be in Australia.
“That’s why Pebble in mid-August asked a federal court to subpoena Mr. North and his documents. The EPA for its part has continued to suggest that Mr. North was only a junior employee who had no real role in the veto process.”
After quoting the judge who expressed that the court would be surprised if the EPA were not as anxious as Pebble to obtain testimony and access to documents controlled by Mr. North, the author concludes that agencies such as the EPA “know exactly why their employees use private email. And they know the release of it means nothing but trouble.”
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NEWS YOU CAN USE:
Commentary: Is the Sun Rising?
New paper finds ‘robust’ relationship between cosmic rays and global temperature, corroborates Svensmark’s solar-cosmic ray theory of climate
By Staff Writer, The Hockey Schtick, Aug 25, 2015
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com/2015/08/new-paper-finds-robust-relationship.html
Link to paper: Reply to Luo et al.: Robustness of causal effects of galactic cosmic rays on interannual variation in global temperature
By Ye, et al, PNAS, Aug 25, 2015
http://www.pnas.org/content/112/34/E4640.extract
Suppressing Scientific Inquiry
Gross Suppression Of Science …Former NOAA Meteorologist Says Employees “Were Cautioned Not To Talk About Natural Cycles”
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Aug 26m, 2015
Former NOAA Meteorologist tells of years of censorship to hide the effect of “natural cycles”
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Aug 28, 2015
Challenging the Orthodoxy
Climate Alarmists’ Chutzpah
By Alan Carlin, Carlin Economics and Science, Aug 27, 2015
http://www.carlineconomics.com/archives/2109
Climatologist Dr. Tim Ball On 97% Consensus: “Completely False And Was Deliberately Manufactured”!
Interview by P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Aug 24, 2015
Defending the Orthodoxy
The day we stopped Europe’s biggest polluter in its tracks
Earlier this month, 1,500 protesters forced the temporary closure of a vast lignite mine in Germany. It was terrifiyng, exhilarating – and direct action at its best
By John Jordan, Guardian, UK, Aug 27, 2015
[SEPP Comment: The newspaper reveals its bias.]
Questioning the Orthodoxy
Realities Of Climate Change, Politics And Public Knowledge.
Guest Opinion: Dr. Tim Ball, WUWT, Aug 22, 2015
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/08/22/realities-of-climate-change-politics-and-public-knowledge/
The Brave Judith Curry (Part II)
By Robert Bradley, Jr. Master Resource, Aug 25, 2015
https://www.masterresource.org/debate-issues/the-brave-judith-curry-part-ii/
[SEPP Comment: A number of quotes.]
The easy solution to the looming monster methane apocalypse
Guest essay by Larry Kummer, WUWT, Aug 24, 2015
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/08/24/the-easy-solution-to-the-looming-monster-methane-apocalypse/
‘Water wars are a myth’: expert says many governments eager to cooperate
By Magdalena Mis, Reuters, Aug 24, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://news.yahoo.com/water-wars-myth-expert-says-many-governments-eager-083547124.html
In 1999, climate change apparently threatened Western Hudson Bay polar bears
By Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, Aug 25, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Yet, 16 years later they are still around.]
Pacific walruses hauled out at Point Lay Alaska again this year
By Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, Aug 28, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Another sign of health, not doom?]
On to Paris!
Countries Slow to Pledge Emissions Cuts Ahead of Paris Climate Talks
Delays raise concerns over developing economies’ commitment to accord planned for later this year
By William Mauldin, WSJ, Via GWPF, Aug 24, 2015
http://www.thegwpf.com/countries-slow-to-pledge-emissions-targets-ahead-of-paris-climate-talks/
Climate Talks: India will not announce its peaking year; INDC will focus on all key elements
By Vishwa Mohan, Economic Times, India, Aug 25, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
The Administration’s Plan
EPA’s Clean Power Plan: Highlights of the Final Rule
By Jonathan Ramseur and James McCarthy, CRS, Aug 14, 2015 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44145.pdf
Political Target: Natural Gas
The methane rule is part of a regulatory wave to raise drilling costs.
