New climate science vindicates global warming skeptics | Matt Patterson | Op Eds | Washington Examiner

So what about those levels? Are they in fact, rising? No, at least not now. According to NASA satellite data updated on Aug. 5 of this year, sea levels have actually fallen from 2010 to 2011.

Environmentalists are right about one thing: The climate changes. But it always has, and always will, with or without sport utility vehicles.

Quadrant Online - The fall of CSIRO

Real scientists will debate in public with other scientists who hold contrary opinions. They do not make hysterical demands to shut down the debate. They do not collaborate to deny media and journalist space to dissenting scientists.

I have to say that the more you study climate science - the more you study it the more complex it becomes. It is really hard. It is really complex. What do you think of scientists who tell you that the science is settled? Are these ethical scientists?

Memo to EPA chief Lisa Jackson: Defy Obama or resign | Grist

Realistically, it is not very likely that Jackson will violate a direct order of the president to put the standard aside until after the election. If not, she should therefore do the honorable thing and resign.

Texas wildfires: Is drought the new climate? - latimes.com

Climate-watchers are reminding Perry that Texas' nightmare is a direct result of a political decision to ignore the reality of climate change

Is the Obama administration using a "drunken sailor" strategy when handing out solar scam loan guarantees backed by your hard-earned money?

BofA, US Renewables Back Part Of $1 Billion SolarCity Rooftop Project | Fox Business

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and U.S. Renewables Group said Wednesday they will finance about one-third of a $1 billion project developed by SolarCity that could double the number of U.S. homes with rooftop solar-power generators.
...
BofA's Merrill Lynch unit and private equity firm U.S. Renewables Group will provide a $344 million loan for the project. The U.S. Department of Energy said Wednesday it has offered a conditional loan guarantee for that loan.
...
The companies said the loan guarantee was a vital component in putting the financing together. They were careful to note that the project has relatively low risk, compared to other DOE-backed projects.

The DOE has faced increased scrutiny over its loan guarantees, particularly to solar-product manufacturers, after one of them failed. Solyndra Inc., a California-based solar-product maker that obtained a $535 million loan guarantee and a $527 million government loan, filed for bankruptcy this week after a long struggle against falling solar-panel prices and larger, better financed rivals.
...
The $344 million loan is similar to a $1.4 billion loan, also backed by a DOE loan guarantee, that BofA agreed to provide to NRG Energy Inc. (NRG) and ProLogis Inc. (PLD) to finance part of a $2.6 billion commercial rooftop solar project. That project, designed to generate about 733 MW, will entail installing solar-panel generators on the roofs of ProLogis warehouses in 28 states.

The DOE loan-guarantee program played a crucial role in making both solar deals possible, said Jonathan Plowe, head of new energy and infrastructure solutions at BofA Merrill.

Pretty soon, you're talking real money: Oxfam and WWF suggest another $25 billion annual climate fraud swindle

Charities seek levy on shipping fuel for climate - Forbes.com

AMSTERDAM -- U.N. climate negotiators should consider a fuel surcharge on international shipping to partly finance a $100 billion annual pledge to help developing countries meet the challenges of global warming, environmental groups proposed in a report released Thursday.

Oxfam and the World Wildlife Fund suggested a levy of $25 per ton on fuels that drive the global merchant marine, which transports 90 percent of world trade and contributes about 3 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
...
A surcharge at that level would add 0.2 percent to shipping costs, or $2 on every $1,000, the report said, but would raise at least $25 billion a year.

We're saved!: More than $850k to be blown on prairie dog climate hoax study

CU to study impact of climate change on Boulder prairie dogs - Boulder Daily Camera

Researchers from the University of Colorado and Kansas State University have been awarded a grant for more than $850,000 to study the impacts of climate change on prairie dogs in the Boulder area.

The massive grant -- from the Division of Environmental Biology at the National Science Foundation

No Paper Or Plastic? LA Shoppers Wary Of Proposed ‘Nightmare’ Ban « CBS Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — An effort to allow only reusable bags at Los Angeles grocery stores may sound like a political long-shot, but one city councilman thinks the public will eventually warm up to the initiative.

Northwest Florida sees record cold temperatures

Emerald Coast residents woke up to record cold temperatures Wednesday morning.

Eglin Air Force Base recorded 57 degrees and Duke Field recorded 54 degrees, according to information gathered by the 46th Operation Support Squadron weather flight at Eglin.

The temperatures were the lowest Eglin has recorded in September since 1950, when the base began keeping records. The previous low was 59 degrees.

City of L.A. Failed to Do Environmental Impact Report for Its Medical Marijuana Ordinance - MarketWatch

Not accepting the health benefits of cannabis is like denying global warming

C3: Stunning Revelation From Santer et al. Study: Confirms Insignificant & Immaterial Warming By Year 2100

Using 17-years (204 months) worth of data through the end of July 2011, the plot on the left reveals that global warming since August 1994 is rather modest and non-existent since 1998.

The linear trend from this 17-year span indicates that global temperatures will be only 0.85°C higher by January 1, 2100.

New Mexico Building Fake City to Test Alternative Energy - By Greg Pollowitz - Planet Gore - National Review Online

Maybe once the project goes bust, the Air Force can use the town to test new bombs.

The CLIMATE SCEPTICS Blog: EUREKA award Cooked Up? His blog is.

As more and more of the TRUTH unravels, the alarmists are fighting harder and harder. When Real Climate truth (that CO2 is innocent) comes to the fore, will the John Cook's of this world apologise? Will they hand back their grants?

Frozen Global Warming Research | Watts Up With That?

A number of nations conduct research in Antarctica. To do research in Antarctica, you need to have an icebreaker.
...
The first irony is that the main thing that is brought in by ship, the one thing that really can’t be brought in by plane, is fossil fuel. Can’t do global warming research without fossil fuel, particularly in Antarctica, and running a couple of US bases through an Antarctic winter takes a lot of fossil fuel.

Flashback: The irony leaves us cold - The Globe and Mail

What irony. I am a passenger on one of the most powerful icebreakers in the world, travelling through the Northwest Passage - which is supposed to become almost ice-free in a time of global warming, the next shipping route across the top of the world - and here we are, stuck in the ice, engines shut down, bridge deserted. Only time and tide can free us.

Dalai Lama and Tutu and Lois Lane and the mermaid from "Splash", oh my: Braintrust urges us to fear trace amounts of carbon dioxide

Dalai Lama joins Keystone pipeline opponents | Alberta | News | Calgary Sun

Opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline by Nobel peace prize recipients like the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu is at war with the truth, say the project’s backers.

The pair, along with seven other peace prize winners, have penned an open letter calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to block the pipeline meant to carry oilsands bitumen from Alberta to Texas.
...
The signees also praised protestors who voiced their opposition to Keystone XL in front of the White House — 1,200 of whom were arrested over two weeks, including Hollywood actors Margot Kidder and Daryl Hannah.
...
Alberta Tory leadership candidate Ted Morton said the letter’s signers deserve praise for their other activities but are in over their head on the oilsands.

“They’re obviously experts in certain things but not experts in economics or climate change,” said Morton, who insists the degree of human contribution to global warming remains uncertain.

Are Scientists Becoming The New Priests? | Fox News

Huntsman has said that he fears that the GOP will be perceived as the "antiscience party." That is, he gave a nod to Democrats' conceit that theirs is the party of science. Why? Because the Dems don't tolerate questions about evolution or global warming.

24 hours of Gorepocrisy [Al Gore goes after the "deniers"] | Watts Up With That?

UPDATE: The Climate Reality project has released two videos hyping the event. It appears they’ll be smearing some of what is in the videos.

