Sunday, January 24, 2010

Cleanup Continues in Flagstaff - Phoenix Weather News Story - KPHO Phoenix
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The snowfall in northern Arizona is one for the record books.

The National Weather Service said in the last five days, areas near Flagstaff got almost 5 feet of snow. That's the third-highest total since they started keeping track.
Glaciologist Syed Hasnain: “I was keeping quiet as I was working here…” UPDATE: so Parchouri’s TERI could rake in a half million? | CLIMATEGATE
Yes, keeping his mouth shut resulted in an extra half-million for Pachauri’s TERI.

Follow the money.
IPCC Head in Glaciergate Crime? - Walter Russell Mead's Blog - The American Interest
This is now more than an example of eye-popping incompetence and gross neglect of elementary scientific standards by a body on whose authority the world is expected to make multi-trillion dollar decisions affecting every business and every person on the planet.

It is now, potentially, a criminal issue. If Pachauri knew the claim was bogus and allowed these grant applications to go forward, he could find himself facing criminal charges.

But at the least his immediate resignation is required. It was one thing to publish a false prediction in a long report–grossly incompetent and negligent, yes, but it was a long report and it was only one prediction. An honorable person would at least offer to step down in such a situation; it might, however, be survivable for a bureaucratic street-fighter with little sense of shame.

That is no longer the case. Before allowing this claim to be used for fundraising and, potentially, to be the centerpiece of a massive research effort, Pachauri had an inescapable obligation to investigate and verify the science behind the claim. This he clearly failed to do; no reputable foundation or government can now fund any organization he heads.

Environmentalists should be the first to call for Pachauri’s resignation. Those who truly believe that the world is in imminent peril and that a concerted effort is vital to save the planet from human caused climate change should be all over this story, demanding a full and thorough investigation of IPCC incompetence and possible criminality. This is the only way that the serious scientists and thoughtful reformers who make up the overwhelming core of the climate change community can recapture the high ground and regain the public trust.

Meanwhile, the Indian press is also reporting increased scrutiny of possible conflict of interest charges surrounding Pachauri.

According to the Times, a groundswell is rising in India demanding that Pachauri step down. Al Gore needs to be leading this charge in the US. Where is he, and why is he silent?

1 comment:

susan said...

Al Gore's movie may need to be recalled. News from TimesOnline in recent hours that the 'natural disasters' claim in the IPCC report was also unsubstantiated (re increase in hurricanes and other storms due to auto emissions and the like). The Times says, this was the basis for a demand of $100 billion at Cop. to be paid to developing nations by so-called rich nations. Miliband, Brown, and Obama are all mentioned in the article as having made statements reflecting belief in the now discredited catastrophic storms pitch.