Editorial, WSJ, Via GWPF, Aug 23, 2015
http://www.thegwpf.com/obamas-next-target-natural-gas/
Obama to traditional energy producers: Get with the program
By Devin Henry, The Hill, Aug 24, 2015
Obama orders boost to clean energy programs
By Devin Henry, The Hill, Aug 24, 2015
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/251779-obama-orders-boost-to-clean-energy-programs
“The Obama administration announced a slate of executive actions on Monday to encourage investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, including more than $1 billion in new loan guarantees.”
[SEPP Comment: More unreliable electricity.]
The Administration’s Plan – Independent Analysis
Obama’s Escalating War on Fossil Fuels
By Donn Dears, Power For USA, Aug 25, 2015
https://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2015/08/25/obamas-escalating-war-on-fossil-fuels/
The EPA’s Clean Power Plan in Nebraska
Unworkable and Unaffordable: The EPA’s Clean Power Plan in Nebraska
By Jessica Hermann, Platte Institute, No Date [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.platteinstitute.org/Library/DocLib/Unworkable-and-Unaffordable.pdf
The Administration’s Plan – Push-Back
The Left’s Plot to Impoverish America’s Middle Class and Enrich Left-Wing Billionaires
By John Hinderaker, Power Line, Aug 24, 2015
Link to report: Private Interests & Public Office: Coordination Between Governors, the Obama White House and the Tom Steyer-“Founded and Funded” Network of Advocacy Groups to Advance the “Climate” Agenda
By Staff Writers, Energy & Environment Legal Institute, Aug 24, 2015
Fracking Is Our Clean Power Plan
By Staff Writers, NCPA, Aug 27, 2015
Link to article: Fracking Is Our Clean Power Plan
By Jacki Pick, Forbes, Aug 25, 2015
http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2015/08/25/fracking-is-our-clean-power-plan/
Remarkable Air Quality Improvements
By Donn Dears, Power For USA, Aug 28, 2015
https://dddusmma.wordpress.com/2015/08/28/remarkable-air-quality-improvements/
Clean Power Plan: Free Market vs Red Tape
By Jack Gerard, [American Petroleum Institute], Real Clear Energy, Aug 25, 2015
http://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2015/08/25/clean_power_plan_market_vs_red_tape_108704.html
Obama Hatches A Vast, Left-Wing, Green Conspiracy
Editorial, IBD, Aug 25, 2015
Problems in the Orthodoxy
India’s coal industry in flux as government sets ambitious coal production targets
By Diane Kearney, et al. EIA, Aug 25, 2015 [H/t Paul Homewood]
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=22652#
Seeking a Common Ground
The conceits of consensus
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Aug 27, 2015
http://judithcurry.com/2015/08/27/the-conceits-of-consensus/#more-19735
Climate Change, Epistemic Trust, and Expert Trustworthiness
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Aug 24, 2015
JC’s conscience
By Judith Curry, Climate Etc. Aug 25, 2015
http://judithcurry.com/2015/08/25/jcs-conscience/
Review of Recent Scientific Articles by CO2 Science
Ocean Acidification (Effects on Marine Plants: Phytoplankton — Coccolithophores) – Summary
By Staff Writers, CO2 Science, Aug 26, 2015
http://www.co2science.org/subject/o/summaries/acidificationcocco.php
“In conclusion, and based on the experimental findings and real-world observations discussed above, it is quite clear that the Earth’s coccolithophores are well equipped to deal with whatever degree of ocean acidification may yet be experienced by the world’s great water bodies. Additional material supporting this conclusion can be found in our Subject Index section Simultaneous Ocean Acidification and Warming (Effects on Marine Plants: Coccolithophores).”
California’s Most Recent Drought: Due to Recent Climate Change?
Mao, Y., Nijssen, B. and Lettenmaier, D.P. 2015. Is climate change implicated in the 2013-2014 California drought? A hydrologic perspective. Geophysical Research Letters 42: 2805-2813. Aug 26, 2015
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V18/aug/a18.php
…”that ‘water year 2014 was among the five driest of our 95-year historic record, but it was not the most severe hydrologic drought, from either a single-year or multi-year perspective.’”
Cold-Water Corals in an Acidifying Ocean: How Might They Fare?