Global Warming Hysteria: How “Consensus” Hegemony Hurts Science » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog

Pay very close attention to the last line. Scientists were scared away from engaging in true science–that is, from challenging “the consensus”–which is a crucial part of the scientific method. That is why unilaterally ending debates, trying to suppress heterodoxy, and crowing about consensus views corrupts science and subverts its awesome power of learning and understanding. If the field is ever going to regain its lost credibility, this thought control must end.

Banning plastic bags will not have the slightest effect on global warming – Telegraph Blogs

plastic bags themselves are largely an irrelevance from a carbon point of view.

Secondary market for RGGI credits crashes

demand plummeted in the June quarterly auction when 70% of the offered allowances went unsold, leaving future RGGI revenues in question.

Al's Journal : Confronting Disappointment

Instead of relying on science, President Obama appears to have bowed to pressure from polluters who did not want to bear the cost of implementing new restrictions on their harmful pollution—even though economists have shown that the US economy would benefit from the job creating investments associated with implementing the new technology. The result of the White House’s action will be increased medical bills for seniors with lung disease, more children developing asthma, and the continued degradation of our air quality.

UPDATE: Canada Minister "Increasingly Optimistic" On US Keystone Approval - WSJ.com

OTTAWA (Dow Jones)--Canada's minister responsible for the oil sands said Wednesday he's "increasingly optimistic" the Obama administration will grant a permit to allow construction of the controversial Keystone pipeline.

U.S. chamber backs Keystone expansion

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching a counterattack against opponents of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, who over the weekend wrapped up two weeks of daily protests outside the White House, during which more than 1,250 were arrested.

Climate Change Cloud War - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

The explosion of comment caused by this contretemps in the blogosphere can be found on the more "skeptical" side of climate science at Spencer's blog, Wattsupwiththat, ClimateAudit, and Roger Pielke, Sr.'s Climate Science. For the more "alarmist" take go to RealClimate, DailyClimate, ClimateProgress, and Deltoid.

Reality Denier: Warmist Brad Plumer refuses to acknowledge that Independents don't buy into the global warming hoax

How the Tea Party changed the climate debate - Ezra Klein - The Washington Post

[Warmist Brad Plumer] Has belief in global warming become a purely partisan affair? It certainly looks that way...The Yale Project on Climate Change Communication released a new survey today

[But Independents are clearly not buying into the global warming hoax]: Warmist survey confirms what you should already know: People in the US are just not that into the global warming hoax

--page 8: Assuming global warming is happening, only 46% of those surveyed (and only 43% of Independents) said it is mostly caused by human activities

--page 10: Only 9% of those surveyed (and only 7% of Independents) said they were "very worried" about global warming.

Warmists complete several years of fossil-fueled pole-to-pole flights; conclude that excessive flying is bad

Global warming effect seen in pole-to-pole data-gathering flights - latimes.com

Scientists who have just completed several years of pole-to-pole flights have uncovered data that confirms some of the deep worries about human-generated global warming that had been predicted by computer-based mathematical models.
...Asked about his first overall impression, however, the project's chief investigator, Steven Wofsy, a professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Science at Harvard University, said, "It certainly doesn’t make me feel more relaxed" about human-induced climate change.
...
The research was conducted jointly by the atmospheric center and the National Science Foundation, which along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provided funding.

Known by its acronym, HIPPO, the effort used an advanced aircraft that would dip down to 500 feet or lower at every two degrees of latitude, collecting data throughout the air column in an effort to determine where and when planet-warming particles enter the atmosphere.

At a time when partisan politicians and climate skeptics have whittled away at uncertainties in models and studies, the data have the potential to be a trove of factual rebuttal. Two peer-reviewed papers already have been produced from the data, and more are expected.

Why did it take so long to uncover the green jobs racket? - Right Turn - The Washington Post

It seems like just a week or so ago when “green jobs” were still the rage. But in the wake of the Solyndra debacle, there is now a stampede to cough up the truth: It’s pretty much been a racket from the get-go

Fraudster Al Gore thinks you're stupid, again: He suggests that all climate lobbying is *against* climate hoax legislation

Al Gore's message about climate change grows in urgency | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

Former Vice President Al Gore has settled into new office space in Green Hills with a refurbished strategy on how to spread the word on climate change.
...
“The reality is the floods are getting bigger,” he said, his eyes locked on the listener. “The downpours are getting bigger. The droughts are getting deeper and longer, and we’re seeing this all over the world.”

Gore has shifted from rallying support to pass legislation to try to stem climate change — an effort that resulted in a near miss in Congress — to an emphasis again on reaching everyday people.
...
James Taylor, managing editor of environment and climate news there, called Gore and his latest plan “amusing in the best light and disturbing in the worst light,” saying it’s fomenting hysteria.
...
“Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on misleading ads and pseudo-scientific studies,” he said. “There are four anti-climate lobbyists in Washington for every single member of Congress..."

Flashback: Gore business: 2340 climate lobbyists - Marianne Lavelle - Center for Public Integrity - POLITICO.com

A Center for Public Integrity analysis of Senate lobbying disclosure forms shows that more than 770 companies and interest groups hired an estimated 2,340 lobbyists to influence federal policy on climate change in the past year, as the issue gathered momentum and a bill came to a vote in Congress.
...
More than 95 percent of climate lobbyists work on other issues for their clients as well, and they don’t have to report how much they’re being paid on global warming specifically.

How many members are in congress

There are 541 total members.

2340 / 541 - Google Search

2 340 / 541 = 4.32532348

Warmist survey confirms what you should already know: People in the US are just not that into the global warming hoax

Politics and Global Warming: Democrats, Republicans, Independents and the Tea Party |  Yale Project on Climate Change Communication

A special report, Politics & Global Warming: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and the Tea Party reports how the members of each political party respond to the issue of global warming.

Some of my notes on this survey:

--page 8: Assuming global warming is happening, only 46% of those surveyed (and only 43% of Independents) said it is mostly caused by human activities

--page 10: Only 9% of those surveyed (and only 7% of Independents) said they were "very worried" about global warming.

--page 12: 8% of Democrats consider themselves "very well informed" on global warming; 30% of Tea Party people felt that way.

--page 13: 8% of those surveyed felt that the issue of global warming is "very important" to them.

--page 22: 4% of those surveyed "strongly trust" the mainstream news media as a source of global warming information.

--page 24: 16% of Democrats (and 45% of Tea Party people) have heard anything about "Climategate"

--page 30: 24% of those surveyed "strongly agree" that human beings, as we know them today, evolved from earlier species of animals.

New York Times hits out at ‘climate denier’ Rick Perry « 21st Century Wire

What we are witnessing here are the last desperate revolutions of a set of wheels that are in the process of falling off climate change’s chuck wagon gravy train.

In times of real economic strife, one hopes that the commodity of common sense increases in valuable. Recent shifts in opinion on climate change have certainly reflected this. If that pattern continues, then it spells very bad news for the fabulous carbon economy.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: My Initial Comments on the New Dessler 2011 Study « Roy Spencer, Ph. D.

Based upon the evidence above, I would say we are indeed going to respond with a journal submission to answer Dessler’s claims. I hope that GRL will offer us as rapid a turnaround as Dessler got in the peer review process. Feel free to take bets on that.

Horngate

This is the most important part. Not only has IPCC been useless in the last decade, but has been committing severe errors. But now, Horngate clearly shows us that IPCC has been contributing to several tens of thousands of deaths, because of inferior climate investigation, and misleading guidance. It is the time to shutdown an UN agency, that is doing more harm than good! And maybe, Al Gore will talk about all this inconvenience in a week...

Healing the planet: US taxpayers pay for a fossil-fueled delegation of 50 people to attend some junket in New Zealand

Address climate change, heavyweights urge meeting - National - NZ Herald News

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso swept into the Pacific summit in Auckland yesterday with the same message as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who swept out - address climate change.

He opened his purse to announce a $17 million Pacific fund for climate change-related projects.

