1
POPSNo Sunspots in August Presage New Ice Age Man-made gases, one step up. Drop in solar activity, ten steps down. Gore and his cabal of politically motivated pseudo-scientists, complete idiots. The only responsible public policy is to devote our resources to adapt to climate change, not try to control it.
0
POPSClimate 2008
In the history of science there have been only a few issues which have mobilized the attention of scientists and policy-makers alike as the issue of climate change currently does. The release of the 4th Assessment produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the summer of 2007 has put the reality of human-induced global warming beyond any doubt. In addition, the high-level event on Climate Change held at the UN Headquarters, New York (24 September 2007), the thirteenth United Nations Climate Change Conference held on the island of Bali (Indonesia) on 3-14 December 2007 and the various strategies and actions plans which are being prepared and implemented all over the world, indicate that the emphasis to this topic will continue to dominate the scientific agenda for decades to come. Although the subject matter of climate change is regarded as a critical issue and sound scientific knowledge is needed in order to address the problem in a holistic way, there is a pa
6
POPS4 Senate Dems urge EPA chief to resign I've watched this foot-dragging, Bush's-ass-kissing hack testify on C-SPAN and he is one of the most frustratingly not-so-subtle stonewallers ever to grace a Congressional hearing.
4
POPSNow They Say Global Warming is Racist Ever pandering for the black vote, the loony liberals are now saying the fictitious global warming affects blacks more than non-hispanic whites. Never mind that negros are more adapted to hot climates than white. This is just another blatant grab for black and hispanic votes by the goofy democrats
3
POPSSpencer Before The Senate A few days ago, Dr. Roy Spencer gave testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer. To say his testimony wasn't at all what she wanted to hear, would be an understatement. Spencer doesn't descend to the level of many of his opponents and call Forster a 'denier' or a 'heretic'. Unlike them, apparently, he has some confidence in the soundness of the science backing his position. Obviously when that's the case, there's no real reason to resort to that sort of nonsense, is there? Or, shorter version, "you politicians need to sit back and relax until the science is is complete on this, but there are indications enough to doubt the initial take on all of this and policy shouldn't be implemented that may be both costly and unnecessary". Naturally Congress, which is up to its armpits in costly and unnecessary legislation is unlikely heed that warning unless enough of a ruckus is raised to make them.
13
POPSThere is no climate crisis: Hoax revealed
The IPCC’s 2007 climate summary overstated CO2’s impact on temperature by 500-2000%; CO2 enrichment will add little more than 1 °F (0.6 °C) to global mean surface temperature by 2100; Not one of the three key variables whose product is climate sensitivity can be measured directly; The IPCC’s values for these key variables are taken from only four published papers, not 2,500; The IPCC’s values for each of the three variables, and hence for climate sensitivity, are overstated; “Global warming” halted ten years ago, and surface temperature has been falling for seven years; Not one of the computer models relied upon by the IPCC predicted so long and rapid a cooling; The IPCC inserted a table into the scientists’ draft, overstating the effect of ice-melt by 1000%; Mars, Jupiter, Neptune’s largest moon, and Pluto warmed at the same time as Earth warmed; In the past 70 years the Sun was more active than at almost any other time in the past 11,400 years.
4
POPSMarkey (D-Mass) Global Warming Led To ‘Black Hawk Down’ Markey was speaking to 25 students from the World Wildlife Fund's Allianz Southeast Climate Witness Program. The students had come to the Capitol to brief members of Congress on the risks of global warming. The students were from the Gulf States. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House (Select) Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee, also equated the drive for global warming legislation with the drive for women’s suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. “Yes, that part of the world is subject to drought at times, but it has very little to do with global warming,” said Ebell. (Myron Ebell, director of Energy and Global Warming Policy at CEI) “It is subject to drought whether the global average temperature is going up, down, or staying the same. To say you know the conflict was caused by global warming is to show how really ignorant you are of the scientific issues involved.”
3
POPSThe long journey from denier to delayer I think your reaction depends on whether you are a "glass is 90 percent empty" or "glass is 10 percent full" type of person and whether you judge the president on the relative basis of his dismal, pathetic, unconscionable climate record (in which case what he agreed to at the G8 was a big deal) or on an absolute basis of what needs to be done to avoid catastrophic climate impacts for the next 10 billion people to walk the earth (in which case what the G8 did was give a placebo to a diabetic -- a sugar-coated placebo, that is). The Guardian online asked for my commentary, "Ignoring the climate change alarm." Here are some excerpts:
3
POPSThe Pickens Plan For Wind-Powered Energy
Joseph Romm raises interesting questions about what wind power should replace, as well as the efficiency of natural gas in transportation. So does FuturePundit. # I believe more domestic production of oil is a marginally useful thing, but a long-term solution probably requires (short term) diversified energy sources - more plausible as technological progress allows us to capture, e.g., wind and solar energy more efficiently and to increase battery storage capacity - and (long term) nuclear energy. # I believe the lack of fueling infrastructure is a significant barrier to using natural gas for transportation. # I believe the scientific evidence that anthropogenic climate change is occurring is solid. # I believe the cost of oil is significantly higher than the price of oil and the negative externalities of our oil-driven economy are a problem that needs to be resolved. # I believe regulatory solutions to environmental problems are likely to result in path
5
POPSCheney Censored Climate Testimony At issue was the EPA's denial of a waiver to California allowing them to set stricter emissions standards. In fact, EPA staff supported the waiver , but it was denied anyway. The Bush administration has had a long history of politicizing science -- which is basically denying facts... Which is basically lying.
1
POPSOn the very real possibility of transformational change The most provocative and optimistic article I've read in a long while - points to emergence as a reason to believe in the possibility of a genuine societal transformation. Clip doesn't do it justice - if you're interested in change, go read it. Probes world outcomes, in light of current crises, by thinking on how human systems transform: "Fundamental transformation is not only possible, it is the routine way natural systems evolve. Radical change is as common as grass in world history, because it is as common as grass in the life of all living systems. But here’s the critical point: What unlocks social transformation is a shift in values, because values are at the core of a self-organizing human system"
3
POPSStudy: End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' I love that last paragraph. "No empirical evidence?" Well, other than the study, anyway. This is the same flatearther mentality that brings you creationism and climate change denial -- dismiss any evidence that doesn't back up your prejudice, then claim the other side isn't being scientific enough.
18
POPSThe coming famine "In light of all these hurdles, as I see it, the challenge is to double world food output by 2050 using less land, far less water and fewer nutrients – all in the teeth of increasing rates of drought. And we need to do it sustainably." "I believe we are quite capable of solving these issues through good science and good policy. In the first instance, we need to massively increase global public investment in agricultural research and development. Then we need to make sure the fruits of that research reach farmers everywhere. I also think that commercial wild harvests, such as fishing and forestry, should be phased out in favour of sustainable farming that dovetails with the local environment."
4
POPS"Global disruption" better than "Global warming" John Holdren, professor of environmental policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the director of the Woods Hole Research Center and just completed a term as board chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
1
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update