Rodolfo-Metalpa, R., Montagna, P., Aliani, S., Borghini, M., Canese, S., Hall-Spencer, J.M., Foggo, A., Milazzo, M., Taviani, M and Houlbreque, F. 2015. Calcification is not the Achilles’ heel of cold-water corals in an acidifying ocean. Global Change Biology 21: 2238-2248. Aug 24, 2015
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V18/aug/a16.php
“As a result of these findings, Rodolfo-Metalpa et al. conclude their report with the almost exact same words as those comprising the title of their paper: ‘our observations in aquaria and in field transplants reveal that calcification is not the Achilles’ heel of cold-water corals facing ocean acidification.’”
CO2 Enrichment of Air Enhances Growth of Tissue-Cultured Plants
Perez-Jimenez, M., Lopez-Perez, A.J., Otalora-Alcon, G., Marin-Nicolas, D., Pinero, M.C. and del Amor, F.M. 2015. A regime of high CO2 concentration improves the acclimatization process and increases plant quality and survival. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 121: 547-557. Aug 21, 2015
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V18/aug/a14.php
Model Issues
Duelling models
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 28, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/8/28/duelling-models.html
Measurement Issues
Is July of 2015 the warmest ever? Not even close! &
UN IPCC also has NO Credibility
By Allan MacRae, ICECAP, Aug 26, 2015
http://icecap.us/index.php/go/joes-blog/un_ipcc_has_no_credibility1/
“A look at all the data suggests that man-made global warming is real but the men are in Asheville (NOAA NCDC) and the Bronx (NASA GISS).”
Experiments Query Historic Ocean Temperature Analysis,
By Staff Writers, Reporting Climate Science.com, Aug 27, 2015
The Greatest Scientific Fraud Of All Time—Part VII
By Francis Menton, ICECAP, Aug 23, 2015
http://icecap.us/index.php/go/in-the-news/the_greatest_scientific_fraud_of_all_time_part_vii/
Deceptive temperature record claims
Warmest month announcements have no scientific basis
By Tom Harris, Washington Times, Aug 23, 2015
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/23/tom-harris-global-warming-deceptive-temperature-re/
Changing Weather
13 year study claims severe weather is causing longer power outages, but not more of them
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 25, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Cutbacks in maintenance crews are not considered?]
Chinese Cave Graffiti Tells of Ancient Droughts & Strife
By Tia Ghose, Live Science, Aug 24, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-cave-graffiti-tells-ancient-droughts-strife-110434479.html
[SEPP comment: Seven droughts over 500 years.]
Hurricane expert: 10 years after Katrina, North Atlantic hurricane activity well below normal
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 24, 2015
The North Atlantic Ice Age No One Wants To Acknowledge: “Record Snow” In Sweden In August …”Never Seen So Much Snow At This Time”!
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Aug 22, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Calling the late melting snow an ice age is a bit much.]
Changing Seas
Debut of the global mix-master
By Staff Writers, Columbia, SC (SPX) ,Aug 27, 2015
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Debut_of_the_global_mix_master_999.html
[SEPP Comment: On the origins of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.]
Acidic Waters
Crucial ocean-acidification models come up short
Poorly designed studies leave future uncertain for sea dwellers.
By Daniel Cressey, Nature, Aug 5, 2015
http://www.nature.com/news/crucial-ocean-acidification-models-come-up-short-1.18124
[SEPP Comment: See CO2 Science, linked above, on such papers.]
Short-circuiting the Biological Pump
Tiny chemical compounds help choreograph a planet-size dance
By Evan Lubofsky, Oceanus, Aug 24, 2015
http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/short-circuiting-the-biological-pump
Agriculture Issues & Fear of Famine
Trained to Adapt: Researchers from Pakistan, Mauritius and Afghanistan Breed Mutant Plants to Take on a Changing Climate
By Nicole Jawerth, IAEA, Aug 28, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Would the greens consider these plants acceptable genetically modified organisms – particularly those mutated by nuclear bombardment?]
ºUn-Science or Non-Science?
As Ice Age ended, greenhouse gas rise was lead factor in melting of Earth’s glaciers
By Staff Writers, Chestnut Hill, MA (SPX) Aug 25, 2015
Link to paper: Regional and global forcing of glacier retreat during the last deglaciation
By Shakun, et al, Nature Climate Change, Aug 21, 2015
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150821/ncomms9059/full/ncomms9059.html
[SEPP Comment: The locations are between 45ºN and 50ºS, missing the areas of great glaciation during the Ice Age.]
