Guest News Brief by Kip Hansen — 24 May 2020
The New York Times has an amusing feature called the Climate Section. It has a neat newsletter (called ClimateFwd: ) that it will send you by email headlining its latest efforts to push the Climate Change narrative set by the editors of the NY Times. The latest memes are that 1) “All stories should be Climate Change stories” and 2) “All pandemic stories must segue into increased concern about Climate Change”.
The latest effort is from Somini Sengupta is titled: “What a Week’s Disasters Tell Us About Climate and the Pandemic” . Oddly, the featured image (called “art” in the newspaper business), is a picture of boy waving a cloth at a swarm of locust in January (not exactly “this week” and not caused by climate change).
What climate change disasters does Sengupta point to?
“A cyclone slammed into the Indian megacity of Kolkata, pounding rains breached two dams in the Midwestern United States, and on Thursday came warning that the Atlantic hurricane season could be severe.”
Each of these is misrepresented and spun to be “climate change disasters”.
Cyclone Amphan
Cyclone Amphan is just one of the regularly occurring cyclones that sweep up the Bay of Bengal nearly every year. Despite the size of the cyclone and its path, only 80 lives were lost according to early counts. It was just 13 years ago on 15 November 2007 that Cyclone Sidr with wind speeds up to 260 km/hour, made landfall on southern Bangladesh, causing over 3,500 deaths and severe damage. This week’s event, a supposed disaster, was in reality a miracle considering that it directly impacted Kolkata, which has a high population density and very poor infrastructure. The governments of India and Bangladesh did a heroic job safeguarding their people.
Climate change had nothing to do with Cyclone Amphan — cyclones are part of the normal climate of the Bay of Bengal.
Michigan Dam Failures
The claim that “pounding rains breached two dams in the Midwestern United States” is equally a misrepresentation. To be picky, only one dam was breached, the other was simply overtopped. It was not pounding rain at the time of the breach and it was not caused by climate change in any normal sense of the word. I covered this story in “Michigan Dam Failures and Climate Change” – a wet spring and heavy rains, which are normal for Central Michigan, caused a dam to be breached — a dam that has been known to be unsafe for years – it had been declared repeatedly since 1993 by the FERC (which regulates hydroelectric dams) to be unsafe. The Michigan Dam failures story is not a climate change story, it is a story of greed, self-interest and misguided environmental activism. Read my earlier piece and the many interesting comments giving additional information.
Severe Hurricane Season
You may be getting tired of the term “misrepresentation” – but it must be used in this case as well.
What are the real Atlantic Hurricane Season predictions?
“Colorado State University hurricane researchers are predicting an above-average Atlantic hurricane season in 2020, citing the likely absence of El Niño as a primary factor.”
And from the US National Hurricane Center:
“May 21, 2020 — An above-normal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is expected, according to forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The outlook predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season.”
The real predictions? Probably an “above normal” season. All seasons are one of the following: “Above-normal, Normal, or Below-normal”. Our striving NY Times journalist, Sengupta, links to another NY Times story for her hurricane statement – a story which quotes an unnamed federal weather scientist as saying that the coming hurricane season is “expected to be a busy one”.
There is no mention of a “severe” hurricane season from any reputable hurricane center or scientist. The use of the word “severe” is gratuitous and patently false.
This coming season is predicted to be “above-normal”. Why “above-normal”? Philip Klotzbach, at the [ University of Colorado ] Colorado State University, says his prediction is based on “the likely absence of El Niño as a primary factor.” El Niño cycles (ENSO) are a natural, normal, recurring cyclical part of Earths overall weather/climate pattern. ENSO cycles are not climate change.
And then there are the locusts
Locusts in Africa and the Middle East are not extraordinary – they are cyclical and have plagued the region for all of recorded history. I invite you to read Heartland’s take on this year’s swarms or NPR’s take on it (as usual for NPR, they report a “may be linked to…” causation clause required by their Editorial Narrative). In either case, locust swarms are a recurring problem in the Horn of Africa, and have been for thousands of years. It takes just the right series of weather events to kick off a huge swarm event – such a series occurred over the last few years. The weather sequence may be related to changes in the Indian Ocean Dipole, sometimes referred to as the Indian Ocean’s equivalent of the ENSO. It may or may not be changing – but in the real world weather and climate system, nothing remains the same.
And the Pandemic?
Of course, the governmental responses to the pandemic, which vary from country to country, have made everything worse and more dangerous for almost everyone. Only the rich and comfortable are spared the worst effects.
The poor of Africa, India, Bangladesh, whose daily lives and economies have been severely impacted by the lockdown orders, will suffer the most from any new adverse weather, climate, social, health or economic event.
It has always been thus. Only increased standards of living will lift the poor into a more comfortable level of existence. That means strong vibrant economies, universally available electrical power, beneficent governments, real education for boys and girls (and the opportunity for continued education for adults) and allowing agriculture to thrive using all the latest scientific advances including pesticides, herbicides, and genetically improved crops – to name a few of the needed ingredients of a better future. Readers are invited to add to this list.
