Weekend Reading: Mandela and divestment; National Academy of Sciences on "Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change"; Hansen et al. on "Assessing 'Dangerous Climate Change'"; denialists on AMS climate survey

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Climate Science Watch
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A few highlights from our weekend reading: (1) Joe Romm at Climate Progress on "Nelson Mandela's Legacy for Climate Hawks;" (2) Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change: Anticipating Surprises, a new report from the National Academy of Sciences; (3) "Assessing 'Dangerous Climate Change': Required Reduction of Carbon Emissions to Protect Young People, Future Generations and Nature," a new article by James Hansen and colleagues; and (4) "The Heartland Institute Hijacks American Meteorological Society’s Name, and AMS Fights Back." Continue reading →

Posted in Activism, Assessments of Climate Impacts and Adaptation, General, Global Warming Denial Machine, Science-Policy Interaction | Leave a comment

Federal Arctic scientist Charles Monnett vindicated in whistleblower case against Obama administration

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Climate Science Watch
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Exploratory offshore well, Beaufort Sea, Alaska (Photo: U.S. Minerals Management Service, Wikimedia Commons)

Exploratory offshore well, Beaufort Sea, Alaska (Photo: U.S. Minerals Management Service, Wikimedia Commons)

Dr. Monnett, whose observations of drowned polar bears raised alarms about climate change, had filed a whistleblower complaint in the wake of a witch hunt investigation by the U.S. Interior Department's Inspector General. The case has been settled with a $100,000 payment to Monnett by the feds and their withdrawal of a letter of reprimand. It appears the investigation had nothing legitimately to do with scientific integrity, but rather was an effort to discredit Monnett in retaliation for his sending emails to outside groups, who used their documentation of government violations in permitting offshore drilling for oil in the Arctic Ocean to tie the permits up in court for years. Continue reading →

Posted in Attacks on Climate Science and Scientists, Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | Leave a comment

Boston Globe columnist distorts survey and study to deny climate consensus

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Climate Science Watch
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Jeff Jacoby's Boston Globe op-ed misses the mark on the climate consensus and mischaracterizes the way that science works. Jacoby displays none of the openness that he expects of scientists and makes claims contrary to the agreement of nearly all climate experts. Continue reading →

Posted in Global Warming Denial Machine | 1 Comment

Koomey: Moving beyond benefit-cost analysis of climate change

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Jonathan Koomey
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Jonathan Koomey's method of ‘working forward toward a goal’, based on analyzing the cost-effectiveness of achieving a normatively defined warming target, is an insightful alternative approach to thinking about the climate change problem that avoids serious limitations of conventional benefit-cost analysis. This approach shows that delaying action is costly, required emissions reductions are rapid, and most proved reserves of fossil fuels will need to stay in the ground if we’re to stabilize the climate. Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change Mitigation, Science-Policy Interaction | Leave a comment

Reverend Billy faces year in prison for climate change protest

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Climate Science Watch
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Our friend Reverend Billy Talen is facing year in prison for protesting JPMorgan Chase's financing of fossil fuels. Video interview on Democracy Now!, with transcript and additional information below:

Continue reading →

Posted in Activism | 1 Comment

Taylor distorts poll of meteorologists on climate change to reach opposite conclusion of study authors

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Climate Science Watch
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Authors of a new study of meteorologists' views of global warming set the record straight when Forbes op-ed writer James Taylor, consistent with his long history of denial and obfuscation on climate change, selectively reports the results of a poll of members of the American Meteorological Society. Taylor claims the study shows weak support for the human contribution to global warming. In fact, as authors of the study point out below, the survey found that more than 90 percent of those respondents who are more engaged in research and publishing on climate science acknowledge the human contribution to warming.

Continue reading →

Posted in Global Warming Denial Machine, Science Communication | 5 Comments

A good new scientific integrity official at EPA

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Rick Piltz
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Congratulations to EPA on appointing Francesca Grifo of the Union of Concerned Scientists as the agency's new scientific integrity official. Hopefully Dr. Grifo will be able to bring about some changes as appropriate on matters of concern that she is well-aware of. Continue reading →

Posted in Obama Administration, Science Communication, Science-Policy Interaction | Leave a comment

Climate change student PSAs -- Go Green, Invest and Divest

Posted on November 24, 2013 by Rick Piltz
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At the University of Michigan, the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the School of Business challenged students to create a public service announcement that would inspire positive action on climate change. The winners are here. The "Critics' Choice" winner:

And one I was pleased to see, as a Michigan alum who supports the fossil fuel divestment campaign:

"This is our revolution -- what's yours?"

Go Blue.

Posted in Activism | Leave a comment

"The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars" -- Now in paperback, highly recommended

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Rick Piltz
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hockeybookmannIn The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars, Michael Mann brings a unique vantage point to his "dispatches from the front lines," chronicling the war on climate science and scientists by the global warming denial machine, alongside the advance of scientific research and understanding.  Prof. Mann tells an essential story, as many readers of this site are well-aware -- with detail, references, and interpretation of events during the past two decades that make this book not only a very good read, but a good reference work on science versus the denial machine. Continue reading →

Posted in Attacks on Climate Science and Scientists, Global Warming Denial Machine, Science Communication | Leave a comment

Pielke affirms IPCC’s authority but ignores its evidence on extreme weather

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Climate Science Watch
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Climate Nexus: In a new Guardian post, Roger Pielke Jr. criticizes recent portrayals of extreme weather in the media, ignoring evidence from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). Specifically, he argues that the AR5 offers no evidence that droughts, floods, and wildfires have increased in response to climate change. He also criticizes those who draw a connection between typhoon Haiyan and climate change. In fact, the AR5 provides solid evidence that climate change is affecting all of these extremes or their impacts here and now. Continue reading →

Posted in Science Communication | 3 Comments