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Comments 52501 to 52550:

  1. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    John B at #36 said "what I do as an individual has very little effect" So adding the energy equivalent of a Hiroshima bomb to the atmosphere is what you would quantify as "very little"?? (See my post above at #11.) Note that I have not said that no one arguing against emissions should fly. I agree with doug b when he says that some flights to, for example scientific meetings may be worth the added CO2, and certainly flights to do actual studies in, for example, Antarctica may be crucial. But I also agree when he says we should always look for opportunities to do things in other ways. As ranyl points out, there are lots of more energy efficient ways to communicate information across distances than ferrying our bulky bodies in metal birds. Words and images travel much more lightly on the internet or telephone wires. And no, larry, this is not sending us back to the dark ages (which weren't quite as dark as advertised anyway '-). It gets tiresome to have to counter "we might as well live in caves" cliches after every suggestion to modify our behavior so as to be even marginally less ecocidal. We have at this point locked our kids (and pretty much every other living thing) in a flammable, gasoline-soaked house with now windows, doors or other means of escape. The flame has been lit and horrible death and suffering is inescapable for most of them. Is it so much to ask that we each try to think of ways to dump a little less additional gas to the fire tomorrow than we did yesterday? Do we all really hate the future that much?
  2. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    I never see attempts to lower carbon emissions as an individual responsibility. Because what I may do as an individual has very little effect. Any realistic attempt to lower carbon emissions must be collective. And a price on emissions is probably the simplest and most effective collective method to achieve this. It will make flying more expensive, and that means people will do a different cost-benefit analysis before they fly. So some trips that would have been made, will not be made. And some aeroplane modifications that were not cost effective, will become cost effective. Saying that those arguing against emissions should not fly is self defeating. The CEI and Heartland won't feel constrained and will have their conferences and publicity, and get their message out more effectively.
  3. Doug Hutcheson at 18:09 PM on 25 October 2012
    Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    If only the dimming totally compensated for the GHG forcing, then we would only have to deal with less glamorous problems, such as Ocean Acidification and the survival of polar bears. I can just imagine the denialisti crowing about our miraculous self-balancing atmosphere ...
  4. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    A very well written post. I'm thinking that a good deal more time is needed before any trend can be declared, but its great to see this study.
  5. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    Eric (skeptic) - an emerging area of research is that the dimming effect can saturate in highly polluted regions - such as over much of China and India. In heavily polluted areas, once a certain threshold is exceeded, the high concentration of dark-coloured aerosols (such as black carbon) begins to dominate the reflective particles. This darkening absorbs more solar radiation, heats up and evaporates the cloud layers, and therefore reduces cloud lifetime. So one would observe a brightening, or little change, over such regions when concentrations of aerosols increase, and large changes in areas where the atmosphere is far less polluted - such as the Southern Hemisphere. It's a very new area of research, so we'll have to wait and see how it develops. What I'm suggesting is that the dimming of the pristine Southern Hemisphere atmosphere might seem counter-intuitive, but there may be a logical reason for this. Especially if the transfer of the main pollution source to China enables aerosols to reach the Southern Hemisphere via the large-scale atmospheric circulation. Remember the discussion in this SkS article for example?: Why Wasn't The Hottest Decade Hotter?"
  6. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    Martin - global dimming over the period examined was almost entirely due to aerosol and cloud increases in the Southern Hemisphere. See the text in the boxed areas of Figure 1. This paper does not look at what may have caused the dimming.
  7. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    Doesn't anyone else find this at least a little scary? Looking forward to part 2
  8. Eric (skeptic) at 10:16 AM on 25 October 2012
    Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    Is there an explanation for more dimming in the SH? The paper implies it's due to clouds. Wouldn't there be more ocean thermal inertia in the SH to delay the temperature response?
  9. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Maybe I didn't explain it enough. I don't have much vocabulary. Moving this to a personal issue is one of their tactics, similar to attacking M. Mann personally, his character, etc, instead of his message. Talking about indivisual's action, what s/he can do or should do, and demand unrealistic, unfair conditions so that the discussions move to uncomfortable, impossible indivisual issues rather than the real ones. It easily becomes one of religious arguments "Who is more pious?". If you're less pious your view don't count. If you don't do enough to reduce carbon foolprint your opinion don't count becasue you must not be serious enough. How can I trust you. Another tactics is to move it to economic ones. They demands the whole total soutions now today otherwise it is not wise to do so or to make things too impossible to do so, or talking about the solutions perpetually with no end in sight. Moving this to impossiblity is one of ways to avoid to talk about it. They'd do anything to avoid to talk about it. Then wait 6 months to bring out the same old arguments again and again. You've got to keep your eye on the basic issues for now. That's my simplton's view.