Case closed, says study: CO2 melted Ice Age glaciers
By Marlowe Hood, AFP, Aug 21, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://news.yahoo.com/case-closed-says-study-c02-melted-ice-age-182946601.html
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately above.]
How much has global warming worsened California’s drought? Now we have a number
By Park Williams, Assistant Research Professor of Bioclimatology at Columbia University, The Conversation, Aug 20, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
Link to paper: Contribution of anthropogenic warming to California drought during 2012–2014†
By Williams et al, Geophysical Research Letters, Aug 20, 2015
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2015GL064924/abstract
[SEPP Comment: The article attribute 8–27% to human influence based on a suite of climate models the authors have not bothered to validate???]
Lowering Standards
NASA Science Zeros in on Ocean Rise: How Much? How Soon?
Press Release contact Steve Cole, NASA, Aug 26, 2015
http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-science-zeros-in-on-ocean-rise-how-much-how-soon
Global sea levels climbed 3 inches since 1992, NASA research shows
By Irene Klotz, Reuters, Aug 26, 2015
Sea Level Fraud – Worse Than It Seems
By Tony Heller, Real Science, Aug 28, 2015
http://realclimatescience.com/2015/08/sea-level-fraud-worse-than-it-seems/
“Currently active NOAA tide gauges average 0.63 mm/year sea level rise, or two inches by the year 2100.”
German Media On The Prophets Of NASA: “Prophesizing Gigantic Floods” – 200 Years In The Future!
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Aug 28, 2015
#TalkAboutIt: Climate change sceptics versus the scientists (correcting ABC mistakes, strawmen, and misleading lines)
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Aug 25, 2015
[SEPP Comment: Another low: a debate with skeptics with no skeptics.]
Breathtaking Climate Fraud At The NCAR Museum
By Tony Heller, Real Science, Aug 26, 2015
http://realclimatescience.com/2015/08/breathtaking-climate-fraud-at-the-ncar-museum/
[SEPP Comment: In time for the 75th anniversary of its High Altitude Observatory (HAO)?]
Communicating Better to the Public – Exaggerate, or be Vague?
A Living Carpet of Green Slime Expands Across Lake Erie
By Emily Gertz, Takpart.com Aug 23, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
http://news.yahoo.com/living-carpet-green-slime-expands-across-lake-erie-205619651.html
A severe algae bloom in 2014, driven by climate-change-induced weather changes and fertilizer runoff, led to dangerous levels of the neurotoxin microcystin in Lake Erie
[SEPP Comment: In some areas, algae blooms have been happening for many decades.]
Communicating Better to the Public – Make things up.
Claim: For trout fishermen, climate change will mean more driving time, less angling
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 21, 2015
“The U.S. Geological Survey, National Climate Change and the Wildlife Science Center supported this research.”
Claim: Global warming makes frost damage worse
Guest essay by Eric Worrall, WUWT, Aug 21, 2015
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/08/21/global-warming-change-makes-frost-damage-worse/
If only Lewandowsky, Cook, Nuccitelli, Hayhoe and others could learn from their OWN mistakes…
By Anthony Watts, WUWT, Aug 25, 2015
Communicating Better to the Public – Go Personal.
International bullying, unfair “targeted” punishment suggested by The Royal Society over climate change
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Aug 27, 2015
Link to paper: Escaping the Tragedy of the Commons through Targeted Punishment.
By Samuel Johnson, Warwick Mathematics Institute, Open Science, 2015
http://arxiv.org/abs/1506.01508v1
Another PLOS Controversy Ends – But The Bigger Problem Remains
By Hank Campbell, ACSH, Aug 22, 2015
http://acsh.org/2015/08/another-plos-controversy-ends-but-the-bigger-problem-remains/
Charles Koch blasts Barack Obama
CEO says attacks on him and his brother are “beneath the dignity … of the president.”
By Mike Allen, Politico, Aug 25, 2015
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/charles-koch-blasts-obama-121746.html
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately below.]