The addition of international heavyweights to the forum is part of New Zealand's bid to lift the profile and muscle of the Pacific Islands Forum.

As well, a United States delegation of about 50, including Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides and Assistant Secretary of State for Asia and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell, arrived from Washington yesterday.

Watch Now: Morano on Fox News debates 'green jobs': 'We need more carbon based energy, that is the moral choice right now, not pouring money into boondoggles of solar and wind' | Climate Depot

Morano: 'Green jobs equals red ink...Ideologically, scientifically and environmentally, it does not make sense. Banning energy that works, ie. coal plants...while forcing wind mills and solar panels on us. We are subsiding energy that doesn't work and banning energy that does. This is immoral...These are make believe government jobs...If the future is green jobs, then the future is one of energy depravation, energy poverty and rolling blackouts and higher electric bills'

California Green Jobs “Bite the Green Dust” | CFACT SoCal

What lengths some will take to prove something not working will….no matter how much money or legislation you throw at it!

Global Warming film & a message from aliens? | ScottishSceptic

I’ve just come across the most unusual article ever mentioning global warming.

Could the Big Six end up facing billion-pound insulation fines? - 07 Sep 2011 - James' Blog: a blog from BusinessGreen.

Under the CERT scheme, energy giants could be fined 10 per cent of global turnover if they fail to meet energy saving targets

In Their Own Words: GOP Candidates And [Junk] Science : NPR

Jon Huntsman's recent tweet on science might not stand out in some crowds: "I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy," the former Utah governor wrote on Aug. 18. But among his fellow contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, Huntsman's declaration in support of both evolution and human-caused global warming made him an outlier. We compiled the Republican candidates' recent statements on climate change and evolution, and for comparison, included the consensus view among mainstream scientists and educators.

Twitter / @DeepakChopra: #CosmicConsciousness Melti ...

#CosmicConsciousness Melting of snow in the Tibetan plateau due to global warming will have gobal consequences--Dalai Lama in Montreal

24 hours of Gorepocrisy | Watts Up With That?

Just a note to let readers know that there’s a plan in the works for some fun on the 14th related to Al Gore’s 24 hours of Climate Reality aka Gorefest11.

Al Fin: If it is not Open Science, it is not Science at All!

University of East Anglia's Phil Jones: Why should I give you this data when all you want to do is find something wrong with it?

Of Footnotes & Factchecking (book update) « NoFrakkingConsensus

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an important and influential body. Even though it has been in existence for more than 20 years, my book will be the first to take a critical look at it.

The IPCC - Quotes About

I hate it when that happens: New film suggests that CO2 does something to the ozone hole(?), causing all of humanity to die at 4:44 am (Eastern Standard Time?)

'4:44' Film Billed as Wake-up Call to Humanity - ABC News

Abel Ferrara made his new film "4:44 Last Day on Earth" to serve as a wake-up call to humanity over impending ecological disasters.

The movie, by the director of 1992's "Bad Lieutenant," focuses largely on one couple — played by Willem Dafoe and Shanyn Leigh — passing their final hours on Earth as they Skype their goodbyes to loved ones from a New York City high-rise.

"The bottom line is this film is about man's destruction of the Earth," Ferrara told reporters Wednesday in Venice, where the film is being shown in hopes of snaring the top Golden Lion prize later this week.

"This isn't about a meteorite, this isn't ... some horror show. This is about humanity not coming to terms with its carbon footprint," the director said. "It's on us. It's our responsibility."

The time in the title is the exact hour before dawn when humanity ceases to exist. The exact calamity which befalls Earth's citizens isn't ever spelled out, although there is an "ozone-hole" theme.

Da Vinci sketch recreated on melting Arctic ice - big picture | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Leonardo da Vinci's famous Vitruvian Man has been recreated by an artist in the Arctic to highlight melting ice. John Quigley, who travelled on a Greenpeace icebreaker to create the copper artwork in the Fram Strait, between Greenland and Norwegian Svalbard, said: 'We created the Melting Vitruvian Man because climate change is literally eating into the body of our civilisation'. This September could mark the lowest sea ice minimum on record

Experts drill deep into Arctic ice for clues to climate change | Video | Reuters.com

I'm standing just 500 miles, that's 800 km from the North Pole and the ice that I am standing on might not be here within as little as 5 years

Emma Pullman | Open Letter to Oprah Winfrey on 'Ethical Oil' Ads

...You've also used your celebrity to raise awareness of environmental causes, notably the efforts to rebuild the Gulf.

That's why I'm so stumped right now by your choice to feature ads from EthicalOil.org on your television network.

I'm all about the work that you do, but the logic of promoting tar sands oil by appealing to our desire for women's liberation, our desire to help protect women in despotic regimes like Saudi Arabia, is deeply flawed and misguided.

[2006: Gore appears on Oprah show]

"Thank you for being our Noah," a sappy Oprah told him. Noah? Noah! LOL LOL LOL.

Gore of course was promoting his book and movie DVD An Inconvenient Truth, and encouraging Oprah viewers to host home parties ala Tupperware to view the DVD and discuss ways of living "green." Virtually everything was public enemy number one--including Christmas wrapping paper, cards, and even trees.

Warmist Suzanne Goldenberg takes fossil-fueled trip to Himalayas; immediately declares that CO2 is making the area too warm, and it's your fault

Himalayas expedition scales the remote mountains to Namche | Suzanne Goldenberg | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Two days into the trip and the great injustice of climate change is clear: countries least responsible for the problem will suffer most

Flashback: Suzanne Goldenberg meets the climate change sceptics | Environment | The Guardian

It would be easy to dismiss this gathering as a pity party for people on the fringes of modern thought.

Would you donate your Twitter or Facebook account to Al Gore? | Leo Hickman | Environment | guardian.co.uk

As I've written before – most notably about Foursquare – internet security is, at best, a fragile beast and the idea of asking people to donate their online accounts is not, in my view, a terribly sensible precedent to being setting.

But I feel Cluley's point about authenticity is even more valid. I follow people on Twitter to hear their real voice, not that of a spambot, no matter how good the intentions of the sender.

The New Nostradamus of the North: Finally proven: Humans behind decline of Greenland glacier

This human induced decline of the glaciers should be good news for the climate alarmists, too: The more you drink of this unique water, the less likely the catastrophic rise of sea levels becomes.

- Bishop Hill blog - Fiona Fox responds to Research Fortnight

Can she really not know that the PR campaign at UEA was run by the Open Organisation?

[Warmist] Survey: Tea Party [allegedly] Isolated on Climate, But Wide Accord on Most Energy Policies - NYTimes.com

In reviewing the study, I found myself mulling the Tea Party views above in the context of recent research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute concluding that when 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, that belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society.

Add in a big dose of talk radio and attack blogs, our habit of conducting politics from the fringes, and the Republican nomination process, then have a look around.

Check out the cherry-picked survey results for yourself here.

Global warming hoax researchers: Our guess at Arctic sea ice volume in 2010 was less than our guess at Arctic sea ice volume for other years

Arctic sea ice falls to record low [volume] - Telegraph

The minimum summertime volume of Arctic sea ice fell to a record low last year, researchers said in a study to be published shortly, suggesting that thinning of the ice had outweighed a recovery in area.
...
The authors developed a model predicting thickness across the Arctic Ocean based on actual observations of winds, air and ocean temperatures.
...
The approach has some detractors because it is focused is on modelling rather than direct observations of thickness, and therefore contains some uncertainty.

Stunning lack of common sense by 2009 Climate Change Hoax Communicator of the Year Bud Ward: He likes to think about the dangers of fossil fuel use while riding around on his "mighty" 22.5-horse fossil-fueled lawnmower tractor

On Mowing a Virginia Lawn … And Contemplating a Greenland Iceberg

[Warmist Bud Ward] I get some of my best ideas atop my lawnmower tractor. And, admittedly, also some of my real clunkers.