  10. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    The goal is *not* to curtail air travel and go back to the dark ages. That is what opponents of action on climate change would have us believe, because obviously that is not desirable and would increase opposition to climate action. Rather, the goal is to use our great big brains to make air travel smarter, by making it more efficient and powering it with sustainable, renewable fuels. Boeing's Dreamliner is 20% more fuel efficient than a conventional jet because it is mostly made of carbon fiber rather than aluminum (a general principle for cars, trucks, and aircraft called " lightweighting"). Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic, not to mention the U.S. Military, are committed to developing sustainable fuels for aircraft. Branson announced a low-carbon biofuel made from carbon monoxide (CO) waste from industrial processes, which would normally be flared (i.e., burned to make CO2), and he is also investigating various renewable jet fuels. The U.S. Military has shown that a 50/50 biofuel blend works well in F-22 fighter jets, and a similar fuel has even fueled a giant C-130 transport plane. Fortunately, the U.S. Military sees global warming for the real threat that it is, as they will ultimately be called upon to deal with the National Security aspects of it, such as the social unrest from hundreds of millions of climate refugees fleeing low-lying areas as sea level rises and from encroaching deserts that can no longer sustain humans. The Bottom Line: Al Gore or Bill McKibben's flying is a red herring ("look, squirrel!"), as the real goal is not to eliminate air travel but rather to do it sustainably.
  11. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    "If you are taking airplanes because it is the most effective way to spread vital messages about the need to combat global warming, I think that is perhaps one of the few legitimate uses of that mode of transport. So again, I see most critiques of Gore and others on that point disingenuous, at best. " I don't feel there is any justification warrants hoping on a plane in the current circumstances with the global communication networks and if climate change communicators say no that message would echo much louder than any lecture series given. "We have to organize a global "boycott" of fossil fuels, and that will take a lot of individual as well as social action (and organized non-action)." Agree with you here, and for me the easiest place to start is at home in any way that I can but it is a peicemeal process, such as not flying (easily done), giving up the car (not so easily done, but reducing use is easily done), turning down the thermastat a couple of degree in winter and wearing long-johns (easily done), not showering everyday (easily done), not eating so much meat (easily done), not buying high embodied enrgy items and stuff just for stuff sake (easily done), growing own veg (maybe possible), turning of lights (easily done), using a bike and walking (easily done and health improving), renovating home if have funds (doable and fascinating if you get into it), buying electricity from renewable sources (doable but needs more community thinking to realise equitabel distribution), using as little power as possible (easily doable), and so on, all adds up and let sothers see how easy it can be...but there is a limit to these actiosn where community help is required such as non fossil fuel public transportation etc.... Therefore maybe all climate change communicators should be walking the walk as hard as they can, being examples of the possibility and helping others in everyway possible to do the same? Communities also have to come together to adapt to the inevitable changes coming in terms of flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, preparing for migrations without nationalistic overtones and predjudices, etc, etc,... 350ppm is a long long long long way away, it will be a miracle if humankind can acheive this, but it does seem a goal worth going for, for anything else just seems beyond adaptation even. The addiction it seems to me is not to fossil fuesl but to to the power they produce, and this is a huge amount, equivalent to ~all the wind power in the atmosphere. Powering down is cheap easy and effective and is also a creative and fulfilling process I find. Lets take this seriously, climate changes are occurring at a scarey pace, we already have a massive carbon debt, do we really have the slack to spend billions of tonnes of additonal carbon and incur the additional envrionmental impacts of replacing the car fleet with electric counterparts say, when most travel could be done with public transport and there are vital amenities like hopsitals and flood defences that are likely to need all the carbon emissions we are prepared to risk in the transformation to a truly sustainable and safe..ish future. 350ppm by 2100 means 400ppm peak and before 2020! And thats not counting the permafrost!