What is not on that list? Misguided attempts to control the weather and climate that will destroy economies and cripple industry resulting in lower standards of living for the average man and woman.
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I made a couple editing corrections — including the university where Philip Klotzbach works. 1030 hrs ET, 24 May 2020 — kh
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Author’s Comment:
And that’s the news brief for the day….
I am often caught by surprise, over and over, by the lack of journalistic integrity – lack of what would have been considered the minimal norms of journalism 20 years ago – at what used to be one of the world’s great newspapers. What a shame.
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Well put by Kip Hansen. The real tragedy of climate change is what it has done to the news media.
As for tropical cyclones ….
https://tambonthongchai.com/2019/04/04/1737/
https://tambonthongchai.com/2018/09/18/climate-change-hurricanes/
Wow! Real journalism by Kip. Fantastic!
“…All those extreme weather hazards are made more frequent and intense by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which drives up temperatures on land and in the sea.”
Where oh where does this “journalist” get the idea from that the world’s oceans are warmed by greenhouse gases? Last I heard, the oceans were still being warmed by the sun and release CO2 as they warm. Correct?
As long as the news outlets are not being held accountable, this downward slide in journalistic quality and ethics will likely continue. I suppose that as long as they believe that this garbage sells, they will keep producing it. Either that or the NYT and others have abandoned journalistic ethics for political agendas–which they probably did a long time ago.
Twenty years is an understatement.
During the 70’s and first half of the 80’s I used to enjoy the Danish national newspaper Information. The article could span over several days, in order to go in details on a specific subject. The journalistic quality was magnificent.
But in the later half of the 80’s, the paper was suddenly dominated by left-wing socialist journalists, writing subjective articles with a lifted finger.
That was the en of the last useful newspaper in Denmark, and I doubt it would be different in the US.
Thanks for the update, Kip, and here’s another one: This morning I was watching CNN International and John King was interviewing a Dr. Brandt, from the Harvard School of Medicine. Dr. Brandt (specialty unknown) was explaining how there has been an alarming trend underway, and how Trump has exacerbated it, to wit: his statements are UNDERMINING SCIENTIFIC AUTHORITY! The undermining was alluded to as starting with Climate Change and now expanding into the pandemic. I thought “what a pompous bastard!” but then I realized, wait a minute I am a Scientist and I have SCIENTIFIC AUTHORITY! As a scientist I was curious to know how much of this authority I had, so I tried out my authority on my dogs. Turns out 1. I don’t have any authority, or 2. this SCIENTIFIC AUTHORITY is somehow limited to Harvard (an by extension any Ivy League School?). Now I’m really confused and have lost my way (and my dogs are looking at me funny).
Speaking of Bangladesh, it is rapidly moving up among the list of countries with high levels of CV-19 infections and it just passed Sweden as far as cases are concerned. Now, I know there are those who say that cases are largely irrelevant, but case number is a metric that is useful for describing outbreaks.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
India is further ahead than Bangladesh but the outbreak there is still in its early stages with a high growth rate. Because of its population and high levels of poverty, India very likely will end up with the highest number of cases and deaths.
From the post, “This coming season is predicted to be “above-normal”. Why “above-normal”? Philip Klotzbach, at the University of Colorado, says his prediction is based on “the likely absence of El Niño as a primary factor.””
Correction: Dr. Klotzbach is at Colorado State University not the University of Colorado.
The RNA vaccine unicorn is designed to do one thing – well perhaps two things – it will make sterile both those “immunised” and the rest of the population, via the viral shedding of the vaccinated.
However, my laughable predictions could be completely wrong, and I sincerely hope they are! ;-(
What role is Black Rock playing in all of this right now? Terence Corcoran in Canada has written an interesting article.
https://business.financialpost.com/opinion/terence-corcoran-blackrock-and-the-rise-of-corporatism
Ms. Sengupta’s biographic gives one a good perspective on her background to report/comment on subjects related to science.
Her first book: “The End of Karma: Hope and Fury Among India’s Young,” was published in 2016 by W.W. Norton. She grew up in India, Canada and the United States, graduating from the University of California at Berkeley.
Other notable features of her pathway in life while providing insight as to her qualifications to discuss science, her trip on a river ferry in Africa. I am sure this also was an emotional experience.
What we have here is the NYTs hiring for a particular agenda and narrative giving space for folks to express their feelings about things.
Kinda nice, don’t you think?
Somini Sengupta,
a UC Berkeley graduate.
Quelle surprise.
The NYT is now headed up by ex-BBC man Mark Thompson. You want disinformation and l*ying by omission? The BBC are the go-to guys! No surprise at all to see the NYT going down the same misleading climate hysteria rabbit hole.
From the article: “The weather sequence may be related to changes in the Indian Ocean Dipole, sometimes referred to as the Indian Ocean’s equivalent of the ENSO.”