This time was perhaps no different, save for the extraordinarily beautiful mid-70s cloudless, sunny, and breezy day so unusual in summer in this tidewater section of Virginia. There’s something about just being as one atop the brute power of that 22.5-horsepower Craftsman.

It’s a lawn I’ve mowed many times, mind you, certainly hundreds.
...
Can’t wait until next time I get to mount that mighty Craftsman and see what ideas emerge.

22.5 HP Craftsman Lawn Tractor

This lawn tractor is a beast. 22.5 Kohler, six speed manual, high and low range. I have a 50 inch mower deck that mounts on it but have never tried it out. I bought this along with a 42 inch plow blade with the intention of using it to clear the driveway next winter...PLENTY of power and runs very well.

Bud Ward Named Climate Change Communicator of the Year - Media and Public Relations - George Mason University

FAIRFAX, Va.—George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication (4C) named environmental journalist Bud Ward the 2009 Climate Change Communicator of the Year.

Censorship At The New York Times | Real Science

I doubt that even Joe Romm would say anything that dishonest.

World environment programs in US budget crosshairs

WASHINGTON - What do flood prevention in Nepal, wildlife preservation in Namibia and reef fishing in Indonesia have to do with the US budget?

Global conservation programs like these have all gotten help from the US government, and they are probably prime targets of the budget-cutting congressional “super committee,” since they sit at the crossroads of two things Americans don’t like spending much money on: foreign aid and the environment.
...
Most Americans don’t know much about how US foreign aid dollars are spent, and don’t think highly of foreign aid in general, according to Karlyn Bowman, an expert on public opinion polling at the American Enterprise Institute.

“Not only would they rather spend the money here at home, but they also don’t think the money is spent well abroad.” Bowman said in a telephone interview. “They certainly want to be involved in humanitarian efforts ... but things beyond that aren’t a very high priority at this time.”

Comments On The New Paper “Separating Signal And Noise In Atmospheric Temperature Changes: The Importance Of Timescale” By Santer Et Al 2011 | Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr.

My Summary: If I were a referee of the Santer et al paper, I certainly would have recommended to the Editor that the Christy et al 2010 paper would have been included and used as part of their analysis. I would also suggested that their cavaets regarding their findings be elevated in visibility. However, unlike the claim made by Wolfgang Wagner and others (e.g. see), I would have recommended it be published.

Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog: The Iron Law in Action Down Under

The image above is a screen grab from the website of the Australian government promoting it's proposed carbon tax. ["How much will I get?"] It clearly shows that the government is promoting the carbon tax in terms of economics and wealth distribution. You could not find a better illustration of the iron law of climate policy.

Overheated Arctic update from Greenpeace's 163-foot diesel-powered steel luxury yacht: 500 miles from the North Pole, near the peak of the summer melt, they found ice up to 10 meters thick and water temperature below zero

Arctic ice breaks up as polar bears stalk ship

500 MILES FROM THE NORTH POLE - Stepping onto an Arctic ice floe on Monday, an unusually mild, easterly breeze blew at the end of the annual summer melt. The footprints of two polar bears from the night before were disintegrating in a dusting of snow.
...
The Greenpeace icebreaker Arctic Sunrise nearby shuddered occasionally, nudged by white slabs of ice the size of a small car park, which jostled among threads of open water.

The water temperature was below zero, the ship's log read, and the air was filled by the hum of its generators. The ship's mooring ropes were driven by two giant stakes into ice up to 10 metres thick.

This entire Arctic landscape is forecast to disappear within decades and replaced by open sea each summer, perhaps for the first time in 7,000 years or more. The dramatic retreat signals the scale of humankind's impact on the climate, experts say.
...
Environmental group Greenpeace wanted to draw attention to changes in the high Arctic, and ferried Cambridge University researchers from Svalbard to measure the thickness of the ice. Experts say it has been thinning for decades, possibly hastening an entirely ice-free summer as soon as 2020.

The sea ice area is easily read from satellites overhead. Measuring thickness is more difficult, and the most direct approach is to drill a hole and poke a tape measure down.
..
On this research trip, the most dramatic recording was simply our arrival time back in Svalbard, hastened many hours by a sea ice retreat of 8 miles in just three days.

Researchers who go to the Arctic rarely find themselves in the same place twice and it is a privilege to measure such a change so precisely.

"We were basically at the same point where we entered and left the ice, and you could see there was a difference," said Arne Sorensen, Arctic Sunrise ice.

Healing the planet: Greenpeace to spend five weeks ramming through "fragile/critical" Arctic ice with a 163-foot diesel-powered steel luxury yacht

Arctic Sunrise: Fuel Capacity: 508000 L.

Guinta places himself in category of ‘Climate Deniers’ | Conway Daily Sun

I attended a town hall meeting with Frank Guinta not long ago, and had the opportunity to ask his opinion on whether he felt that human activity was a significant factor in global climate change, and if so; what would he do about it.

Rep. Guinta stressed the fact that we are all stewards of the environment. Then; shockingly, as evidenced by the groans and murmurs of many other members of the audience, he stated that on global climate change, “the science isn’t there.”

By this statement, Rep. Guinta places himself in the category of people known as “Climate Deniers.”

Frank Guinta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Frank Guinta ... is the U.S. Representative for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Where are Portland’s climate refugees? | The Oregon Catalyst

Since the launch of the Climate Refugee Scenario in 2008, a new census has been taken by the U.S. Census Bureau for the year 2010. The notion of global warming itself dates back decades, being popularized as a governmental issue by Al Gore back in the 1990s when he was Vice President. One should think for the Climate Refugee Scenario to have significant veracity (at this time) the last two decades would show actual rates of population growth in the PMA and Metro area higher than those of Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida. Yet the actual population data for the last two decades of global warming show quite the opposite. Here are the actual average annual population growth rates by area and state for the ten years 2000 through 2010: Seven county PMA (1.45%), three county Metro area (1.29%), Oregon (1.14%), Texas (1.89%), Arizona (2.22%), Nevada (3.06%), and Florida (1.64%). Clearly, harsh climate in southern states doesn’t seem to be especially boosting Metro area population, and more likely other factors remain most prominent in explaining population growth differentials.

Kiribati president suggests ‘floating island’ contingency plan · TheJournal

THE PRESIDENT of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati is so worried about climate change wiping out his country that he’s considering ideas as strange as building a floating island.
...
Tong said he’d seen models for a $2 billion floating island, which he likened to a giant offshore oil platform. He said while it sounded “like something from science fiction,” every idea had to be considered given the dire situation facing Kiribati, a low-lying archipelago with a population of 103,000.

Why "Green Jobs" Don't Belong in Obama's Jobs Program - Forbes

Unfortunately, we may hear about “green jobs” in President Obama’s upcoming speech to Congress. The thesis is that by leading new markets in energy technologies, the U.S. can create good jobs. It sounds too good to be true, and it is. There are many ways to create jobs, and there are several options to support green energy, but the two worlds are entirely distinct. The push for jobs through energy policy risks making both the Administration’s employment and renewable energy policies look like failures.

More complete insanity from IPCC climate hoax chief Pachauri: CO2-induced sea level rises may lead to the extinction of 20-30% of plants and animals; this can be prevented by doing things like shutting off the lights when you leave a room

Rising sea level greatest climate change threat: Pachauri

Kathamandu, Sep 6 (IANS) The rise of the sea level would be the greatest threat to the world in the days to come unless efforts are made to contain and mitigate the consequences of climate changes, according to 2007 Nobel laureate Rajendra K Pachauri.
...
The fourth IPCC assessment report in 2007 predicted that the global average sea level would rise between 0.6 and 2 feet (0.18 to 0.59 meters) in the next century.