  12. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Air travel is about 5% of CO2 emissions if I remember right, so not insignificant. Air travel can be differentiated. Air travel to scientific meetings is quite likely productive and useful, though every meeting should be scrutinized for utility and impossibility of some other better substitute. There's nascent organizational movement in the direction of not mindlessly jetting around the planet (praise be to the TSA for negative reinforcement). Air travel to Costa Rica for an "eco adventure" seems pretty twisted; please at least don't call it "eco travel." Waltzing around Antarctica as a tourist also is a pretty strikingly ironic posture to adopt.
  13. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Thanks Chris G for checking on that part of the calculation. Can anyone recheck the rest of the calculation. If you are taking airplanes because it is the most effective way to spread vital messages about the need to combat global warming, I think that is perhaps one of the few legitimate uses of that mode of transport. So again, I see most critiques of Gore and others on that point disingenuous, at best. But saying "air travel is such a small contributor to global warming" and so is not something anyone need worry about is similarly misleading. If I cut used tires into little triangles and burn them by by the bushel in my backyard, it won't wash for me to say, "Oh, but triangular-used-tire-bit incineration is just a small part of pollution in my area." I is the portion of ones own contribution that should be looked at, and the fact of the matter is that there are few legal activities you can participate in that put more CO2 into the air in such a short time than riding in a big metal bird for the minutes it takes to go from ground level to five or six miles high, and from zero mph to about 600 mph. And of course it is a societal problem. But individuals are part of society. It's as if some here are saying that no-one should have participated in the bus boycotts of the south since segregation was a social problem. We have to organize a global "boycott" of fossil fuels, and that will take a lot of individual as well as social action (and organized non-action).
  14. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    Perhaps relevant is Norris 1999, On Trends and Possible Artifacts in Global Ocean Cloud Cover between 1952 and 1995: "Trends in zonal mean total and low cloud cover in 10°-latitude bands between 40°S and 60°N are all positive, and trends in the Southern Hemisphere and Tropics are generally as large or larger than trends in the midlatitude Northern Hemisphere. This argues against attribution of increased cloud cover to increased anthropogenic aerosol." These are ship-based observations - Norris notes that crosschecking with satellite based data will be part of validating these observations.
  15. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    If the southern hemisphere is experiencing increased dimming, does that mean that aerosols have increased there also? If so, what is the source for the increase of aerosols in the southern hemisphere?
  16. What Role Did the Arctic Storm Play in the Record Sea Ice Minimum?
    "...(assuming that someone is still paying attention)." I am! I am, Alby! Then again, I'm a complete sucker for a well-spoken scientist....grrrrrrr...;) I've come to the realization, esp. after watching Frontline a few nights ago, that the *only* thing we can do, as those who follow, interpret, and understand the data, is to keep on refuting it, time and time and time, after immeasureable TIME again. Dale can continue to try, but, IMHO, to those who lurk or those whoa re jsut quiet (real) skeptics, the constant and calm debunking of the Dales of the world is what will win the day. I hope....
  17. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    mwsmith12 @2, Model runs made without GHGs suggest that global temperatures should have decreased if only natural variability is taken into account (see image below). This is even more so for the naughts given the prolonged solar minimum and the increased aerosol loading. Yet, because of the positive radiative imbalance/forcing from anthropogenic greenhouses gases, temperatures and energy in the climate system have continued to increase. [Source]
  18. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    mwsmith12 - Global surface temperatures in the noughties warmed, albeit slightly, that's why that sentence is constructed so. There is no expectation that it should have cooled given that the oceans, the repository of over 90% of global warming, have indeed warmed substantially through the noughties - save for a period 2004-2008. In other words; part of the trend in global surface temperatures is due to the burial of heat in the subsurface ocean during the La Nina-dominant period in the latter part of that decade, and the hiatus in ocean warming between 2004-2008. This will become apparent in later posts.
  19. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    Mike Roddy - the indirect effect of aerosols, i.e. their capacity to modify cloud characteristics, is far greater than their direct effect - the absorbing or scattering of sunlight, by the presence of aerosols themselves. This has been borne out by aircraft-based observations over the last few decades. The fact that aerosols did in fact increase over this period, suggests they played a part in this dimming trend. How much we don't yet know. Lindzen? - does his hypothesis predict dimming, brightening, dimming? Note also the solar trend during this period. Aside from the energetics problem, the solar trend make his idea untenable. Changes in human-made aerosol composition, and emission, at least match the dimming/brightening observations. I'll discuss more of this in upcoming posts, this post is focused on the results of the Hatzianastassiou paper.
