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

Nine ways to undermine Virginia AG Cuccinelli’s McCarthyite demand for scientists’ communication

Posted on Friday, May 21, 2010

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s effort to subpoena Prof. Michael Mann’s documents and e-mail correspondence with 39 other scientists would establish a precedent for essentially destroying the ability of university faculty to correspond with colleagues with any sense of confidentiality—a terrible precedent if it is allowed to succeed. To oppose Cuccinelli’s action with pushback on multiple fronts, we can think of at least nine kinds of action that can be taken – by Prof. Mann, by the University of Virginia, by the science community, by the media, and by others. Fortunately, a number of such appropriate actions are already being taken or are under consideration.

Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference showcases strength of labor-environmental coalition

Posted on Thursday, May 13, 2010

We attended the third annual Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference in Washington, DC, May 4-6, organized by the Blue Green Alliance, a “national, strategic partnership between labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy.” The scientific case for reducing carbon emissions underlies the clean energy and climate legislation now under consideration, but it was in the background at the conference, which was attended by thousands of participants. In his speech Senator John Kerry acknowledged the course we’re on today will lead to “catastrophic” climate change. But he said of the Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act bill released May 12: “This bill is above all a jobs bill…. this revolution we’re talking about is above all a jobs revolution.”

The Denial Machine: Interview on KPFK-FM Los Angeles

Posted on Sunday, May 09, 2010

CSW director Rick Piltz and Climate Cover-Up co-author Richard Littlemore of DeSmogBlog were interviewed on KPFK’s “Insighters” program aired April 22. See Details for transcript and webcast.

At House hearing, prominent scientists reaffirm climate science’s broad knowledge, urgency to act

Posted on Saturday, May 08, 2010

We attended a May 6 hearing at which the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming heard from a panel of scientists and one policy adviser on the scientific foundations of climate change, in light of continued attacks on the integrity of climate science and scientists. The witnesses were IPCC authors James McCarthy, Chris Field, and James Hurrell, ‘Oxburgh inquiry’ panel member Lisa Graumlich, and ‘Lord’ Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley.

Letter from 255 National Academy members on Climate Change and the Integrity of Science

Posted on Friday, May 07, 2010

The letter, from 255 members of the National Academy of Sciences, including 11 Nobel laureates, begins: “We are deeply disturbed by the recent escalation of political assaults on scientists in general and on climate scientists in particular. It says: “We call for an end to McCarthy-like threats of criminal prosecution against our colleagues based on innuendo and guilt by association, the harassment of scientists by politicians seeking distractions to avoid taking action, and the outright lies being spread about them.” Apparently, a strongly worded statement from many of our most esteemed scientists, about climate science and a controversy that is very much in the news and fundamental to our future, is considered unworthy of space in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. All three rejected the 700-word, op-ed length letter before it was published in the May 7 issue of the journal Science. See Details for full text of statement and list of signers.

NOAA’s Tom Karl explains temperature data supporting conclusion: ‘global warming is unequivocal’

Posted on Friday, May 07, 2010

The American Meteorological Society yesterday presented a briefing by Tom Karl in the U.S. Capitol Building on “Detecting Climate Change: The Temperature Record.” We attended and heard Karl, the Interim Director of NOAA Climate Services and Director of the NOAA National Climatic Data Center, discuss the data and methods NOAA uses to calculate global and national temperature trends and anomalies.

An overview of the briefing reads: “This includes historical changes in data coverage, processing techniques, bias corrections, and assessments of uncertainty. When viewed with independent methods and data used by other agencies and governments to track temperature and temperature-related changes, the results have provided the basis for the statement ‘global warming is unequivocal.’”

Free the Cuccinelli 40: Virginia AG demands e-mails of Michael Mann and 39 other scientists

Posted on Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Virginia’s combative right-wing state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has issued a “Civil Investigative Demand” calling on the University of Virginia to turn over a large quantity of material about climate scientist Michael Mann, who was at the University during 1999-2005. Among the documents he is demanding are all e-mail and other communications to or from Mann and 39 other scientists, or referencing them. This latest McCarthyite inquisition, by yet another agent of the global warming denial machine, is taking fire even from climate ‘skeptics’ who are no friends of Mann. It sends a chilling message about academic freedom and the freedom of scientists and others to communicate with each other without fear that their communications will be published.