Calling it the direst "irreversible and abrupt change", Pachauri said it would lead to the extinction of 20 to 30 percent of plant and animal species.

Saying that he had been to Rameshwaram, the coastal strip in southern India, last week, Pachauri said he had seen signs of people leaving the area.
...
An immediate change in lifestyle was needed to tackle the climate changes, which didn't necessarily mean dire sacrifices.

Pachauri said it entailed simple things like switching off the lights in a room while going to another.

Chriss W. Street: Nature Journal of Science Discredits Man-made Global Warming | Climate Realists

Nature Journal of Science, ranked as the world’s most cited scientific periodical, has just published the definitive study on Global Warming that proves the dominant controller of temperatures in the Earth’s atmosphere is due to galactic cosmic rays and the sun, rather than by man. One of the report’s authors, Professor Jyrki Kauppinen, summed up his conclusions regarding the potential for man-made Global Warming: “I think it is such a blatant falsification.”

In the Land of Denial on Climate Change - NYTimes.com

Never mind that multiple investigations have found no evidence of scientific manipulation

Southern Hemisphere anticipates grape growth

The growth from Peru is due to new vineyards entering into production, while South Africa’s crop has benefited from improved climatic conditions.

Conversely, iQonsulting expects volume from Chile – the Southern Hemisphere’s largest table grape exporter – to contract by 3.3 per cent to 821,000 tonnes, as a result of snow and low temperatures in the northern Atacama region which damaged early varieties.

Martin Cohen: The Guardian's Climate Change Coverage And Its Commitment To Factual Reporting

And as I know from personal experience, and is reflected by this debate just, Guardian journalists rely on sources like Wikipedia and Greenpeace and are spectacularly casual about distinguishing bettween, well, fact and comment.

Overheated planet update, Minnesota edition: Last winter and spring so warm that only 64 percent of the pheasants died

Minnesota's pheasant numbers plummet - TwinCities.com

A key index used to track the population of ring-necked pheasants fell 64 percent from 2010, putting the index 71 percent below the 10-year average and marking the fourth year of decline in the past five years
...
Pheasants generally live two to three years, so their numbers can swing dramatically with short-term weather trends such as the past two severe winters. Last winter appears to have killed off more female birds than males, said Kurt Haroldson, a DNR wildlife biologist and author of the roadside survey report.

Unlike larger birds such as wild turkeys, pheasants have a tough time digging through deep snow to search for food.

In addition, pheasants don't do well with a cold, wet spring like the one experienced by much of the western part of the state, the heartland of Minnesota pheasant country. Nests flood, and hatchlings are vulnerable to hypothermia.

If NRDC isn't anti-business, why did one of their directors compare the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to Voldemort?

Obama pulls a Bush on clean air | Grist

The environmental groups had been invited to the White House for a 10:00 meeting whose agenda revealed nothing of the coming disaster. The last minute phone calls ensured that White House officials would not have to announce the bad news in person to an unsuspecting audience, just one that had been blindsided in transit to the meeting.
...
By 10:15 am, the evil wizards at the Chamber of Commerce and American Petroleum Institute probably had popped the corks already for Voldemort cocktails of champagne and unicorn's blood.
---
John Walke is a senior attorney and the Director of NRDC's Clean Air Program.

Frozen Global Warming Research | Watts Up With That?

it’s hard not to enjoy the spectacle of scientists who can’t do global warming research because the Northern Hemisphere is too cold.

Articles: Obama Green Jobs Con Job and the Ill Wind That Blows from Spain

He has always been a snake oil salesman; such people always tempt the needy with promises of great things to come. So we will once more hear him tout his policies as creating legions of new "green jobs" while making America the world leader in green energy. We have heard it before. He must either think we are stuck on stupid or he is the one stuck on stupid. This policy has clearly been one giant Green Jobs Con Job.

Those green jobs we have been promised have been a mirage. They are often temporary in nature and come at an extraordinary high price.

Deniers claim clouds white, reflect sunlight; Dessler says no | JunkScience Sidebar

Curiously though, Dessler states: “Over a century, however, clouds can indeed play an important role amplifying climate change“. Not too sure over his century-long time scales but his statement is pretty much an affirmation of Svensmark’s Cosmic Ray Theory where a more aggressive solar output is amplified by reduced cloudiness allowing yet more absorption of incident radiation and conversely reduced solar warming is exacerbated by increased cloudiness and reduced absorption of incident radiation. Specifically solar climate effect amplified by clouds, not climate effect initiated by clouds. So what’s his problem? Comments from Roger Pielke Sr. and Luboš Motl appended.

THE HOCKEY SCHTICK: Free online screening of new documentary 'The Changing Climate of Global Warming'

The producers of a new documentary 'The Changing Climate of Global Warming' have announced a free one-day-only full online screening on September 14th to coincide with Al Gore’s “Climate Reality” project.

Robert Redford: Is the Obama Administration Putting Corporate Profits Above Public Health? | ThinkProgress

One reason I supported President Obama is because he said we must protect clean air, water and lands. But what good is it to say the right thing unless you act on it?

Since early August, three administration decisions — on Arctic drilling, the Keystone XL pipeline and the ozone that causes smog — have all favored dirty industry over public health and a clean environment. Like so many others, I’m beginning to wonder just where the man stands.

I think we should expect that more-even most-papers from skeptics will be of poor quality : Climate hoax promoter William Connolley

Spencer and his ilk are afraid of peer review.

Flashback: William Connolley, now “climate topic banned” at Wikipedia | Watts Up With That?

In a vote of 7-0, The most prolific climate revisionist editor ever at Wikipedia, with over 5400 article revisions has been banned from making any edits about climate related articles for six months.

BBC News - Giant crabs make Antarctic leap

The researchers calculate that they have probably been there only for 30-40 years; before that, the water would have been too cold even at the bottom of the Palmer Deep.

Errors in IPCC climate science » Blog Archive » WA Premier still talking utter rubbish about rainfall

The Perth Arena which is under construction is afflicted by mould – which is causing those involved some angst and the WA Premier Colin Barnett opines that it is due to a wet winter. How does the media not call him out over such nonsense. A quick check of BoM data shows Perth has had a winter (Jun-Jul-Aug) with 448mm rain compared to a long term average of 479mm.
So it has NOT been a wet winter.

The climate just turned cold for non-physicists | NJ.com

Question: What could a climate scientist bring to the debate among physicists over the interaction of cosmic rays with the Earth’s atmosphere?

Answer: the coffee.

Remember all that climate hoax publicity around the Catlin Arctic trips? It was really about money and brand awareness

CAMPAIGN OF THE MONTH: Catlin Group embark on an Arctic adventure | b2bmarketing.net

Environmental sponsorship programme boosts brand awareness and broker relations for Lloyds of London insurer Catlin Group. Victoria Paley reports
...
This was the case for global insurance and reinsurance company Catlin Group who embarked on an impressive environmental sponsorship programme in order to increase its brand awareness among key stakeholders and its wider community. The sponsorship programme in the Arctic Ocean has so far spanned two years of activity and generated massive media coverage.
...
The organisation had a number of objectives from its environmental sponsorship programme. On a global scale, it wanted to increase brand awareness and develop a greater understanding of its capabilities. It also wanted to position itself as a thought leader in the insurance sector, specifically with regards to climate change and its associated risks. In addition, it hoped to strengthen and develop new relationships with brokers, clients and investors. Another key objective of the campaign was to help the organisation expand into new markets and generate new business.
...
The Arctic provided a dramatic, visual and easily understood theme, which was used to communicate powerful messages around sustainability

Really Fast, Really Soon | Real Science

Sea level will start rising really fast, really soon. Temperatures will start rising really fast, really soon. The Arctic will be ice free really soon. Greenland will melt really soon. Antarctica will melt really soon.

I have been hearing this same crap for most of my life. It is beyond pathetic.