  20. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    "a slower rate of warming of the surface ocean and global surface temperatures should have occurred in the noughties." That's what actually happened in the noughties, yes? But how do you know a slower rate of warming should have occurred, and not cooling?
  21. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Since air travel is such a small contributor to global CO2 emissions when compared with electrical generation, ground transportation, industry and agriculture that it seems to be a bit silly to require that all climate activists stop traveling by air. What about ocean transportation? Consider all that bunker fuel burned to deliver coal and oil around the world. When James Hansen shows up at a coal power plant in Great Britain do you suppose he did not get there by air? Bill Mckibben is one of the most energetic activists in the US and he is currently on a big campaign that will take him to most of our major cities and college campuses. He freely admits that to do his work he must travel by air. I wonder why Gore gets all the criticism for air travel? Could it be due to the success of the politically motivated anti-science organizations mentioned in the Frontline piece like the Heartland Institute? Gore is a name that seems to easily get Jasper and Eustis off the tractor and into the streets to protest. But the climate activists use this technique too. Mckibben likes to use Exxon to enflame the public. But the politics is not about party affiliation it is strictly about government action on climate change. Look how quickly the money and power moved against Bob Inglis in the 2010 midterm election. All he said was, “climate change is real.” That was enough for the Republican power brokers. He had been a respectable Republican for many years but that didn’t matter after those fatal words. Anyone who thinks bipartisan effort is possible with this issue is mistaken. Anyone who thinks that just because some majority of folks in the US thinks climate change is real, means that political action is possible is mistaken. The fossil fuel funded conservative influence to control thought and opinion is powerful. It is so transparent that it is laughable yet it is so tragically effective. I thought Frontline did a good job of laying out the history of the politically motivated opposition to any government action to reduce CO2 emissions in the US. They covered pretty much all the important events that have led up to the current situation. I was troubled a bit by the climate scientist who admitted that the opposition to any realistic solution was overwhelming and he just wanted to be able to say he had done his best to warn the public. I wonder if that will help when he talks to his grandkids about their future. I get that sick feeling in my stomach when I think about my grandkids. We all know this will not be easy. We have to change everything: power generation, all forms of transportation, agriculture and industry. It is nothing like CFC’s. We had an easy substitute for that, it is having unintended consequences, but the ozone holes are slowly getting smaller so far. It is nothing like acid rain. AGW is a gargantuan problem and we sure don’t need anti-science politically motivated supporters of the fossil fuel industry confusing things. It is hard enough. Even African nations that have suffered tragic droughts from climate change cannot stop themselves from developing oil resources once they are discovered. If our problems were just confined to disruptions to the carbon cycle and an overheating planet that would definitely be enough but they are not. We are not even that lucky. I won’t list all the others here but we humans have really built a lot of booby traps into our marvelous civilization.
  22. Global Dimming in the Hottest Decade
    If the effect of cloud dimming is now considered by the authors to be far greater than that of aerosols, does this mean that Cox's work is less important than we thought? How do Lindzen's theories fit into this paper? Since overall warming will result in more water vapor and dimming, will the .52 w/sqm negative feedback cited during the 2000's increase in the future, offsetting a substantial portion of forcing from emissions?
  23. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Energy Imbalance http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/energy-budget.html 510,000,000 square km = 510,000,000,000,000 square meters 0.58 W/m^2 = 0.58 J/m^2/s 295,000,000,000,000 J/s = 2.95 x 10^14J/s Little Boy ~= 6.3 × 10^13 joules 4.6 bombs/s ? Yeah, about 400,000 bombs/day
  24. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Glenn, on the IQ test: I have to disagree that it is a good idea, or would even achieve the objective. Plenty of the deniers are actually highly intelligent (clearly more than 1 std dev above the mean); but, they refuse to accept information contrary to what they want to believe. Singer, Lindzen, Curry, etc. are all highly intelligent; that does not imply they are right. Who knows, maybe even "legitimate rape" Akin would pass that test. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to be a good leader. You do have to be able to know your own limitations, and be able to choose who to believe rationally, without predisposition to those who tell you want you want to hear. Maybe that is the rub of what I'm trying to say; high intelligence and rational behavior do not always correlate. In any event, it is a mistake to assume that those with whom you disagree are stupid, or that smart people always come to the same conclusion. I was pleased to see the escalator; I'm not sure that credit was given where it was due. But, that is small potatoes relative to making the point that it makes.
