Email 3265, June 2003: Climate realist Chris de Freitas: "North American geologists repeatedly assert that the 19th century was the coldest century in North America since the LGM. To that extent, showing temperature increase since then is not unlike a mutual fund salesmen showing expected rate of return from a market bottom - not precisely false, but rather in the realm of sleight-of- hand"

Email 3265

I have spent a considerable amount of my time on this matter and had my integrity attacked in the process. I want to emphasize that the people leading this attack are hardly impartial observers. Mike himself refers to "politics" and political incitement involved. Both Hulme and Goodess are from the Climate Research Unit of UEA that is not particularly well known for impartial views on the climate change debate. The CRU has a large stake in climate change research funding as I understand it pays the salaries of most of its staff. I understand too the journalist David Appell was leaked information to fuel a public attack. I do not know the source... Mike Hulme quite clearly has an axe or two to grind, and, it seems, a political agenda. But attacks on me of this sort challenge my professional integrity, not only as a CR editor, but also as an academic and scientist. Mike Hulme should know that I have never accepted any research money for climate change research, none from any "side" or lobby or interest group or government or industry. So I have no pipers to pay. ...The concept of "Little Ice Age" is certainly used practically by all Holocene paleo- climatologists, who work on oblivious to Mann's "disproof" of its existence. Paleoclimatologists tell me that, for debating purposes, they are more inclined to draw attention to the Holocene Optimum (about 6000 BP) as an undisputed example of climate about 1-2 deg C warmer than at present, and to ponder the entry and exit from the Younger Dryas as an example of abrupt climate change, than to get too excited about the Medieval Warm Period, which seems a very attenuated version. However, the Little Ice Age seems valid enough as a paleoclimatic concept. North American geologists repeatedly assert that the 19th century was the coldest century in North America since the LGM. To that extent, showing temperature increase since then is not unlike a mutual fund salesmen showing expected rate of return from a market bottom - not precisely false, but rather in the realm of sleight-of- hand. Regards Chris