InterAcademy Council Names IPCC Review Committee

Posted on Wednesday, May 05, 2010

The InterAcademy Council (IAC), an organization of the world’s science academies, announced May 3 that Harold T. Shapiro, an economist and former president of Princeton University and the University of Michigan, will chair a 12-member committee to conduct an independent review of the procedures and processes of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The review was requested in April by the United Nations.

Denialist Morano on scientists: “Rejoicing that their entire careers are getting pissed on”

Posted on Friday, April 30, 2010

Global warming denialist Marc Morano, long notorious for putting out propaganda and talking points that bear no relationship to scientific reality, has lately been taking his rhetorical war on science over the top as he smears and maligns the climate science community. Morano, the director of a news aggregating denialist website, gave an April 23 online “Global Cooling Radio” interview to talk about his “current and upcoming battles” against climate science “alarmists,” in which his extremist over-reaching and inflammatory rhetoric were on display.

Ocean acidification: Senate hearing, National Academies report call attention to growing concerns

Posted on Tuesday, April 27, 2010

An April 22 hearing held by the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard examined the economic and environmental impacts of ocean acidification. The hearing coincided with both the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the release of a prepublication summary of a new National Research Council report, Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean.

Bill McKibben: On Earth Day, the environmental movement needs repairs

Posted on Friday, April 23, 2010

“When the media and the president hail [the Senate climate and clean energy bill to be unveiled on April 26] as a ‘landmark,’ understand the shifting ground it actually defines: The environmental idea is too weak right now to win passage of a tough bill to deal with our greatest problem. It will settle for half measures, when it gets the chance to settle for anything at all,” writes author-activist Bill McKibben in an op-ed column in the April 23 Washington Post. “At least part of the problem lies within [inside-the-Beltway-oriented] environmentalism, which no longer does enough real organizing to build the pressure that could result in real change.”

Avatar director James Cameron calls out lawmakers for reluctance to talk in terms of climate change

Posted on Thursday, April 22, 2010

After speaking last week with lawmakers in Washington, ‘Avatar’ director James Cameron reportedly came away with the sense that they believe an energy and climate bill “will be a nonstarter if even it includes the word ‘climate change’ or ‘sustainability.’” Have the fossil fuel interests and the influence of the global warming denial machine on public opinion made Washington wary about telling the truth in talking about the problem? If so, “It completely ignores the elephant in the room that we’re all dealing with,” he told the LA Times.

Straight Up: Must-read book by Joe Romm of Climate Progress on climate change, policy, and the media

Posted on Thursday, April 22, 2010

We heard Joe Romm speak with John Podesta at the Center for American Progress on April 19, promoting his new book Straight Up: America’s Fiercest Climate Blogger Takes on the Status Quo Media, Politicians, and Clean Energy Solutions. Romm runs Climate Progress, a must-read blog project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund “dedicated to providing the progressive perspective on climate science, climate solutions, and climate politics.”

James McCarthy and Tim Wirth: Time for Obama to Set the Record Straight on Climate Change

Posted on Wednesday, April 21, 2010

“The president can, and should, say much more [about] the strong scientific evidence on human-induced climate change and its impacts on the United States, and the rapidly closing window for action,” say Harvard Prof. Jim McCarthy and UN Foundation President Tim Wirth, giving voice to what Climate Science Watch has argued repeatedly since before President Obama’s inauguration. The public interest requires that he “deliver a major speech on climate change to the American public,” they write in an April 20 article at Huffington Post. In countering the global warming denial machine, “Scientists do not have a bully pulpit. President Obama does – and the public desperately needs him to use it.” We also endorse the recommendation: “The president should bring together scientists and others with relevant expertise for a White House summit on climate science, the urgency of action, and the opportunity for timely solutions.”

Cooler Heads Coalition serves up tired denialist fare at Hill “Climategate” lunch briefing

Posted on Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Climate Science Watch attended a Capitol Hill briefing April 16 on the “Climategate” e-mails, a denialist-friendly event intended for media and Congressional staffers. The briefing was hosted by the Heritage Foundation and the Cooler Heads Coalition, an anti-regulatory-minded group formed to “dispel the myths of global warming by exposing flawed economic, scientific and risk analysis.” Speakers Pat Michaels and Joseph D’Aleo found it easy to spoon-feed misinformation to this audience without being held accountable.

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