  25. Rose and Curry Double Down on Global Warming Denial
    Just so I didn't completely waste my time, I am reposting a comment I made to the online version of this Mail story which they have not posted. I think analogies such as these are useful because the general public are too easy too fool with the disinformation that Rose keeps churning out. The video mentioned is that: "Nasa video shows Earth's changing temperature from 1880 to present" which to us appears so clear... _________________________________________ "The video shows the true situation better than any words. It blindingly obviously shows that although global surface temperatures vary a lot year to year and country to country, over decades, the overall warming trend is clearly visible, most dramatically in the Arctic region. It clearly shows the big problem with David Rose's cherry picked start dates that badly misrepresent the true situation. Imagine, Mr Rose, you are on a beach at a place with a high tidal range. As the waves break 40 feet up and down the beach over one minute you are constantly pointing out when the water goes down the beach and biasing your trend lines to claim that the tide is going out - meanwhile the tide is actually slowly coming up at half an inch a minute. You are suggesting there is no danger but if you stay where you are on the beach, you will drown - and everybody else too. Natural climate variation is big like waves but CYCLIC. Global warming is small, like the tides but cumulatively more dangerous"
  26. Rose and Curry Double Down on Global Warming Denial
    Tristan @33, Here are the full set of statistics for the period 1995 through 2012 for HadCRUT4: Trend: 0.097 ±0.113 °C/decade (2σ) β=0.0097464 σw=0.0016980 ν=11.093 σc=σw√ν=0.0056555 What is interesting is the trend for the UAH satellite data run by "skeptics" Drs. Roy Spencer and John Christy, their data show the strongest warming of all the products for 1995-2012: Trend: 0.121 ±0.191 °C/decade (2σ) β=0.012135 σw=0.0023288 ν=16.855 σc=σw√ν=0.0095612 One has to wonder why the "skeptics" are using the surface temperature data from a group that they continuously accuse of "fudging" the data, when they can use a "superior" (as claimed by "skeptics") product generated by "skeptics"? Well, the answer to that is very easy..... ;)
  27. Philippe Chantreau at 02:10 AM on 25 October 2012
    Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    "flying is one of the most intensive fossil carbon emitting activities" That's another "look, squirrel!" argument. Coal burning electricity generation is the biggest problem and will remain thus until industrial scale coal burning is eradicated. That may not happen until it runs out, in which case we are in a heap of trouble. If ground transportation and electricity generation can be freed from fossil fuels, we have a chance to avert drastic changes, regardless of what is done with air transportation.
  28. Rose and Curry Double Down on Global Warming Denial
    Skepticalscience trend calculator has zero within the confidence interval from 1995 using HadCRUT4. Tamino suggested a while ago that given the noise and the trend, 17 years is around the threshold at which we should always (95%) see a significant positive trend in the surface data. Combined, it suggests that the past 17 years has been unusually noisy.
  29. What Role Did the Arctic Storm Play in the Record Sea Ice Minimum?
    Just to set the record straight on some of Dale's misconceptions (assuming that someone is still paying attention). 1) Dale @33 claimed that, "But what we're talking about in this article is attribution, ie: how much ice melt did the storm or underlying conditions cause? He seems to have misunderstood the intent of the post, or is trying to reframe the argument to fit his narrative. Either way, the above statement misses the point of the post. 2) Dale @44 claimed that, "....and no conclusion of increasing frequency or intensity of storms over time can be made." That is not correct and misrepresents the content of the post, I suggest Dale reads it again . Some studies have found evidence of increasing frequency and/or intensity of Arctic Basin storms (e.g., Hakkinen et al. 2008) over a 50-yre period. In contrast, Screen et al. (2011) found no evidence for an increase in frequency of Arctic storms over the satellite era, but they did find evidence of an increase in the intensity of storms. Again, this is all stated in the main post. Long and Perrie (2012) have even proposed a theoretical mechanism that may be causing this increase in the intensity of storms, and it has to do with the loss of sea ice exposing more open water. 3) Just a general comment. Screen et al. (2011) found that it was the cyclone activity early in the spring (May through July) that that is critical in determining the final minimum extent. The storm of 2012 occurred in August. So that fact right away casts doubt on the claim being made by "skeptics" that this event was responsible for the record low.
