ClimateScienceWatch

Promoting integrity in the use of climate science in government

Climate Science Watch is a nonprofit public interest education and advocacy project dedicated to holding public officials accountable for the integrity and effectiveness with which they use climate science and related research in government policymaking, toward the goal of enabling society to respond effectively to the challenges posed by global warming and climate change. See Details

Virginia judge tosses out Cuccinelli attempt to subpoena Michael Mann’s records

Posted on Monday, August 30, 2010

An Albemarle County Circuit Court judge has set aside a subpoena issued by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to the University of Virginia seeking documents related to the work of climate scientist and former university professor Michael Mann, the Washington Post has reported.

America’s Climate Choices – Webinar on Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change

Posted on Thursday, August 26, 2010

This May, CSW attended the National Academy of Science’s (NAS) release of the first three reports from the America’s Climate Choices suite of studies: Advancing the Science of Climate Change, Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change, and Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change.

Since then, the NAS has released a fourth report, Informing Effective Decisions and Actions Related to Climate Change, and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has hosted webinars on three of the four reports.

On August 23 we tuned into the the final UCS webinar, a discussion of the Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change report - a report focused largely on drawing our attention to the importance of adapting to irreversible climate change.

International research group works to analyze weather extremes in real time

Posted on Thursday, August 26, 2010

The spate of extreme weather events worldwide this summer has raised the profile of a major issue in climate change science: how does global warming impact weather and climate extremes? Increases in the frequency and severity of climate and weather extremes have been observed over the last fifty years, including droughts, heavy precipitation events, extreme temperatures, and intense tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic, and are projected to continue. However, most atmospheric scientists will not claim a given extreme weather event as “proof” of human influence on the climate based on the current evidence, and research continues on the complexities of attributing climate change to human activities versus natural climate variability. A new international research initiative will seek to elevate the priority and visibility of attribution activities, and create a “research activity and a framework for an ‘operational’ activity, that sets forth a goal of providing a lot more concrete information in near real time about what has happened and why in weather and climate.”

U.S. Chamber of Commerce again challenges legality of EPA greenhouse gas regulation

Posted on Wednesday, August 25, 2010

On August 13, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a petition for judicial review to challenge the legality of the EPA’s decision not to reconsider its determination that greenhouse gases pose a threat to human health and welfare and are to be regulated under the Clean Air Act. While claiming that the lawsuit “does not address the science of climate change,” the Chamber has a history of questioning climate science to fight off regulation, including the assertion that warming of even 3 degrees Celsius over the next century would be “beneficial to humans” and a call to put “the science of climate change on trial.”

Ehrlich on Schneider: Being a scientist doesn’t relieve one of the obligations of a citizen

Posted on Monday, August 23, 2010

In a fine remembrance of his friend Stephen Schneider, Paul Ehrlich notes how he and Schneider “had many discussions of the responsibilities of ‘public scientists.’” They agreed: “Being a scientist does not relieve one of the obligations of a citizen to speak out,” Ehrlich says. “In my experience, no scientist felt that obligation more strongly, or showed more dedication and courage in meeting it, than Steve Schneider.”

Sec. of State Clinton attributes Pakistan flooding, other extreme events in part to climate change

Posted on Saturday, August 21, 2010

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in an interview on Pakistan TV, said “there is a linkage” between the recent spate of deadly natural disasters and climate change… “We are changing the climate of the world.” Notwithstanding the scientific complexities of attribution of patterns of meterological events to ongoing global climatic disruption, and how this relationship can be most appropriately framed in public communication, this is an interesting high-level Obama Administration statement. To what extent does Secretary Clinton’s statement suggest a commitment by the President to substantial follow-on policy responses, both to immediate events and to developing adaptive preparedness for anticipated consequences of climatic change over time?

Judge hears Virginia AG Cuccinelli’s climate science ‘fraud’ case, will rule within 10 days

Posted on Saturday, August 21, 2010

After hearing oral argument August 20 on the University of Virginia’s petition to block Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s document demands relating to research of former UVa climate scientist Michael Mann, Judge Peatross ruled that he would need more time to make a decision. One has to wonder how many Virginia voters are following this story and finding Cuccinelli’s anti-science inquisition offensive, or realizing how retrograde it makes their state look to have a right-wing prosecutorial zealot as Attorney General.

Univ. of Virginia protest against Cuccinelli climate scientist witch hunt August 20

Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2010

University of Virginia faculty, students and alumni will gather Friday afternoon August 20 to protest against Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s witch hunt against former UVA Professor and leading climate scientist Michael Mann. The protest is timed to coincide with the ruling of a Virginia Circuit Court judge who is set to rule on whether to allow Cuccinelli’s frivolous investigation to continue.

Latest NRC report charts path for federal government in supporting national climate preparedness

Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change, the latest report in the National Research Council’s America’s Climate Choices suite of studies, is a commendable effort to draw more attention to an issue that is often overlooked in mainstream climate policy discussions: the tools, networks, and coordination needed to build a national response to climate change and inform climate decisions at all levels.

Climate Science Watch Weekly Update, August 16

Posted on Monday, August 16, 2010

A brief update on research findings and events we’re keeping track of this week.

Are 2010 weather extremes a sign of global climate change? CSW interview on Al Jazeera English TV

Posted on Friday, August 13, 2010

On August 8 we talked with Al Jazeera in connection with their prominent coverage of 2010’s wave of extreme weather—flooding in Asia, heat wave and wildfires in Russia, and record temperatures in many parts of the globe. Are these events a sign of human-caused climate change? (See Details for links to additional commentary.)

Climate Science Watch guide to climate reports

Posted on Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The sheer number, depth, and breadth of the climate science assessments and U.S. government program reports released each year can be daunting, so we prepared an annotated guide to clarify the distinctions among some of the key reports: State of the Climate 2009; America’s Climate Choices; Fifth U.S. Climate Action Report; Our Changing Planet; Global Climate Change Impacts on the United States; U.S. National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change; and Climate Change 2007: Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Climate Science Watch Weekly Update, August 9

Posted on Monday, August 09, 2010

A brief update on climate science news, legislation, and media resources.

Climate Science Watch Weekly Update, August 2

Posted on Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Notes on climate and energy legislation, climate science, media, and a briefing on NOAA’s 2009 State of the Climate report. A brief update on what we’re keeping track of and writing about this week.

Incentivizing risk: the road to the Deepwater Horizon disaster

Posted on Monday, August 02, 2010

At the Netroots Nation conference, Kate Sheppard of Mother Jones magazine led panelists David Pettit, Bob Cavnar, and Van Jones in a diagnosis of the regulatory and legislative failures that made the Deepwater Horizon disaster possible.

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