David Suzuki: 24 Hours of Reality speaks up about climate change

We can’t argue with people who deny reality. All we can do is to make sure the voice of reason speaks louder and that those of us who care about humanity join together to find better ways to live on our Earth. Visit ClimateRealityProject.org to find out how you can tune in to 24 Hours of Reality. Choose the presentation and time zone you want, or take part in the entire event. You can even set up viewing parties with family, friends, neighbours, and colleagues. And spread the word. We need to speak up for the future of humanity.

C3: Spencer Cloud Research Uses IPCC Gold-Standard HadCRUT Data, But New Dessler Study Avoids Gold-Standard Benchmark

Objectively, if the Dessler rushed peer reviewed research is the best that mainstream climate scientists can deliver against the Spencer and Braswell study, then it's a case closed. Clouds do appear to be a negative feedback mechanism within the climate system as the Spencer 2011 work suggests.

Spencer & Braswell: Part III | Climate Etc.

Bottom line: S&B and LC papers do have flaws, as discussed on previous Climate Etc. threads. Dessler (2011) adds relatively little to this debate. None of these papers are particularly useful in evaluating the sign or magnitude of the cloud feedback.  [Wait a minute: The science isn't settled!?]

Pacific shows climate change a reality: UN chief - Environment - The Independent

He said Kiribati, where some villagers have been forced to relocate as the rising ocean encroaches on their land, dramatically illustrated climate change's impact on the planet.

"For those who believe climate change is about some distant future, I invite them to visit Kiribati or the Solomon Islands and most of the Pacific island countries," he said in a speech at Auckland University.
...
Ban said that in his role as UN leader he had seen the impact of climate change first-hand in areas of the globe ranging from Antarctica to the Amazon Basin and Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.

He said scientific evidence backed up his view.

"The science has made it plainly clear that climate change is happening now and, unfortunately, much, much faster than you may think," he said.

Save Habitats by Giving More Land to Solar Power: Robert Glennon - Businessweek

solar companies have so far found it difficult to find even the five or six square miles needed for a single plant

Green Energy : One Wind Farm Kills One Golden Eagle Every Three Days | Real Science

WWF wants to save the raptors from CO2, by making them go extinct.

NYT : “nearly all the world’s scientists regard global warming as a serious threat to the planet” | Real Science

The National Enquirer is a far more reliable source of information these days.

The American Spectator : Packing Heat

The theory that human activity is causing potentially catastrophic global warming is not science. It is politics, driven by special interests with ideological, political and economic stakes in the theory.

For environmentalists, global warming corresponds with the authoritarian goal at the core of their movement: repeal of the industrial revolution (which President Obama's EPA has begun to implement). For governments, it presents an opportunity to vastly expand their power and control through taxes, regulation and bureaucracy.

The theory also presents an opportunity for the United Nations to vastly expand its power and con

- Bishop Hill blog - Bradley on the Hockey Stick

I'm currently reading Raymond Bradley's new book Global Warming and Political Intimidation, which is very interesting. The sense I get from the book is of a minor civil servant trying to justify some almighty great shambles over which he has presided, which in a way is what the Hockey Stick story is about.

It's a very political work, with Bradley apparently seeing pretty much everything through a political lens: in several places in the book we are presented with stories of valiant Democrats defending honest scientists from wicked Republicans. We have, in essence, a minor civil servant who thinks he's living in a fairy tale and trying to justify himself to the world.

The New Nostradamus of the North: World leaders in New Zealand for climate talks (read: Rugby World Cup)

EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, who - like to other dignitaries - was welcomed by traditional songs and ukuleles, did not comment on the World Cup. But already before his arrival Barroso let it be known that his intention at the meeting is to announce even more "climate change" aid to the (not) "sinking" islands:

Hell and High Water Stoke Texas Blaze: “No One on the Face of This Earth has Ever Fought Fires in These Extreme Conditions” | ThinkProgress

The Texas Forest Service put out statement saying, “This is unprecedented fire behavior. No one on the face of this Earth has ever fought fires in these extreme conditions”….

Snow piles up in high country as cool temperatures hit Denver area - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_18837529

Snow is already beginning to take its seasonal toll on Colorado's high country, as the final five miles of road to the summit of Mount Evans in Clear Creek County closed this morning because of snow.

Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health

The indoor environment affects occupants' health and comfort. Poor environmental conditions and indoor contaminants are estimated to cost the U.S. economy tens of billions of dollars a year in exacerbation of illnesses like asthma, allergic symptoms, and subsequent lost productivity. Climate change has the potential to affect the indoor environment because conditions inside buildings are influenced by conditions outside them.

Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health addresses the impacts that climate change may have on the indoor environment and the resulting health effects. It finds that steps taken to mitigate climate change may cause or exacerbate harmful indoor environmental conditions.

Feds climate incentives costly, says internal report

the numbers in the report — Complete Analysis of Notable Climate Change Incentives in Canada, dated March 2 — estimates that several programs are costing hundreds of dollars for each tonne of pollution reduced. Two programs designed to encourage consumers to scrap old vehicles or buy fuel efficient cars are particularly costly, with cost estimates of about $92,000 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions reduced from the scrap program, and $18,990 per tonne for the ecoAUTO rebate — an incentive program that was subsequently cancelled.

Harry Reid: I’m ‘Not Confident’ Congress Can Extend the Production Tax Credit for Wind | ThinkProgress

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he’s “not confident” that Congress will be able to extend the production tax credit (PTC) for the wind industry this year.

NYT : 20 Million Green Energy Jobs By 2030! | Real Science

In the energy sector alone, the deployment of new technologies, like wind and solar power, has the potential to support 20 million jobs by 2030 and trillions of dollars in revenue, analysts estimate.

Quadrant Online - Caution: climate debt ahead!

Canberra’s Carbon Cargo Cult Club (CCCCC) hosted a rare event late last month. Federal Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet, lifted the lid just a little on how much international climate politics influenced the design of Australia’s “clean energy future”.

He accused Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of having a “racist climate change policy” in a speech at the National Press Club. Abbott’s warning that businesses forced to buy offshore carbon permits under the government’s emissions trading scheme could be exploited was, Combet said, “economic xenophobia”.

Green Hypocrites | Climate Nonconformist

A while back, Yarra City council tried to ban outdoor heating in restaurants, instead telling diners to bring a blanket. Now, these green hypocrites have failed to meet their own emissions targets, after installing a heating system to “improve the comfort of town hall staff“.

Bob Ostertag: Climate Catastrophe Forces Perry to Temporarily Suspend Denying Climate Catastrophe

Given that the global warming-caused wildfires are zero percent controlled and rapidly expanding, Perry said it was too early to say whether he would be able to attend Wednesday's GOP debate in California and continue his important work of denying the existence of global warming.

List of fires - [Remember the good old days, when horrendous fires allegedly never occurred because atmospheric CO2 was at "safe" levels?]

This is a list of historic disastrous fires.

Left-wing journalist Revkin sees lots of evidence that CO2 is a substantial climate driver, but not clouds

A Reality Check on Clouds and Climate - NYTimes.com

There’s a long history of assertions that clouds can be a substantial driver of climate change, distinct from their clear potential to amplify or blunt (depending on the type of cloud) a change set in motion by some other force. But there’s still scant evidence to back up such assertions.
...
As always happens after such episodes, the one clear finding is that clouds remain a complicating component in efforts to project warming from the building greenhouse effect.

Joni Mitchell’s classic, with a bit of mangling, sums things up well:

They’ve looked at clouds from all sides now, as feedback and forcing, and still somehow, it’s clouds’ illusions most often recalled. More work is needed to know clouds at all.