  30. What Role Did the Arctic Storm Play in the Record Sea Ice Minimum?
    Bob Loblaw (multiple posts), Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful analysis and commentary. Thanks too to others who have provided constructive commentary on this. Dale made some incorrect claims and I'll address one or more of them in the next post.
  31. Rose and Curry Double Down on Global Warming Denial
    Kevin @16, Great work! Very interesting.
  32. Rose and Curry Double Down on Global Warming Denial
    The following post by John Brookes at Tamino's nicely exposes (from a slightly different angle) the game being played by the disingenuous likes of Curry and Rose et al. (my bolding): "My suggestion is that we insist that “No significant warming since xxxx” should always have to use 1995 as the starting date, as I’m sure we all recall when Phil Jones was forced to concede that there had not been statistically significant since 1995. It was good enough for the “skeptics” then. It should be good enough for them now." So the fake skeptics have again shifted the goal posts and 1997 becomes the new cherry-pick. They can play this disingenuous game indefinitely.....but not if we hold them to 1995, for example. Has anyone asked Curry why she supports the use of 1997 as a start date versus 1995 when using the HadCRUT data?
  33. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Please do not make this a personal issue. This is a social issue. This is a geo-social issue that needs corrective actions from every nation around the world. Making this a personal issue is one of their tactics so that nobody wants to force on themselves indivisually. Only thing each indivisual has to do is to admit AGW is real and happening now. Nobody would have to buy a hybrid car with 59 hp or paint our roof white if they admit/agree. It is a social policy issue. Even if all agree, we will not be able to realistically, practically do drastic things. There will still be the fuel fossil industries and other geo-political, economic factors. Let's get the first thing first. Let's get the majority admit it's real and happening now so that the policy makers wouldn't have to be pressured to say otherwise, so that all those green technologies will be more accetable to people and that would mean better economic advantages, oppertunities for the industries.
  34. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/an-inconvenient-question-should-al-gore-fly-to-stockholm/ Gore did make some comments about flying. And of course it is CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and habitat destruction that need addressing not breathing. Hansen is calling for 350ppm, therefore carbon sequestration, which would basically need the total cessation of fossil fuel use and a massive carbon sequestration effort through eco-system restoration. Therefore as flying is one of the most intensive fossil carbon emitting activities, it doesn't really seem a sensible activity for anyone understanding the urgent situation we are facing. And if someone wants to look for a way out in denial this is all too easy with this inconsistency of message to action.
  35. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Further to CO2 emitting issue. It's not about how much CO2 we are emitting. It's where the CO2 comes from. For example, if the fuel for Al Gore's jet comes from cooking oil then he can fly as much as he wants, with no adverse effects on CCycle nor atmospheric CO2 rise. Burning C from biosphere does not matter in grand scheme, because that CO2 will be absorbed back by that biosphere eventualy. But burning C from FF sequestered for 100s My is a different story.
  36. Sea level rise is exaggerated
    Sorry clearly an amateur at this here are the unembellished links.... http://sealevel.colorado.edu/files/2012_rel4/sl_ns_global.png http://www.aviso.oceanobs.com/fileadmin/images/news/indic/msl/MSL_Serie_MERGED_Global_IB_RWT_GIA_Adjust.png http://www.cmar.csiro.au/sealevel/images/alt_gmsl_seas_rem.jpg The NOAA trend seems to be a bit lower @2.8mm/yr http://ibis.grdl.noaa.gov/SAT/SeaLevelRise/slr/slr_sla_gbl_free_txj1j2_90_500.png
  37. Sea level rise is exaggerated
    Here is an updated TOPEX and Jason data time series from CU. Hope it posts OK as I have not tried here before. Seems completely consistent with previous results from CU. It seems that CU AVISO, CSIRO and NOAA all have converged on a 3.1 mm/yr rate. Source
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  38. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    ranyl, it would only be hypocrisy if Gore had ever said something to the effect of, 'the situation is so dire that we should stop using airplanes'. Given that he hasn't said anything like that, the whole 'Gore flies on airplanes so global warming must be fake' argument is, to borrow a phrase, 'not even wrong'. It's just stupid. Halting all air travel would not solve AGW... and solving AGW does not require halting all air travel. They might as well claim that Al Gore does not really believe in global warming because he continues breathing... which releases CO2! Humans will continue emitting CO2 into the atmosphere. That is inevitable and no one is saying we need to stop it. Rather, what Gore, Hansen, and other sensible people have called for is that we limit how much CO2 (and other greenhouse gases) we emit such that we do not continue strengthening the greenhouse effect.