Obama renews attack on fossil fuels, Koch brothers at Nevada clean energy event
By Staff Writers, Fox News, Aug 25, 2015
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately above.]
Expanding the Orthodoxy
Another Great Leap Forward for Development
By Javier Solana, Project Syndicate, Aug 27, 2015
Coming Soon: The Solar-Powered Navy
By Aaron Larson, Power Mag, Aug 21, 2015
Link to ordinance under the heading: Energy Security
The World Bank’s sexed-up climate claims
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 24, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/8/24/the-world-banks-sexed-up-climate-claims.html
[SEPP Comment: Spreading fear of “tropical diseases” that occur in Alaska, North Korea, and have occurred in Boston, Philadelphia, and other tropical hot spots.]
Expanding the Orthodoxy – The Pope – Loyal Opposition
Climatologist: We Have a ‘Moral Imperative’ to Burn Fossil Fuels
By Barbara Hollingsworth, CNS News, Aug 20, 2015
“Carbon-based energy, which is ‘the most affordable and reliable source of energy in demand today, liberates people from poverty,’ Christy explained to CNSNews.com. ‘Without energy, life is brutal and short.’”
Questioning European Green
FITs to burst
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 28, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/8/28/fits-to-burst.html
[SEPP Comment: FITs are Feed-in-Tariffs.]
Ministers signal the end of Britain’s ‘solar revolution’
Ministers say that they plan to slash the amount of money given to families who put solar panels on their homes
By Peter Dominiczak, Telegraph, UK, Aug 27, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
[SEPP Comment: Falling solar panel costs have little bearing if the subsidies stop.]
DECC’s oil price forecast updated
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 27, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/8/27/deccs-oil-price-forecast-updated.html
[SEPP Comment: DECC is UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change. If DECC were a hedge fund betting on high oil prices it may consider filing for bankruptcy – an option national governments can avoid.]
Renewables shift wallops traditional power plants
Germany’s shift to renewable energy sources will have a greater impact on operators of traditional power plants than originally thought, according to new data from the country’s grid supervisor.
By Staff Writers, DW, Aug 24, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
http://www.dw.com/en/renewables-shift-wallops-traditional-power-plants/a-18668018
“Citing a recent estimate from a leading German economic think tank, the business daily Handelsblatt reported Monday that annual costs of 28 billion euros per year were being handed down to German consumers for the Energiewende.”
Renewables subsidies are slashed in UK. Solar, Wind, Hydro industry “shocked”
Renewable power is always as “cheap as coal” except when subsidies are slashed, then it’s “the end”, “terrible”, and “fragile”.
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Aug 29, 2015
Rooftop solar panels to lose ‘£3,840’ payout in drastic cull to green subsidies
Solar panels may no longer be viable for domestic users, experts warn, after Government proposes slashing feed-in-tariff by 87pc
By Kate Palmer, Telegraph, UK, Aug 27, 2015
Green Jobs
Environmental Waste
Tom Steyer’s $1 billion “green-jobs” initiative is a bust.
By John Seiler, CITY, Aug 21, 2015
http://www.city-journal.org/2015/cjc0821js.html
Funding Issues
Climate Crisis, Inc.
$1.5 trillion and Larry Bell book explain how profiteers of climate doom keep the money flowing
Guest Essay Paul Driessen, WUWT, Aug 22, 2015
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/08/22/climate-crisis-inc/
Litigation Issues
EPA’s Clean Power Plan: Likely Legal Challengers: Part I
By Robert Meltz and Alexandra Wyatt, CRS, Aug 11, 2015
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/epa-clean.pdf
“Litigation over the CPP is guaranteed to be vigorous”
Federal judge blocks Obama’s water rule
By Timothy Cama, The Hill, Aug 27, 2015
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/252140-judge-blocks-obamas-water-rule
“But the Obama administration says it will largely enforce the regulation as planned, arguing that the Thursday decision only applies to the 13 states that requested the injunction.”
EPA Has Gone Too Far — Rein It In, Or Get Rid Of It
Editorial, IBD, Aug 28, 2015
[SEPP Comment: See link immediately above.]
Sentence for Killing a Bald Eagle Found Too Severe and Unauthorized
By Staff Writer, CRS Legal Sidebar, Aug 18, 2015
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/eagle.pdf
[SEPP Comment: By the 11th Circuit Court, considered to be pro-green.]
Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Taxes
Enron Environmentalism: The Carbon Credits Scam Pumps Millions of Tonnes more Greenhouses into the Atmosphere
By James Delingpole, Breitbart, Aug 26, 2015
Link to study: Has Joint Implementation reduced GHG Emissions? Lessons learned from the design of carbon market mechanisms
By Anja Kollmuss and Lambert Schneider Stockholm Environment Institute, 2015
http://www.sei-international.org/publications?pid=2803
Stockholm Environment Institute: Carbon credits undercut climate change action
Guest essay by Eric Worrall, WUWT, Aug 25, 2015
“The vast majority of carbon credits generated by Russia and Ukraine did not represent cuts in emissions, according to a new study.”
[SEPP Comment: Surprise?]
The Emissions Certificate Grand Scam. Spiegel: “The Money-Printing Machine” …”Three Quarters Led To Higher Emissions”!
By P Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, Aug 25, 2015
Another carbon credit fraud – $2b. The faked fixed unfree market feeds crooks and makes no difference to emissions.
By Jo Nova, Her Blog, Aug 27, 2015
Another view that must not be heard
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 25, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/8/25/another-view-that-must-not-be-heard.html
Addressing the report by the Stockholm Environment Institute.
..:”There was not a squeak from anyone who took the view, as I do, that carbon trading is a stupid idea and inherently linked to corruption and graft. Mine is just another of the political, economic and philosophical views that the BBC manages to ignore.”
Carbon-credit scheme linked to increased greenhouse-gas production
Loophole enabled Russian factories to benefit from destroying industrial waste.
By Richard Hodson, Nature, Aug 25, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
[SEPP Comment: Could the factories call manufacturing the waste then destroying it another form of re-cycling?]
Carbon Permits Outperforming Other Commodities
By Editors, Real Clear Energy, Aug 28, 2015
Subsidies and Mandates Forever
All the reaction: Renewables sector left reeling after Government’s latest attack
By Staff Writers, Click Green, Aug 27, 2015
“The UK renewable energy industry has reacted with shock and anger at the latest attack by the Conservative Government to slash subsidy support through the Feed-in Tariff scheme.”
[SEPP Comment: Industries that require subsidies for life, die when they are gone.]
US Green Energy Subsidies ‘Unfair and Ineffective’, Sudy Finds
By Adam Creighton, The Australian, Via GWPF, Aug 28, 2015
http://www.thegwpf.com/us-green-energy-subsidies-unfair-and-ineffective-study-finds/
Link to paper: The Distributional Effects of U.S. Clean Energy Tax Credits
By Severin Borenstein and Lucas W. Davis, Energy Institute at Haas, University of California, July 2015
http://ei.haas.berkeley.edu/research/papers/WP262.pdf
“The bottom three income quintiles have received about 10% of all credits, while the top quintile has received about 60%. The most extreme is the program aimed at electric vehicles, where we find that the top income quintile has received about 90% of all credits.”
[US Secretary of Energy] Moniz sees end to subsidies for solar
By John Siciliano, Washington Examiner, Aug 27, 2015
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/moniz-sees-end-to-subsidies-for-solar/article/2570901
EPA and other Regulators on the March
How Tom Steyer, the White House, and a Scandal-Plagued Operative Paved the Way for EPA Regulations
Emails reveal elaborate state-focused plan involving aide to former Oregon governor
By Lachlan Markay, Washington Free Beacon, Aug 24, 2015
Nine Experts Slam EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s ‘Clean Power Plan’ Speech
Like a river in Colorado, the EPA is poisoning the climate debate.
By Tom Harris PJ Media, Aug 24, 2015
Energy Issues – Non-US
China’s Wind and Solar Developers Hit by Subsidies Short of Plan
By Staff Writers, Bloomberg, Aug 19, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
China’s Economic Woes Jeopardize Putin’s Pipeline, Energy Trade Between Russia, China
By Alessandria Masi, International Business Times, Aug 27, 2015 [H/t GWPF]
North Sea Oil Industry Sets Course for the Scrapheap
By Danny Fortson, Sunday Times, Via GWPF, Aug 26, 2015
http://www.thegwpf.com/north-sea-oil-industry-sets-course-for-the-scrapheap/
Space weather affecting power grids
By Brett Carter and Alexa Halford, IOL Scitech, Aug 22, 2015 [H/t Clyde Spencer]
Energy Issues — US
Three of Exelon’s Nuke Plants Fail to Clear PJM Auction Despite Jump in Payments
By Thomas Overton, Power Mag, Aug 24, 2015
Oil and Natural Gas – the Future or the Past?