April 2011: Tom Nelson

YouTube - Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now (Live, 1970)

[I really don't know clouds at all]

Alaska – 100 Degrees In 1915 | Real Science

The official record high in Alaska of 100F, was set at Fort Yukon on June 27, 1915.
...
Fort Yukon is about 100 miles northeast of Fairbanks, where Seth Borenstein claimed a high of 97F as proof the world was heating out of control.

Mann hires attorneys to halt FOIA document production | Watts Up With That?

From the there’s “nothing to see here and my lawyer says so too” department, we have news that Dr. Michael Mann really doesn’t want those UVA emails to get sunlight.

- Bishop Hill blog - The blooming Heather

Heather Brooke is on form again, with a perceptive piece about civil servants' use of aggressive PR tactics to try to silence critics, with particular reference to UEA.

It seems there is another tactic gaining strength whereby PRs attempt to silence those uttering inconvenient truths 'Scientology-style' by hunting down criticism and aggressively seeking to have it withdrawn.

"And the Eureka Prize for climate propaganda goes to…" | Australian Climate Madness

More than anything, however, the award reflects extremely poorly on the Australian Museum, which awards the prizes, and, like so many formerly respectably scientific institutions, has been wholly compromised by a blind acceptance of climate hysteria.

We sure are having a bad week for the integrity of science…

Shock News : Insurers Using Climate Propaganda As An Excuse To Raise Premiums | Real Science

Home insurance costs to rise on weather worries

Anne Jolis: The Other Climate-Change Theory - WSJ.com

In April 1990, Al Gore published an open letter in the New York Times "To Skeptics on Global Warming" in which he compared them to medieval flat-Earthers. He soon became vice president and his conviction that climate change was dominated by man-made emissions went mainstream. Western governments embarked on a new era of anti-emission regulation and poured billions into research that might justify it. As far as the average Western politician was concerned, the debate was over.

But a few physicists weren't worrying about Al Gore in the 1990s. They were theorizing about another possible factor in climate change: charged subatomic particles from outer space, or "cosmic rays," whose atmospheric levels appear to rise and fall with the weakness or strength of solar winds that deflect them from the earth. These shifts might significantly impact the type and quantity of clouds covering the earth, providing a clue to one of the least-understood but most important questions about climate. Heavenly bodies might be driving long-term weather trends.

Centuries-old coral wiped out by record cold

the Florida waters were a full 14 degrees F (8 C) below normal.

“Some of the hardest hit corals were from the genus Montastraea — large, boulder-size corals. Many colonies were centuries old, and formed the hardy backbones of the reef ecosystem.

Breaking: We allegedly know the volume of Arctic sea ice, but we don't know its thickness

Arctic sea ice volume set record in 2010 | Alaska Dispatch

“Sea ice volume is an important climate indicator,” the group explains here.

Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis

just how thin is the remaining ice cover? Thin ice quickly melts away when it is surrounded by warm water.

Young Leaders’ Summit on Northern Climate Change | Students on Ice Blog

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
November 10-12, 2011
...
The Summit will build the capacity of our young leaders to speak on climate change at home, nationally and internationally. This is the second gathering of its kind , building on the success of the 2009 Summit where 60 young leaders met in Inuvik to share knowledge and stories of climate change in their regions and put forward ideas for promoting local and national climate change action.

Ecosystem Marketplace - Senior Program Officer - Forest Carbon, WWF

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the global conservation organization, seeks a Senior Program Officer to join its climate change team in order to lead its work in developing and advocating for strong policies and programs to reduce carbon emissions caused by tropical deforestation...[must] be able to travel nationally and internationally.

University Of Alabama at Huntsville MSU Analysis Of August 2011 Global Lower Tropospheric Temperatures | Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr.

Neither Christy nor Spencer receives any research support or funding from oil, coal or industrial companies or organizations, or from any private or special interest groups. All of their climate research funding comes from federal and state grants or contracts.

Beckhams a 'bad example' for families | Life and style | The Observer

With a fourth child, the couple have joined the ranks of the irresponsible, population experts say

Vice President Al Gore — Infoplease.com

The Gores have four children, Karenna Gore Schiff, Kristin, Sarah, and Al III.

Ted Turner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Turner also said in the interview that he advocated drastically cutting the U.S. military budget and Americans having no more than 2 children
...
He has five children

We Need To Do More When It Comes To Having Brief, Panicked Thoughts About Climate Change | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Suppose you've just sat down in a crisply air-conditioned movie theater. Why not take the length of a preview or two to consider the building's massive carbon footprint? Imagine those greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere, disrupting ecosystems and causing infectious diseases to spread rampantly, particularly in regions of the world where the poorest people live. Visualize massive storm systems cutting widespread swaths of destruction. Think of your children's children dying horrible, unnecessary deaths.

Dessler’s GRL paper video | Watts Up With That?

Perhaps fearing that his fast tracked no hurdles rebuttal to Spencer and Braswell wouldn’t be enough to have it the buzz of the blogosphere, highlighted in Real Climate, and blasted all over the web via compliant MSM via the press release, Dessler has made a video on the paper. Watch it below

World Climate Report » New Paper: Models Continue To Show Too Much Recent Warming

It turns out, that what the paper really says, is that the amount of global warming that should have occurred over the past 10-15 years (that is, if the climate models were getting things correct) is about 25% greater than the model-expected warming from the combination of increases in greenhouse gases and lower atmospheric pollution alone. Which means that the observed warming during this same time—which has been close to nil—is even harder to explain and makes the models look even worse.

But, of course, that is not at all how the results were spun to the press.

Wind Industry Lobbies for Tax-Credit Extension - NYTimes.com

Because tax credits reduce federal revenues, a sensitive topic in this political season, renewal of the production tax credit is far from certain

The Stone in Trenberth’s Shoe « Climate Audit

Like most of us, I’ve been a bit taken aback by the ritual seppuku of young academic Wolfgang Wagner, formerly editor of Remote Sensing, for the temerity of casting a shadow across the path of climate capo Kevin Trenberth. It appears that Wagner’s self-immolation has only partly appeased Trenberth, who, like an Oriental despot, remains unamused.

Hansen Says Clouds Are A “Substantial Forcing” | Real Science

Dessler should have read Hansen’s paper before rushing to press. So should JGR’s editor. He should do the honorable thing and resign like Wagner.
...
Every time I read one of these papers, it strikes me as a bunch of clueless children playing half-assed mathematics games, and trying to make it sound like they know what they are talking about. Their time would be better spent playing WOW or Battlefield 3.

Solyndra Collapse: The Fallout

In this post, I will address the political and policy fallout.

Greece announces huge solar energy plan - paid for by EU taxpayers

The time, when the German and other EU taxpayers will put a stop to the insane "renewable" energy/climate change policy both in Greece and elsewhere, cannot be too far away. Otherwise the entire European Union will go broke.

Eemian Greenland melting 55% warming, 45% solar and feedbacks – ice more stable now | Bits Of Science

Researchers of Utrecht University say the Greenland ice sheet may be more stable now than during the Eemian, the previous interglacial period, which lasted from 130,000-114,000 years BP.

Roger Helmer, MEP: Green Fuel Poverty - Has The Shilling Dropped?

It seems that David Cameron is listening, and is alarmed. And so he should be -- this could lose him the next election. But the question is -- why only now?

Olbermann Outraged at Obama’s Cave on EPA Regs - By Greg Pollowitz - Planet Gore - National Review Online

Hilarious. “The clean air president? Don’t hold your breath!”

Global warming 1980-2011 looks different « Reasonable Doubt on Climate Change

The other day I downloaded the latest Climate Research Unit temperature anomaly data (global mean) here. Looking at the data I noticed something strange. The anomalies are given to 3 decimal places. For instance, here is the data for 1850:

1850 -0.675 -0.359 -0.742 -0.572 -0.410 -0.316 -0.257 -0.336 -0.487 -0.459 -0.282 -0.327 -0.435

A quick aside: let’s ask ourselves a question. Do you think in 1850 that temperatures were measured to the accuracy given here? Do you really think that in 1850 the global mean temperature was known to a thousandths of a degree? Or that on a given day in some town in England they knew it was say 15.672 degrees C?