  39. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    The head of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, when asked if you’re wrong about humans changing the climate said "--- then I will have to say I’m sorry---“. Sorry, but saying sorry is unequivocally not good enough because it will be too late.
  40. Doug Hutcheson at 18:02 PM on 24 October 2012
    The Climate Show #29
    JasonB and DMCarey, thanks for trying to cheer me up "8-). Only when the tide of public opinion is behind us will informed decisions by our politicians be possible and ensuring the survival of our civilisation is clearly a political problem. Maybe my cynicism prevents me from noticing a turning of the political tide in countries "informed" by the Murdoch Juggernaut (AKA "The Evil Empire", but I digress). When the Tea Party starts demanding action to save their beachfront homes; when the Australian Liberal Party adopts policies designed to address AGW; when Christopher Monkton The Great (Deceiver) admits he is wrong; only then will I believe appropriate action will be taken. Of course, by then, it will be too darned late, but heck, at least I will be able to say "told you so" to the Viscount and his cadre.
  41. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    "I agree that it's stupid to somehow try to dismiss, for example, Gore's message because he takes a plane somewhere." Hypocracy is the easiest way to havevagruements dismissed, and therefore I suspect due to this AL Gore has done more harm than good. And if he flies despite what he says then why shouldn't everyone else? He's hardly taking it that seriously is he? Hansen flies alot as well and yet we have a world of instant global communication. About time people walked their talk I'd say. Also about time climate scientists starting saying they are alarmed and be proud to be so!
  42. Doug Hutcheson at 17:14 PM on 24 October 2012
    Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Fred Singer likes to see "good science"? Heartland believes in "sound science"? Gee, don't say those nasty warmistas have been misunderstanding these paragons of virtue! I'm glad I don't own any of those North Carolina beachfront homes, because leaving it to my kids in my will would be giving them a poisoned chalice.
  43. Bert from Eltham at 16:48 PM on 24 October 2012
    Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Perchance he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill, as that he knows not it tolls for him; and perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for me, and I know not that. Bert
  44. Rose and Curry Double Down on Global Warming Denial
    lord_sidcup @21 Off topic, but I suspect someone has been reading Wodehouse as well as Whitehouse. Odd choice, that.
  45. Doug Hutcheson at 16:02 PM on 24 October 2012
    Rose and Curry Double Down on Global Warming Denial
    Thanks for another great post, Dana. I am constantly baffled by the deliberate obtuseness of people who argue for low climate sensitivity and a warm MWP. Own goal indeed.
  46. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    ...I think we have won the debate with the American people in the heartland. A two-way minority, as the US census and opinion surveys on climate change tell us. Global Warming’s Six Americas
  47. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Where do you start with people like that? They need a major brain rewiring job.
  48. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Yah, I'm not sure the AFP guy could have written a better script for telling his freedom-loving constituency that "I control your opinions, I'm proud of it, and I think you're too dumb to do anything about it (or even realize it when I'm telling you all this point blank)." Ultimate public response from this piece? *reaches for the bottle of anti-depressants*
  49. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Just finished watching Frontline... Myron Ebell of the CEI says, "There are holdouts among the urban bi-coastal elite, but I think we have won the debate with the American people in the heartland. The people who get their hands dirty, people who dig up stuff, who grow stuff and make stuff for a living; people who have a closer relationship to tangible reality, to stuff" I guess one only needs to check their finger nails to know what side of reality they are on, or to what degree they are being manipulated by skilled contrarians who avoid the science in favor of witty word play and glossy spin miestering. Without directly saying so, Ebell just called a majority of working class Americans too dumb to do anything other than work with "stuff", and only smart enough to understand that which is directly in front of their faces. On that last point I tend to agree.
  50. Climate of Doubt and Escalator Updates
    Just finished watching the Frontline show. Quote: "Scientists call this 'Going Down the Up Escalator'"

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