To compensate for the suicidal carbon taxes on production, companies and workers will want the suicidal drugs of protectionism and subsidy. Read more here.
Who’s a Climate Scientist?
“PROMINENT scientists with long publications records, such as Bob Carter, are routinely described by the media as not being climate scientists and really not reputable scientists at all if they aren’t on the alarmist bandwagon. On the other hand, lawyers expressing alarmist views are described as prominent scientists.
“And the scientists regularly put forward in the media as the world’s leading climate experts often turn out to be computer modelers with little or no background in climate science…
Read more from Myron Ebell here.
And of course Graeme Pearman who many in Australia assume to be a climate scientist, actually trained as a biologist and has a PhD in carbon budgeting.
As an example of the bias, consider this interview by ABC Journalist Sabra Lane.
Data Purge at CRU
Canadian statistician Steve McIntyre is well known for his thorough auditing of climate models and the data used to construct these models. But a recent request for data by Mr McIntyre has so annoyed some at the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia that rather than provide the information, they have started withdrawing data that was previously publicly available. Read more here.
New Atlas of IPCC Rainfall Projections
RESEARCHERS from The Australian National University have created the world’s first comprehensive visual atlas of global rainfall projections over the next 100 years based on all of the models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its most recent report.
PhD researcher Wee Ho Lim and Dr Michael Roderick from ANU have created the Atlas of the Global Water Cycle, which contains some 300 pages of global maps and tables showing current and projected measures of rainfall, evaporation and runoff.
The atlas illustrate the projections of each of the 20 computer models used by different countries to forecast future water cycles – data drawn upon by the IPCC in its reporting on climate change, but not visualised in the same way and place until now.
“We know that as the world warms there is likely to be more rainfall on a global average basis,” Dr Roderick said. “But where is this increased rainfall going to occur, and which areas might get drier? These are simple questions to ask, but it is surprisingly hard for an individual to get an answer, whether they’re a farmer, civil engineer, teacher or interested citizen,” Dr Roderick said.
Read the rest of the media release here.
Cold Natural, Warm Not
The New York Times reports that the record cold of 2009 is due to natural variations and even warned skeptics of man-made global warming not to be “buoyed” by the brutal cold. Read more here.
Advice from a Sydney Detective on Theories
“YOU didn’t want to start to firm up ideas too early in an investigation, before you had enough facts. But you couldn’t help wondering how the pieces you had fitted together. It was a compulsion, even if at times it had to be resisted.”
This is not a quote from a scientist, but Sydney detective, Nicholas Troy. He’s a character in Michael Duffy’s first work of fiction, The Tower.
The Tower is in Australian bookshops from tomorrow.
Michael Duffy is of course a presenter of ‘Counterpoint’ one of the few programs on ABC Radio that provides an alternative perspective on a range of issues including climate change.
I wonder how much of Detective Troy’s character is a reflection of Mr Duffy’s own approach to life?
When it comes to not jumping to conclusions some of our scientists, especially our climate scientists, could probably learn a bit from both Troy and Duffy about the importance of resisting developing their own theory, or becoming too attached to a theory, too soon.
Reading a good book can be like taking a short vacation… In the case of The Tower it will be a journey to Sydney. Michael Duffy describes Sydney as a city of sharks – and he’s not referring to what’s in the harbour.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.