Such an accuracy seems unlikely to me. I would guess in 1850, or 1900 for that matter, giving temperatures to a tenth of a degree would be generous. Maybe a reader can convince me otherwise. Anyway why not round it to a tenth of a degree to better reflect reality? Sticking those extra digits in there seems unacceptable, scientifically.

CBS 7 - Your Eye on West Texas

Below normal temperatures are expected to remain in the forecast for the rest of the week. After record low morning temperatures, a warm up is expected this afternoon

Does this Fat Make Me Look Green?

UPDATE: An IER expert writes in to temper my enthusiasm. "Hey...1.25 million gallons is 1/36000th of our diesel consumption, so if we just find 35,999 other species to grind up into our tanks, we're home free."

Enough with the green jobs - Right Turn - The Washington Post

As the Weekly Standard noted, even liberal media publications have figured out that green-job talk is mostly hype. (“Last month, the New York Times ran a story announcing that the ‘Number of Green Jobs Fails to Live Up to Promises.’ ”) But conservatives knew it was cotton-candy policy — colorful but without substance.

Politicians are not particularly well-equipped to identify market trends or spot investment opportunities. They are, however, very adept at rewarding politically connected friends and using taxpayer money to in essence reimburse their donors (and then some) for the generosity shown in helping the pols get elected. You dress it all up with high-minded phrases (“a 21st-century economy,” “green jobs,” “private-public partnerships”), and it sells like hot cakes. I mean who wants a 19th-century economy? And goodness knows we don’t want dingy jobs, we want bright green ones (with that little recycling logo on every product).

The lies we tell about green energy - Opinion - ReviewJournal.com

Sadly, the liberal idea of green energy investments is little more than a political agenda to spend money with no accountability, proportion or clear purpose.

And that trick grows weary on an American public suffering mightily through the Obama economy.

Where the Jobs Aren’t - NYTimes.com

The gigantic public investments in green energy may be stimulating innovation and helping the environment. But they are not evidence that the government knows how to create private-sector jobs.

The Reference Frame: TRF prediction came true: John Cook won the Eureka Prize

I was almost sure that I would be right and he would be chosen as the winner because I know quite something about the corrupt atmosphere of the blinded and semi-educated individuals who have overtaken similar pop-science prizes.

Perry: His EPA would be pro-business - Houston Chronicle

"I'll tell you one thing: The EPA officials we have an opportunity to put in place, they're going to be pro-business, and there's not going to be any apologies to anybody about it," he said. "Those agencies won't know what hit 'em."

Carbon Tax going through next week. ALP set to be global patsies. « JoNova: Science, carbon, climate and tax

The timing could hardly be worse. We’re about to force our nation to spend far more on its energy than it has too, while our competitors are decidedly not doing that, and the world faces a economic meltdown of the “generational” type. We’re the last cab off the rank in a race to nowhere and most of the competitors have moved on to other events.

In a desperate bid to score a “bounce” in the dismal polls, Gillard is pushing through the carbon legislation next week.

RealClimate: Resignations, retractions and the process of science

I can only think of two climate science related papers that have been retracted in recent years

Study: Ethanol Killed 192,000 Poor People in 2010

A new peer-reviewed study in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons by Dr. Indur Goklany calculates that global ethanol production resulted in 192,000 excess deaths in developing countries in 2010. By diverting ever-greater quantities of food into the fuel supply, ethanol—a motor fuel distilled from corn, wheat, soy and palm oils—is making food more expensive, which starves poor people.

Flashback: Al Gore Saved The Ethanol

Vice-President Al Gore
Third Annual Farm Journal Conference, December 1, 1998
...
"I was also proud to stand up for the ethanol tax exemption when it was under attack in the Congress -- at one point, supplying a tie-breaking vote in the Senate to save it. The more we can make this home-grown fuel a successful, widely-used product, the better-off our farmers and our environment will be."

Flashback: Al Gore Mea Culpa: Support for Corn-Based Ethanol Was a Mistake

Now he tells us. Al Gore says his support for corn-based ethanol subsidies while serving as vice president was a mistake that had more to do with his desire to cultivate farm votes in the 2000 presidential election than with what was good for the environment.

UEA have lost touch with reality | ScottishSceptic

The UEA have lost touch with reality. The fact is that the UK information commissioner stated that the evidence showed there was a breach of freedom of information law but they could not be prosecuted because it was over the six month time limit. Then the University have the gall to say they didn’t break the law … because they couldn’t be prosecuted, much in the same way as they “lost” the data which they said supported their assertion of warming. Or that following the inquiries that found wrong doing they were exonerated.

And to attack the Guardian!! Talk of biting the hand that feeds you. The UEA have scraped the bottom of the barrel. They are denying reality and they are starting to attack their only remaining support.

Carbon Cap Revival Led by Gillard Called Stupid by Xstrata - Businessweek

The Australian proposals are “stupid,” Mick Davis, chief executive officer of Zug, Switzerland-based Xstrata Plc, the world’s biggest thermal-coal exporter, told analysts on an Aug. 2 conference call. The company, with 18,986 employees and contractors in Australasia, would probably lose sales to less- restrictive nations such as Indonesia, he said.

Dessler Explains That Clouds Caused “Significant Warming” | Real Science

If this paper was not peer-reviewed by skeptics, then the editor of JGR must step down

‘Hockey Stick’ Creator Michael Mann Seeks Court’s Help to Ensure No Inquiry, No ‘Exoneration’

Dr. Mann’s argument, distilled, is that the court must bend the rules to allow him to block implementation of a transparency law, so as to shield his sensibilities from offense once the taxpayer – on whose dime he subsists – sees the methods he employed to advance the global warming theory and related policies. ATI’s Environmental Law Center is not sympathetic.

“Dr. Mann’s late-hour tactics offer the spectacle of someone who relies on the media’s repeats of his untrue claims of having been ‘investigated’ and ‘exonerated’ – that is, when he’s not sputtering ad hominem and conspiracy theories to change the subject,” said Christopher Horner, director of litigation for ATI’s Environmental Law Center. “Mann has tried whatever means possible to ensure he remains free of any serious scrutiny, and this just appears to be his last gasp.”

Dr. Mann’s move is therefore gratifying, and ATI will agree to his out-of-state lawyers’ motion to appear. But ATI will ask the court to uphold Virginia’s abundantly clear law, that Dr. Mann has no interest in records that are purely the property of the taxpayer.

Voters See Sun As Global Warming Factor But Blame Humans More - Rasmussen Reports™

Al Gore may think it’s "BS", but most voters believe solar activity has an impact on global cooling and warming. A narrow plurality gives human activity the edge over sun activity, though, when it comes to which one has a bigger impact on the problem.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 60% of Likely U.S. Voters think it’s at least somewhat likely that the level of activity on the sun, including solar flares and sunspots, has an impact on the long-term heating and cooling of the earth’s atmosphere. Just 22% feel that it’s unlikely solar activity influences the atmosphere’s long-term temperature.
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Still, 44% of voters thinks human activity has a bigger impact on the long-term heating and cooling of the Earth’s atmosphere than solar activity does. Thirty-seven percent (37%) disagree and believe solar activity has a greater impact. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure.
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Most voters (59%) say global warming is at least a somewhat serious problem. However, voters over the past three years have been trending away from the belief that human activity is primarily the cause of global warming and have been more inclined to blame planetary trends instead.

Questions - Al Gore and Global Warming - September 1-2, 2011 - Rasmussen Reports™

National Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
Conducted September 2-3, 2011
By Rasmussen Reports
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4* Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of Al Gore?

5* Is Al Gore an expert on global warming?