At Australian Catholic University, lecturer challenges Cardinal Pell’s views on climate change

Speaking at Australian Catholic University in Sydney, a Melbourne ethics professor recently challenged Sydney Cardinal George Pell’s views on climate change.

“Cardinal George Pell has become a prominent climate science denier,” said Clive Hamilton. “Last year, in a widely disseminated speech in London, Cardinal Pell reproduced a farrago of false claims about climate science, claims that he had transcribed from denialist websites or simply plucked out of the air. Anyone who studies the arguments of deniers soon discovers that, although the terrain of the debate appears to be science, in truth it is about deep cultural and political beliefs, and Cardinal Pell is no exception.”

“Despite his expressions of disdain for ‘post-modernism,’ Cardinal Pell weaves a story about the social construction of science that would be worthy of any cultural studies academic,” Hamilton added. “To explain away the consensus of opinion among qualified climate scientists he resorts to conspiracy theories.”

THE HOCKEY SCHTICK: Climate scientist Dr. Murry Salby explains why man-made CO2 does not control climate

In a highly recommended lecture, Dr. Murry Salby, professor and Climate Chair at Macquarie University, Australia, debunks the popular myth that man-made CO2 controls global temperature. Dr. Murry proves from observations the opposite is true: natural changes in global temperature instead control CO2 levels and that man-made emissions do not control either atmospheric CO2 or the climate. Dr. Salby also debunks the notion that changes in greenhouse gases control ocean temperatures, showing that the huge heat capacity of the ocean means that a tiny ocean cooling of < 0.0005C could cause all atmospheric warming of < 1C observed since pre-industrial times. Dr. Salby shows why nature, not man, is the cause of the increase in CO2 by demonstrating that only the integral of temperature changes explains the changes in atmospheric CO2, not a slow steady rise in man-made emissions.

THE HOCKEY SCHTICK: New paper finds clouds over the Pacific have a strong negative-feedback cooling effect

A new paper published in Geophysical Research Letters finds from satellite observations that "Clouds over the Pacific warm pool have a longwave cooling effect for increases in sea surface temperatures." Thus, clouds changes act as a negative feedback to sea surface warming. Climate models, however, erroneously assume clouds and water vapor act as positive feedbacks. The authors find a "strong" increase in outgoing longwave radiation [OLR] to space of 15.72 W/m2 for each 1C change in sea surface temperature. By way of comparison, the IPCC alleges a doubling of CO2 will decrease or "trap" OLR by 3.7 W/m2, a factor of 4 less. According to the authors, "This atmospheric cooling effect is found to be primarily associated with reduced areal coverage of clouds (a 14.4% decrease in cloud cover per 1C change in sea surface temperature).

WaPo Weather Reporters Can’t Possibly Be As Stupid As They Pretend To Be | Real Science

During the summer of 1886, the US was hit by seven hurricanes, including two major hurricanes. By contrast, during the summer of 2102 the US was hit by (possibly) one minimal hurricane. It has been seven years since a major hurricane hit the US.

The only reason they think they are finding a lot of hurricanes in 2012 is because they have vastly more sophisticated equipment for detecting hurricanes in the mid-Atlantic, and because they have greatly relaxed the standards for calling something a hurricane.

The map below shows the 2012 “hurricanes” – the vast majority of which were in locations where they would not have been detected in 1886. Comparing the current season to 1886 is an ugly historical abomination.