Why the oil price could be depressed for a generation
By James Phillipps, WM, Aug 25, 2015
‘You are going to see relatively cheap and abundant hydrocarbon resources for some time yet, with US shale fields alone not expected to peak until 2040. That is a generation of cheap supply.’
America’s 1926 Oil Glut: Drive for Mandatory Proration by Independents Begins
By Robert Bradley, Jr. Master Resource, Aug 26, 2015
https://www.masterresource.org/oil-surpluses-falling-prices/americas-first-oil-glut-1926/
[SEPP Comment: Oil companies calling for limits on production – government regulation.]
Cheap Oil and Global Growth
By Anatole Kaletsky, Project Syndicate, Aug 28, 2015
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/cheap-oil-and-global-growth-by-anatole-kaletsky-2015-08
[SEPP Comment: Falling oil prices will promote economic growth!]
Oil and Other Spills, Gas Leaks & Consequences
Missed warning signs: Why a toxic waste spill could happen again
By Joby Warrick, Washington Post, Aug 26, 2015
Link to Report: Summary Report: EPA Internal Review of the Aug 5, 2015 Gold King Mine Blowout
By Staff Writers, EPA, Aug 24, 2015
Gold King Mine Spill: EPA Response and Related Issues
By David Bearden and Mary Tiemann, CRS, Aug 17, 2015
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IN10341.pdf
EPA knew of ‘blowout’ risk for tainted water at gold mine
By Michael Liesecker, CNS News, Aug 22, 2015
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/epa-knew-blowout-risk-tainted-water-gold-mine
Nuclear Energy and Fears
Disposal beats MOX in US comparison
By Staff Writers, WNN, Aug 21, 2015
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR-Disposal-beats-MOX-in-US-comparison-2108151.html
[SEPP Comment: Why not use the plutonium as fuel as the Russians do? Washington’s policies do not allow it.]
Nuclear Innovation: Necessity of Test Beds
By Jessica Lovering and Todd Allen, The Energy Collective, Aug 26, 2015
http://www.theenergycollective.com/todd-allen/2264306/nuclear-innovation-necessity-test-beds
Sweden’s Nuclear Shutdown A Sign Of What’s To Come
By Michael McDonald, Oil Price.com, Aug 27, 2015
“Sweden is a prime example of this. The country generates almost 35 percent of its electricity from nuclear power – just shy of the amount that it generates from all renewable sources combined.
“As governments around the world have opted to subsidize renewable power while taxing other forms of power, renewable supplies have increased. This supply increase in turn has pushed down wholesale power prices, which has led to lower profits for conventional utility companies. Then as renewable use has expanded, production costs have fallen dramatically leading to still more investment in renewables, greater supply of wholesale electricity, and even more pain for utility companies.”
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Solar and Wind
Record utility-scale solar generation driven by photovoltaics in June 2015
By Paul McArdie, EIA, Aug 26, 2015
http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/update/
5 Reasons Utilities Are Hating On Their Solar-Producing Customers
By John Farrell, Clean Technica, Aug 24, 2015
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/08/24/5-reasons-utilities-hating-solar-producing-customers/
[SEPP Comment: Ignores the most obvious, solar is unreliable.]
AWED Energy & Environmental Newsletter: August 24, 2015
By John Droz, Jr. Master Resource, Aug 24, 2015
Shelling out for windfarm operators
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 26, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/8/26/shelling-out-for-windfarm-operators.html
Alternative, Green (“Clean”) Energy — Other
Biopower: Background and Federal Support
By Kelsi Baracmort, CRS, Aug 14, 2015 [H/t Timothy Wise]
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41440.pdf
“Biopower — a form of renewable energy—is the generation of electric power from biomass feedstocks. In 2014, Biopower comprised about 1.6% of total U.S. electricity generation and accounted for close to 12% of U.S. renewable electricity generation.”
