Category Archives: Science Communication

"Statement on the Cato Institute ADDENDUM Report" by co-authors of the 2009 assessment, "Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States"

Responding to the posting online and expected public release by the Cato Institute of a misleadingly designed 'counterfeit' report on climate change impacts in the U.S., 11 co-authors of the original peer-reviewed scientific assessment, Global Climate Change Impacts in the United … Continue reading

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"Obama and the Politics of Climate Science Communication"

What is lost when the President fails to communicate with the public about global warming and climate change?  What should the President say to the public -- beyond breaking the silence and tactically gaining public support by clearing the low … Continue reading

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Government scientific information: Culture of secrecy is still a problem

Did President Obama’s Transparency and Open Government memorandum, issued at the beginning of his term, have a significant impact?  At a September 25 symposium in Washington, DC, on “Improving Citizen Access to Government Scientific Information,” watchdog speakers suggested that federal … Continue reading

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Dangers of inadequate citizen access to government scientific information

Inadequate citizen access to government scientific information has had serious implications for the environment and human health.  On September 19, the Union of Concerned Scientists’ new Center for Science and Democracy sponsored a webinar on “Dangers of Inadequate Information and … Continue reading

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Kevin Trenberth on US wildfires, drought, and global warming

Dr. Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Senior Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, was interviewed on the PBS Newshour, July 2.  He was asked: Are the wildfires worse this year than usual? And the dryness, how unusual is that? … Continue reading

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On the threat to email confidentiality, Part 1: Woods Hole scientists and the BP Deepwater Horizon oil blowout litigation

What are the implications of telling scientists they should no longer expect to communicate confidentially with each other using email?  The issue is raised again by a US federal court decision requiring Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution researchers to hand over … Continue reading

Posted in Attacks on Climate Science and Scientists, Science Communication | 5 Comments

Hansen: It’s time for the politics to follow the science on global warming

“President Obama speaks of a ‘planet in peril,’ but he does not provide the leadership needed to change the world’s course. Our leaders must speak candidly to the public,” James Hansen writes in a powerful op-ed column in the New … Continue reading

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Hansen: Climate science and moral responsibility

Calling climate change an issue of intergenerational justice on a par with ending slavery, James Hansen will argue in his lecture on being awarded the Edinburgh Medal that current generations have an overriding moral duty to their children and grandchildren … Continue reading

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Global Warming: What We Knew in ’82

Climate Denial Crock of the Week has posted a very interesting video that calls attention to “the contrast between what scientists already knew even 30 years ago, and the pathetically slow response to this gathering storm.”  The video draws on … Continue reading

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“Last Call at the Oasis”

Recommended: This feature-length documentary on the global water crisis, which we saw screened at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin recently, features powerful film footage and commentary by leading water expert Peter Gleick, Earth System scientist Jay Famiglietti at … Continue reading

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