WUWT displays an ENSO meter on its webpage. Is there a similar IOD meter somewhere that can be viewed?
From the article: “I am often caught by surprise, over and over, by the lack of journalistic integrity – lack of what would have been considered the minimal norms of journalism 20 years ago – at what used to be one of the world’s great newspapers. What a shame.”
It is a shame, and a danger to our freedoms.
I think journalism has been so politicized over the last few decades (since the Vietam war) to the point that journalism is now mostly just a propaganda organ for the Left.
And this applies to jounalism all over the Western World. We are inundated with Leftwing propagana on an hourly basis. It’s amazing there are still people who can see through this blizzard of lies, but they do. Let’s just hope there are enough of them around to counter the lies and distortions of reality coming out of our mainstream media now.
We’ll have a good test of where we stand as to the effectiveness of Leftwing propaganda when the November U.S. presidential elections roll around. Then we will know who holds the majority, the realists or the dupes. I think the realists are going to win out.
“You may be getting tired of the term “misrepresentation” – but it must be used in this case as well.”
I think “disrepresentation” is a more appropriate term. It’s purposeful and with malice, not innocuous and due to simple ignorance.
Good article, as usual.
Two comments:
(1)
The Michigan dam needed repairs — the owners had been lowering the water level rather than fixing the old dam. Someone here in Michigan complained the lower water level caused deaths of mussels, so lowering the water level by 8 feet was not allowed this year. Oops !
(2)
Why should we care about hurricane predictions?
Have past predictions been very accurate?
The coming climate change crisis is nothing more than a prediction … that never comes true!
A prediction that started in the late 1950s … yet gullible people are still believing it !
Great common sense article! I read the NYT’s every day and then spend a few minutes unrolling my eyes.
Amazing that the disaster of Lockdowns has not been covered. Trillions of dollars burned for no reason. We will all pay for the misstep of our politicians.
Kip wrote:
“I am often caught by surprise, over and over, by the lack of journalistic integrity – lack of what would have been considered the minimal norms of journalism 20 years ago – at what used to be one of the world’s great newspapers. What a shame.”
There have not been a large number of events where I had some connection or enough proximity to be familiar with what happened but they have occurred every now and then over the years – going back to the mid 1950’s. Only one of these was sensational enough to be national rather than local news. In every case, the major part of what I read in newspapers, or saw on television, was fantasy concocted from whole cloth. Make believe, heavily biased reporting from the major new sources is nothing new.
What I remember reading about American history is that, up until not many years before the war of ’76, all printing was officially under the control of and direction of officers of the Crown. The only thing that could be legally printed at any time was official doctrine. Of course as printing became a more wide spread technology, whether legally or not, as in current use of the internet, more and more alternative viewpoints became available. Complete suppression of events became more difficult, but punitive efforts continued to be made.
Truly objective reporting, independent of editorial narratives, might have existed, even entered a golden age of sorts after Independence, but I doubt that it survived the beginning of WWII, if that long.
“…the lack of journalistic integrity…”
Kip, Since this seems endemic these days, I’ve wondered if it is on-the-job training of otherwise well and honestly educated journalism students or if they are corrupted in the classroom ideologically. Now there is a blockbuster story, but there may be no easy way short of becoming a student to discover it.
It’s no secret that most MSM has been bought by the Progressive/Socialist/Marxists ideologues. “News” is now propaganda. The LA Times has gone to blatantly substituting front page news headlines with opinion editorials and most news outlets follow that pattern. If it wasn’t for the internet that’s all that would be available to the people. Not that the internet is without bias at the extremes but at least you get to whittle down the hype to get to a semblance of truth.
Oh boy….
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/05/22/doctors-push-for-climate-change-to-be-recorded-on-death-certificates/
I suggest medical malpractice for those who promote this. Avoid them like the…plague if they are your doctors.
They forgot about the drought time that is coming up. Already started in w- EU
Click on my name…
Over the last twenty years the domination of the Left in Academia and education has resulted in the political corruption of all the World’s Press. This is especially true in English speaking countries but applies overall.
Publishing a list of disasters that can be linked by the Left to CO2 and Global Warming is the long way round. The short list would be disasters that were inadvertently not linked to CO2.
The domination of Media by the Left has ushered in the Age of Stupid. Power is now in the hands of the Elite who KNOW that they are superior is knowledge to all others.
The first super cyclonic storm to occur in the Bay of Bengal since the 1999 Odisha cyclone that killed nearly 10,000 people. Death toll to date for cyclone Amphan around 100 people.
Quote Kip Hansen “The governments of India and Bangladesh did a heroic job safeguarding their people.”
I totally agree, hat’s off to all those involved with the evacuation amid this pandemic.
Just to add another layer of misery to the Indian nation I see they too may have to deal with a locust plague.
https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2020/05/22/after-covid-cyclone-india-bracing-up-for-locust-plague.html