Tag Archives: global warming

Science Journal Has No Plans To Retract A NOAA Study, Despite Data Manipulation Concerns

The chief executive of a prominent science group said they currently have no intention of retracting a study at the center of a controversy involving accusations of scientific malpractice by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists. Rush Holt, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), told lawmakers Tuesday he saw no… Continue reading Science Journal Has No Plans To Retract A NOAA Study, Despite Data Manipulation Concerns

Washington Times editorial: An inconvenient stretcher

Bold predictions have a way of disappointing. Al Gore, whose extreme forecasts of climate catastrophe have yet to prove out, should take note. Blunders in the digital age are difficult to erase. That moving finger writes in permanent ink. Mr. Gore, a self-described “recovering politician” who has gone from Washington to fame and million-dollar fortune (and… Continue reading Washington Times editorial: An inconvenient stretcher

2016 ‘Likely’ Hottest Year Ever: WMO

2016 will “very likely” be the hottest year on record, according to the United Nations World Meteorological Organization. According to a news release from the WMO, 2016 will likely eclipse the previous hottest year, 2015. “Another year. Another record. The high temperatures we saw in 2015 are set to be beaten in 2016,” said WMO Secretary-General… Continue reading 2016 ‘Likely’ Hottest Year Ever: WMO

WikiLeaks email details bullying, silencing of CU professor on climate change

Climate change alarmists have taken to bullying to silence opposing voices. (Flickr / Soumyadeep Paul, Creative Commons)
Climate change alarmists have taken to bullying to silence opposing voices. (Flickr / Soumyadeep Paul, Creative Commons)

The latest batch of emails released by WikiLeaks from John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, contain a local connection.  A message received by Podesta details how climate change alarmists launched a concerted effort to keep a University of Colorado professor from publishing his views on manmade climate change.

Holding degrees in mathematics, public policy and political science, Roger Pielke, Jr. is a well-respected professor at CU.  Using statistical analysis, he has authored many papers and books debunking some of the more outrageous claims purveyors of the manmade climate change theory use to scare the populace.

Pielke apparently was seen as a threat to alarmists after publishing a story to fivethirtyeight.com in March 2014 disputing the claim that disasters are becoming more expensive due to climate change.

The professor used imperial data to determine, “When you read that the cost of disasters is increasing, it’s tempting to think that it must be because more storms are happening. They’re not. All the apocalyptic “climate porn” in your Facebook feed is solely a function of perception. In reality, the numbers reflect more damage from catastrophes because the world is getting wealthier. We’re seeing ever-larger losses simply because we have more to lose — when an earthquake or flood occurs, more stuff gets damaged.”

This did not fit the narrative of those that believe manmade climate change is the greatest threat to the Earth of the century.

Judd Legum, editor of ThinkProgress, sent an email to Podesta as well as billionaire Tom Steyer detailing Legum’s organization’s efforts to silence Pielke.  He brags that ThinkProgress was successful in ensuring, “Pielke never wrote another piece on climate change for 538.”

Steyer is a name that should be familiar with Coloradans.  The San Francisco-based billionaire and environmental activist has spent millions of dollars in Colorado elections, trying to influence their outcomes.

The Earth (NASA)Ironically, Pielke has been a voice of reason and moderation in the sometimes-raucous debate about manmade climate change.  He actually favors a carbon tax and has advocated for removing any incentives for fossil fuels and replacing them with a push for renewable energy sources.

Pielke told the Boulder Daily Camera, “They were ultimately successful in removing an academic from working on a topic,” as he has moved on to other areas of study.  There’s, “nothing like a political witch hunt to help you focus on career priorities,” he said.

“It spells out in black and white … that there was an organized, politically motivated campaign to damage my career and reputation, based on a perception that my academic research was thought to be inconvenient.”

The fact that a member of academia could be silenced is troubling but it also fits the new way that climate change alarmists have chosen to battle those that disagree with them: Don’t debate the topic on its merits, instead simply shut down the opposition.