[SEPP Comment: Mostly on site in the paper and pulp industry.]
Oh Mann!
A detailed review of the book: ‘A Disgrace to the Profession’, by Mark Steyn
Book review by Andy May, WUWT, Aug 28, 2015
Away with the fairies
By Andrew Montford, Bishop Hill, Aug 28, 2015
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2015/8/28/away-with-the-fairies.html
[SEPP Comment: Supporters of Mr. Mann.]
Other Scientific News
New paper confirms the gravito-thermal greenhouse effect on 6 planets including Earth, falsifies CAGW
By Staff Writers, The Hockey Schtick, Aug 22, 2015
http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com/2015/08/new-paper-confirms-gravito-thermal.html
Link to paper: Emergent model for predicting the average surface temperature of rocky planets with diverse atmospheres
By Volokin and Liez, Advances in Space Research, Aug 18, 2015
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117715005712
Behind Science Fraud, Chapter 10
By Seven Hayward, Power Line, Aug 28, 2015
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2015/08/behind-science-fraud-chapter-10.php
“Turns out, only 39 percent of the studies withstood that scrutiny.” [That is, cannot be replicated.]
Whither field hydrology? The need for discovery science and outrageous hydrological hypotheses
By Burt and McDonnell, AGU, Aug 21, 2015
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014WR016839/full?campaign=wlytk-41855.4225462963
“We chronicle the decline in field work and note that it is not only the quantity of field work that is diminishing but its character is changing too: from discovery science to data collection for model parameterization. While the latter is a necessary activity, the loss of the former is a major concern if we are to advance the science of watershed hydrology.”
Other News that May Be of Interest
The Case for Teaching Ignorance
By Jamie Holmes, NYT, Aug 24, 2015
[SEPP Comment: The importance of understanding the limits of knowledge and that penetrating questions often are as important as answers.]
Charities in need of reform
Recent scandals expose poor governance and irresponsible activism
By Matt Ridley, Rational Optimist, Aug 25, 2015
http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/charities-in-need-of-reform.aspx
“…fear of failure or takeover is one of the things that keep private companies effective and, for too long, charities have not felt that breath on their neck. They have been given the benefit of the doubt because of their noble intent.”
Met Office loses BBC contract: Broadcaster gives no reason for ending 100-year relationship
By Steve Connor, Independent, Aug 23, 2015
Will BBC really fire the Met Office?
WUWT reader Tony Brown writes:, WUWT, Aug 23, 2015
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/08/23/will-bbc-really-fire-the-met-office/
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BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE:
Bugs on the increase
By Staff Writers, Climate Change Predictions.org, Aug 23, 2015
http://climatechangepredictions.org/uncategorized/4079
”The number of disease systems in which risk goes up with climate change seems to be ever-increasing.”
‘Diamonds from the sky’ approach turns CO2 into valuable products
By Staff Writers, Boston MA (SPX), Aug 21, 2015
As predicted: Alarmists blame “global warming” for mystery lights in the sky
Guest essay by Eric Worrall, WUWT, Aug 24, 2015
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The comment following the quote in Behind Science Fraud, Chapter 10 states “that is, cannot be replicated” . Should it rather say “that is, can be replicated” as 39% of the studies were able to be succesfully repeated.
Or it could say [That is, 61% cannot be replicated.]
“Scientists estimate that about one-third of sea level rise is caused by”
Scientists assuming a fixed basin. Science: if you can’t measure it, ignore it.
For me, this story puts all others in the shade this week
It’s a problem we’ve all faced – where’s the best place to catch some rays!
Good to see that these monsters have some practical use
A bit OT but…..
.” At best, the statement is a logical fallacy, petitio principii, better known as “begging the question.” That is, the main point of contention, the influence of greenhouses gases on temperatures, is assumed to be conceded.”
(Ice Ages: Nature Communications)
At last, what joy, like Wow! Someone who understands the phrase “begging the question” and uses it correctly. Thicko journalists who can’t read a Thesaurus rule the roost. When they can’t even use their own language (tools of their trade) correctly how can they be expected to understand something complicated like climate?