Climate Change Weekly #29
A little more than a week ago an anonymous source released more than 5,000 Climategate emails to supplement the initial batch of Climategate emails released two years ago. Analysts are still reading through the thousands of newly released emails, uncovering more bombshells on a daily basis.
As I wrote in an article at Forbes.com last week, three themes are emerging from the newly released emails: (1) prominent scientists central to the global warming debate are taking measures to conceal rather than disseminate underlying data and discussions; (2) these scientists view global warming as a political “cause” rather than a matter for balanced scientific inquiry; and (3) many of these scientists frankly admit to each other that much of the science is weak and dependent on deliberate manipulation of facts and data.
Additionally, the new Climategate emails show alarmists launching personal attacks against scientists who publish research indicating humans may not be causing a climate crisis. Michael Mann (at left), for example, brags to fellow alarmists about recruiting investigative journalists to target and “expose” skeptical scientist Steve McIntyre. The new Climategate emails also reveal Mann recruiting fellow alarmists to pressure Harvard University to crack down on prominent scientists Willie Soon and Sallie Baliunas for publishing research indicating solar variability has been a more important factor in recent temperature changes than carbon dioxide emissions.
It is likely more damaging emails will likely be uncovered during the next several days as observers pour through the 5,000-plus newly released emails. What is already clear, however, is the need for more objective research and ethical conduct by the scientists at the heart of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the global warming discussion.
This issue of Climate Change Weekly, in addition to providing coverage of other climate change news items, provides links to some of the most compelling articles and emails emerging from Climategate 2.
SOURCE: Forbes.com
IN THIS ISSUE
Scientists behaving badly … More smoking guns … Briffa and Wigley chastise fellow alarmist Mann … Wigley acknowledges IPCC errors … Hulme asserts IPCC authors can “get away with anything” … Mann recruits accomplices to attack Soon, Baliunas … Peer-reviewed study downplays likelihood of future crisis … Grape production aided by higher CO2 levels … Study confirms prior warm periods, extremely cold Little Ice Age … Suzuki tells kids melting ice is forcing Santa from North Pole … ClimateWiki update
SCIENTISTS BEHAVING BADLY
Jim Lacey at National Review Online has written one of the most compelling narratives of Climategate 2. “In truth, virtually the entire warmist edifice is built around a small, tightly knit coterie of persons (one hesitates to refer to folks with so little respect for the scientific method as scientists) willing to falsify data and manipulate findings; or, to put it bluntly, to lie in order to push a political agenda not supported by empirical evidence,” Lacey wrote, backing it up with excerpts from several Climategate 2 emails.
SOURCE: National Review Online
MORE SMOKING GUNS
Forbes.com columnist Larry Bell brings to light more incriminating emails authored by Michael Mann and other Climategate figures. “Many [newly released emails] clearly confirm that top IPCC scientists consciously misrepresented and actively withheld important information … then attempted to prevent discovery,” writes Bell, before citing and quoting specific examples.
SOURCE: Forbes.com
BRIFFA AND WIGLEY CHASTISE FELLOW ALARMIST MANN
Prominent alarmists Keith Briffa and Tom Wigley cautioned fellow alarmist Michael Mann not to overstate his case for global warming alarmism. Wigley delivers a particularly humiliating rebuke to Mann, pointing out that his son’s science fair project addressing temperatures, precipitation, and tree growth rebuts the asserted scientific basis for Mann’s controversial temperature reconstructions.
SOURCE: Climategate 2 email
WIGLEY ACKNOWLEDGES IPCC ERRORS
Tom Wigley acknowledges in an email to Phil Jones that the IPCC has repeatedly gotten the science wrong. “I hate to say this (actually not) but I think I got it right and IPCC got it wrong – not the first time,” writes Wigley.
SOURCE: Climategate 2 email
HULME ASSERTS IPCC AUTHORS CAN “GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING”
University of East Anglia (UK) professor Mike Hulme proposes three possible courses of action in response to evidence that reducing carbon dioxide emissions will stifle economic growth. The first option proposed by Hulme is “Solution 1: fudge the issue. Just accept that we are Fast-trackers and can therefore get away with anything.” [emphasis in the original]
SOURCE: Climategate 2 email
MANN RECRUITS ACCOMPLICES TO ATTACK SOON, BALIUNAS
Michael Mann spearheaded an effort to pressure Harvard University to “disassociate” itself from skeptical scientists Willie Soon and Sallie Baliunas. After noting peer-reviewed science journals had published Soon and Baliunas studies concluding solar variance is the likely cause of recent global warming, Mann complained the two were “making some headway within the beltway.” Wrote Mann, “If someone has close ties w/ any individuals there [at Harvard] who might be in a position to actually get some action taken on this, I’d highly encourage pursuing this.”
SOURCE: ClimateAudit
PEER-REVIEWED STUDY DOWNPLAYS LIKELIHOOD OF FUTURE CRISIS
A newly published study in the peer-reviewed journal Science shows climate historically has been less sensitive to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide than United Nations computer models are programmed to assume. According to the Science study, a full doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide will likely cause 2.3 degrees Celsius of warming rather than the UN-assumed 3.0 degrees of warming. “[T]hese results imply lower probability of imminent extreme climatic change than previously thought,” the Science study reports.
SOURCE: Science
GRAPE PRODUCTION AIDED BY HIGHER CO2 LEVELS
Portuguese scientists report dramatic increases in plant growth and grape production when grape plants are grown in elevated carbon dioxide conditions. A separate study by German and Portuguese scientists produced similar results. Even assuming elevated temperatures predicted by IPCC, the scientists reported an expected increase in global grape yields.
SOURCE: World Climate Report
STUDY CONFIRMS PRIOR WARM PERIODS, EXTREMELY COLD LITTLE ICE AGE
Scientists studying plankton records at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of West Greenland report the Roman Warm Period of approximately 1,800 years ago was warmer than today. The scientists also found evidence of the Medieval Warm Period approximately 1,000 years ago and report that the Little Ice Age, from which current temperatures are rebounding, was the coldest time period since the last ice age glaciation.
SOURCES: NIPCC Report and Quaternary Science Reviews
SUZUKI TELLS KIDS MELTING ICE IS FORCING SANTA FROM NORTH POLE
Global warming activist David Suzuki has produced a Web site telling kids, “Climate change is melting the snow and ice” at the North Pole and “Santa must relocate – fast” to avoid drowning in the rising water. Merry Christmas and bundles of holiday cheer to children from global warming activists!
SOURCE: Watts Up With That?
CLIMATEWIKI UPDATE
The Heartland Institute has created a Web site, ClimateWiki.org, to help everyone – from high school students to scientists working in the field – quickly find the latest and most reliable information on climate science. Please send your questions, suggestions for new pages, or improvements to current ones to John Monaghan at [email protected]. And if you have new research to share, ClimateWiki.org is the perfect place.
An example from ClimateWiki, Tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, reads in part:
The IPCC contends global warming is likely to increase the frequency and intensity of hurricanes. For example, it states “it is likely that future tropical cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes) will become more intense, with larger peak wind speeds and more heavy precipitation associated with ongoing increases of tropical sea surface temperatures” (IPCC, 2007-I, p. 15). However, numerous peer-reviewed studies suggest otherwise.
If you have questions about the ClimateWiki or about The Heartland Institute, contact Jim Lakely, director of communications, at [email protected] or call 312/377-4000.
The Climate Change Weekly Newsletter has been moved to HeartlandDailyNews.com. Please check there for future updates!