On the net:

An overblown link between hurricanes and global warming

Hurricane Matthew proved to be a dangerous storm that killed hundreds, and caused floods and property damage from Haiti to the Carolinas. Thanks a lot, global warming. That, at least, is what some alarmists would have us believe. “Hurricane Matthew, a record-shattering storm that is unusual for October, is a reminder of climate change’s potential to… Continue reading An overblown link between hurricanes and global warming

Climate models overstating case for man-made global warming, study suggests

The Earth

Climate models overstating case for man-made global warming, study suggests

Whenever climate models overestimate temperatures linked to rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, scientists have pointed to a convenient fall guy: aerosols, which cool the planet and act as a counterweight to global warming. But what if the cooling influence of aerosols isn’t as powerful as believed? Preliminary findings from a major study by the… Continue reading Climate models overstating case for man-made global warming, study suggests

California governor’s attempt to link climate change and wildfires disputed by scientists

What do meteorologists know about climate change?It is a familiar refrain from climate change alarmists:  This latest wildfire (or hurricane or tornado or rain event) is the worst we have ever seen and manmade climate change is to blame.  The fact is though that these over-the-top claims rarely are true.

Certainly California has seen some devastating wildfires this season.  Governor Jerry Brown was quick to jump on the ‘blame climate change’ bandwagon.

With the Rocky Fire still smoldering in northern California, the governor used his bully pulpit to push his agenda:

“California is burning,” the governor dramatically declared. “What the hell are you going to do about it?

“This is a wake-up call. We have to start coming to our senses. This is not a game of politics. We need to limit our carbon pollution. These are real lives and real people. This problem cannot be solved year by year.”

“The fires are changing…. The way this fire performed, it’s not the way it usually has been. Going in lots of directions, moving fast, even without hot winds.”

Governor Brown’s statements do sound dire and make one believe that the wildfires and their behavior are unprecedented.  However, as the LA Times reported yesterday, the link between the blazes and climate change is tenuous at best.

But scientists who study climate change and fire behavior say their work does not show a link between this year’s wildfires and global warming, or support Brown’s assertion that fires are now unpredictable and unprecedented. There is not enough evidence, they say.

University of Colorado climate change specialist Roger Pielke said Brown is engaging in “noble-cause corruption.”

Pielke said it is easier to make a political case for change using immediate and local threats, rather than those on a global scale, especially given the subtleties of climate change research, which features probabilities subject to wide margins of error and contradiction by other findings.

“That is the nature of politics,” Pielke said, “but sometimes the science really has to matter.”

Historical fire suppression policies and land management are considered to be far larger concerns and are more likely to have contributed to the wildfires.

Wildfires are of course not the only natural disaster that gets blamed on climate change.  Indeed, many have blamed the Golden State’s drought on global warming but there is little evidence to back the claim.  In a study, NOAA said, “natural oceanic and atmospheric patterns are the primary drivers behind California’s ongoing drought.”

Despite the facts that show these events are cyclical and natural, you can be assured political leaders and activist scientists will continue to use them to push their climate change agenda.

Global warming: Deceptive temperature record claims

The U.S. government is at it again, hyping meaningless records in a parameter that does not exist in order to frighten us about something that doesn’t matter. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced this week that according to their calculations, July 2015 was the hottest month since instrumental records began in 1880.… Continue reading Global warming: Deceptive temperature record claims

A Real Climate Scientist Demolishes Bill Nye’s Global Warming Alarmism

By Michael Bastasch Global warming alarmist talking heads like Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Al Gore are constantly paraded around as experts on climate, often claiming that global warming is making weather more extreme and bashing those who “deny” that humans are the main culprit behind this. So, Fox Business host John Stossel brought in… Continue reading A Real Climate Scientist Demolishes Bill Nye’s Global Warming Alarmism

Obama power plant rules spark 2016 fight over climate change

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama’s sweeping new power plant regulations are thrusting the divisive debate over climate change into the race for the White House, with candidates in both parties seeing an opportunity to capitalize. To Democrats, rallying around global climate change is a way to energize liberal supporters and paint Republicans as out of… Continue reading Obama power plant rules spark 2016 fight over climate change