In a column this past week, George Monbiot pointed to a meticulously detailed take-down of the English Vicount Monckton's scattered attack on climate change science by an American professor specializing in heat transfer named John Abraham. Abraham went through a presentation by Monckton and surgically took it apart, point by point. It's a devastatingly convincingContinue reading “Scientist challenges denier: denier threatens suit”
Category Archives: climate
A heated rant against deniers: Tom Toles
The great Tom Toles, the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist, said to be the 48th most-powerful man in D.C. by one survey, has a nifty new website, complete with rants. Last Friday the heat got under his collar, and he turned on climate change deniers, who love warm winters, and see warm temps at that timeContinue reading “A heated rant against deniers: Tom Toles”
Vanishing weather, vanishing species
Fascinating quote from modern-day wit Douglas Coupland (inventor of the phrase "McJob"): "The modern world is devoted to vanishing species, vanishing weather and vanishing capacity for wonder." From his latest novel, The Gum Thief. I think this perception is true. But how does one make inquiry into such a trade? Have to admire the creatorContinue reading “Vanishing weather, vanishing species”
Global warming unpredictability: two stories
Global warming is not for the simple-minded, two stories from the same day last week remind us. As the invaluable Andrew Revkin notes on Dot Earth on 6/15, this past May was the warmest on record. On the same day, from a polar science conference in Oslo, researcher James Overland of NOAA presents evidence toContinue reading “Global warming unpredictability: two stories”
Toles puts the oil spill in a global context
Toles sees the big picture: Unfortunately, it's too true. As Andrew Revkin of the NY Times pointed out a while back, if we actually could see CO2 pollution — if it were, say, pinkish in hue — we might be motivated to act to control emissions and preserve our present-day climate. What our species can'tContinue reading “Toles puts the oil spill in a global context”
Once they denied relativity; now they deny climate change
The "crackpots," that is. That's according to physicist Joergen van Dongen, in a fascinating paper for the Institute for History and the Foundation of Science, published last fall, available through ScienceDirect. It's called "On Einstein's opponents, and other crackpots." The paper begins with a quote from Einstein that sounds almost as if he could beContinue reading “Once they denied relativity; now they deny climate change”
Satan or Industry: Which will destroy society?
A typically mordant perspective from Onion News Network: http://media.theonion.com/flash/video/onn_player.swfChristian Groups: Biblical Armageddon Must Be Taught Alongside Global Warming
Union of Concerned Scientists misses a climate beat
Rarely if ever in my life have I found fault with the Union of Concerned Scientists on any point, but in a story their site published today about climate change and the American Pika, I think they tell only half the story — the alarming half. In their words: Signs of spring are beginning toContinue reading “Union of Concerned Scientists misses a climate beat”
“Earth is Warming”: The National Academy of Sciences
From the introduction to three new studies released by the National Academy of Sciences: Earth is warming. Detailed observations of surface temperature assembled and analyzed by several different research groups show that the planet’s average surface temperature was 1.4 ºF (0.8 ºC) warmer during the first decade of the 21st century than during the firstContinue reading ““Earth is Warming”: The National Academy of Sciences”
Oil spill disaster will help energy bill in Senate — right?
Although it has yet to fully emerge into the light of day, chances of passage of a Senate bill on energy and cimate, authored by Democrats John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, with the assistance of lone Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and the White House, should in theory be improved. But as Tom TolesContinue reading “Oil spill disaster will help energy bill in Senate — right?”
Kit Stolz 